Communicating Effectively When Taking
and Leaving Phone and Voice Messages
1
Mishaun D. Cannon
Communications and Training, HPT
October 28, 2014
Communicating Effectively When Taking
and Leaving Phone and Voice Messages
Welcome:
Welcome to the training camp on communicating
effectively when taking and leaving phone and voice
messages. While this training is geared towards
administrative support staff, sales assistants and
customer service groups, anyone in a position to
take a message can benefit from this training to
enhance their message taking skills both
professionally and personally.
Entry Level Skills:
Learners experiencing this lesson should have
some exposure to telephone work and know the
proper etiquette used when answering a phone
call and addressing the caller on the other end of
the phone. The learner must also be familiar with
a general voicemail delivery system and its
relationship to message delivery.
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Communicating Effectively When Taking
and Leaving Phone and Voice Messages
Introduction:
This lesson on communicating effectively when taking and leaving
phone and voice messages will address the communication deficits
associated with message information mismanagement. In the real
world, everyone wants to receive messages with the correct
information and everyone has experienced a sense of anxiety
when they received a message that is missing critical information.
There is nothing more frustrating then missing out on a big
business venture, a job opportunity, a hot date or an important
social activity just because the message you received lacked the
critical information need to follow through on the task at hand. In
this lesson, I will cover both ends of the message delivery system:
The technique of taking and leaving effective messages, both
professional and personal.
Learning Objectives:
Upon completing this lesson, you will be able to:
 Discuss three (3) types of message platforms
 Take a business or personal message via the telephone
 Take a business or personal message from a voicemail system
 Leave a business or personal message via the telephone
 Leave a business or personal message on a voicemail system
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Communicating Effectively When Taking
and Leaving Phone and Voice Messages
Outline:
• Message delivery methods/platforms
• Taking telephone messages
Business messages
Personal messages
• Taking voicemail messages
Business messages
Personal messages
• Leaving telephone messages
Business messages
Personal messages
• Leaving voicemail messages
Business messages
Personal messages
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Communicating Effectively When Taking
and Leaving Phone and Voice Messages
Background Information:
The message is the
container which holds the
information; without good
information, there is no
message.
Before we explore the target lessons, let us discuss the critical path of
taking and leaving phone and voice messages. While all of the
information a caller gives you is important, there is some information
that is considered to be the key components of the message taking
process and should never be overlooked or left out, if at all possible.
Critical Message Path
Date
Time
To
From
Company
Phone Number
Message Body
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Communicating Effectively When Taking
and Leaving Phone and Voice Messages
6
Background Information Continued:
If you have not figured it out yet, the critical message information path and
fields are listed below. When effective messages are being taken over the
phone or being left on a voicemail system, these key component fields
should always be populated/spoken to form what is known as a complete
message.
Critical Path, Message Components (fields):
 Date: Day the message was taken (month, day, year)
 Time: Time the message was taken (hours and minutes)
 To: Who should receive the message (recipient)
 From: The person leaving the message (sender)
 Phone Number: Sender’s call back phone number
 Company: Company affiliation of the message sender
 Message Body: What the caller (sender) wants to say
In addition to the critical path message components (fields), we must also
consider the three (3) types of message delivery platforms and/or delivery
methods: Handwritten note, digital note, and a voicemail.
Handwritten message notes use to be the dominate delivery system
platform used to convey a message. As technology continued to scale new
heights, so did the message taking process. This new message taking
process gave birth to the voicemail and the digital message note. Today,
most messages are left directly on voicemail or sent directly to the
recipient’s email or mobile phone via a digital text or note message.
Communicating Effectively When Taking
and Leaving Phone and Voice Messages
7
Background Information Continued:
The following images are examples of the three (3) different platforms
and/or delivery methods currently used for taking and leaving messages.
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1
3
1 – Handwritten note
2 – Voicemail
3 – Digital note
Taking Business and Personal
Messages Via the Telephone
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Taking business messages via telephone:
Pictured below is an example of a standard, handwritten, business,
message note. When taking business messages, it is important to
populate all of the critical path components (fields): Date, time, to, from,
phone number, company and message body. When writing the caller’s
name, always write his/her full name, first and last, and always verify the
spelling of the caller’s name – never assume the spelling. Also, always
verify the telephone number. The caller’s name and telephone number
are the most critical components (fields) in the message taking process.
Taking Business and Personal
Messages Via the Telephone
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Taking business messages via telephone continued:
Some message fields can be left blank but only under very special
circumstances, those circumstances are:

You are 100% sure that the recipient of the message is extremely
familiar with the sender of the message

You are 100% sure that you and the recipient of the message have
the sender’s information readily available
Scenarios of when it is appropriate to leave critical path
information out during message taking:
If someone’s spouse or long-term client calls, it is safe to assume
that the recipient of the message is familiar with the caller and
your message taking would go something like this:
A) Jim, your wife Pam called at 11:49am; give
her a call when you get free.
B) Mr. Ralphman, Karl from Baldwin called at
1:15pm and wants the new pricing.
Taking Business and Personal
Messages Via the Telephone
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Taking business messages via telephone continued:
Another dynamic to consider when taking business messages is the
relationship that you, as the message taker, have with the message
recipient. Are the two of you informal when communicating, on first
name bases, or is the communication formal? If the communication is
informal, it is perfectly acceptable to address Jim Smith as “Jim”.
However, if the communication between the two of you is formal, then
you must address him as Mr. Smith when communicating messages.
Furthermore, if the message recipient has a credential that bears a title
like, Dr. for doctor, Rev. for reverend, and judge for a judge, you should
address them using their title (i.e., Dr. Smith, Rev. Smith or Judge Smith)
Taking personal messages via telephone:
Taking Business and Personal
Messages Via the Telephone
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Taking personal messages via telephone continued:
As you can see from the informal
personal message note shown on the
previous page, personal message
taking is by far, less demanding.
However, less demanding does not
mean less important and the rules for
business message taking still apply:
Verify the caller’s name and telephone
number ALWAYS!!! And use
professional titles when necessary.
Let us review what we have learned thus far
Taking Business and Personal
Messages Via the Telephone
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Check your understand of taking telephone messages: (Answer key found
in the back of the training manual)
1. Name the seven (7) components (fields) of the critical message
path?
2. What are the three (3) message delivery platforms currently
used? Circle the correct answer.
a) Handwritten note, email and voicemail
b) Voicemail, text and digital note
c) Digital note, handwritten note and voicemail
3. Which two (2) critical path message components (fields)
should always be verified in the message taking process?
4. Dr. Allen Price calls and leaves a message for your boss Michael
Smith and you and Michael are informal when communicating
with each other. How would you write Allen Price’s and Michael
Smith’s name in the message note?
5. When pulling business messages from voicemail, what should
be done if you are not sure about the spelling of the caller’s
name or company they are affiliated with?
Taking Business and Personal
Messages from a Voicemail System
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Taking business messages from
a voicemail system:
Let us start off by saying that the
process for taking voicemail
messages is no different from
taking messages via the
telephone; the main focus
remains to be the seven (7)
components (fields) of the critical
message path (date, time, to,
from, phone number, company
and message body).
Constructing messages from information
pulled from a voicemail system can be
somewhat difficult and frustrating at
times. Unlike taking a telephone
message, the opportunity to probe for
additional information and/or get
clarification is not an option during the
retrieval process. So, this message taking
process will sometimes need a little more
attention. This is often the case with
taking business messages from voicemail.
In the business world, it is typically the responsibility of most support staff
to retrieve and streamline phone and voicemail messages for their bosses.
And, in most cases, it is not appropriate to give your boss an encrypted or
cold message that was pulled from the voicemail system. If the voicemail
message is not complete and clear in its meaning, the support staff
member will have to call the company and/or contact person to get
additional information before forwarding the message on.
Taking Business and Personal
Messages from a Voicemail System
Taking business messages from a
voicemail system continued:
Experienced support staff know the
rules and usually clear up possible
problems before they occur. To do
this, simply take the extra steps to
clean and clear up encrypted and
incomplete voicemails messages
before you forward them to your
boss. This will prevent your boss
from entering your workspace with
a negative attitude and complaints
about your message taking skills.
Taking personal messages from a
voicemail system continued:
As the case with personal telephone messages, personal voicemail
messages should also be handled with care and consideration for its
intended recipient. While you are not expected to make a callback
regarding a personal voicemail retrieval, you are expected to save the
voicemail and inform the intended recipient of the problem so that
he/she can hear the message and perform his/her own research or
inquiries, as personal messages can be sensitive in nature and are best
handled by the intended recipient.
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Taking Business and Personal
Messages from a Voicemail System
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Check your understand of taking messages from voicemail: (Answer key
found in the back of the training manual).
Let us review what we have learned thus far
1. What should you do if you come across a personal voicemail
message that it not clear and needs some extra attention?
2. What should you do if someone leaves your boss a business
message that is not clear in its meaning?
Leaving a Business or Personal
Message Via the Telephone
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Leaving business messages via
the telephone:
Let the gatekeeper see
you smiling on the other
end of the phone 
If you think leaving a message is a simply task, then you are probably
doing it all wrong. Leaving an effective message is just as important as
taking an effective message. Effective message communication is a
critical part of our business and personal interactions and most of the
communication responsibility lands in the lap of the message taker.
Conversely, what responsibilities do the message giver have in these
interactions?
When leaving business or personal messages, the message giver has
the responsibility of speaking clearly and concisely, and slow and loud
enough for the message taker to fully understand the verbiage. The
message giver needs to be open to probing questions, nonresistant to
giving information and allow sufficient time for the message taker to
verify critical message information. Believe it or not, message takers
always remember when they interact with pleasant people and they,
in many cases, are the gatekeepers and the key to getting in touch
with decision makers. So remember, cooperation is key!
Leaving a Business or Personal
Message Via the Telephone
Leaving personal messages via
the telephone:
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Regardless of how comfortable you
are at the time of leaving a personal
message, try and follow the same
rules for leaving business messages.
In addition to speaking clearly and
concisely and using an appropriate
voice tone, volume and speed,
message givers should also be open
to inquiries from message takers.
Example: If the message giver has a
common name, he/she should offer
their last name and a telephone
number to eliminate confusion or
they should NOT be offended when
the message taker probes for this
information.
When leaving personal telephone
messages at someone’s home, be
sure that the message taker is
capable to relaying the message to
the intended party (i.e., do not leave
messages with small children or
people who are impaired). This is a
sure way of NOT getting your
message across to the intended
party.
Example: If the caller’s name is Jan,
the message recipient might know
more than one Jan.
Leaving a Business or Personal
Message on Voicemail
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Leaving a business or personal
message on voicemail:
The caption to the right is
probably accurate for some
message givers but clearly
not for most of them. We
often hear ourselves one
way while other hear us in a
totally different way.
The act of leaving a voicemail is viewed as an unwanted task for many
message givers. And because of this, voicemail messages are often rushed
through, cut short, muffled, too long and, overall, missing critical
information.
To prevent from leaving someone an ineffective voicemail, follow the same
rules for leaving business phone messages; focus on the critical message
components (fields). When leaving voicemails, there are often time
constraints placed on the message length so be mindful of this and get the
important information out first.
Voicemail Examples:
Business voicemail: Good morning, this is Connie Jones from
Purchasing, my ext. is 2-4514 and we have a problem with the
order you placed yesterday; please call me as soon as you can.
Personal voicemail: Hey Bill, this is Kelly. Call me at (708) 9914512, checking to see if you’re available for drinks on Friday.
Communicating Effectively When Taking
and Leaving Phone and Voice Messages
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Leaving a business or personal
message on voicemail:
In addition to putting the critical message information first, here is
another thing for you to consider. Leave out any extra verbiage that is
not important to the meaning of the message. And do not forget to
repeat the telephone number at least once during the message and say
and spell your first and last name.
Summary:
In summary, the key to effective message communication is the
seven (7) critical message component (fields):







Date
Time
To
From
Company
Phone Number
Message Body
Put these elements first and you will be well on your way to a future
of effective message communication!
Communicating Effectively When Taking
and Leaving Phone and Voice Messages
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Check Your Understand, taking telephone messages: Answer Key
1. Name the seven (7) components (fields) of the critical message
path?
Date, time, to, from, company, phone number and message body
2. What are the three (3) message delivery platforms currently
used? Circle the correct answer.
a) Handwritten note, email and voicemail
b) Voicemail, text and digital note
c) Digital note, handwritten note and voicemail
3. Which two (2) critical path message components (fields)
should always be verified in the message taking process?
The name and it’s spelling and phone number
4. Dr. Allen Price calls and leaves a message for your boss Michael
Smith and you and Michael are informal when communicating
with each other. How would you write Allen Price’s and Michael
Smith’s name in the message note?
Dr. Price and Allen
5. When pulling business messages from voicemail, what should be
done if you are not sure about the spelling of the caller’s name or
company they are affiliated with?
You should contact the company and verify both pieces of
information before forwarding the message on to your boss.
Communicating Effectively When Taking
and Leaving Phone and Voice Messages
21
Check Your Understand, Taking Message from Voicemail:
Answer Key
1. What should you do if you come across a personal voicemail
message that it not clear and needs some extra attention?
You should NOT make a callback, as personal messages can be of a
sensitive nature. However, you should still take the message and
forward it accordingly and advise the intended recipient that you
have saved a copy for their review.
2. What should you do if someone leaves your boss a business
message that is not clear in its meaning?
You should place a phone call to the company to clarify any
misleading information and then forward the completed message to
your boss.