WHEN FUNNY ISN’T FUN
Growing up as an arrogant country lad it never occurred to me that what I find hilariously amusing might cause outrage and offense to others. Particularly to those from cultures with customs I still struggle to accommodate.
So when the subject of Funny Voicemail Messages entered the conversation I was all ears.
I am always amused by the word “funny!” It’s one of those unfortunate members of the English language that derives its meaning from context.
My dear Mum would have questioned, “Is that funny peculiar or funny ha-ha?”
THERE’S NO FUNNY IN BUSINESS
Let’s keep in mind that Voicemail is a communication device most commonly used in business. It is sort of a “21st-century calling card”.
When your call goes through to Voicemail you might be greeted by a pre-recorded message. Ideally, at your workplace, that recording will have been carefully scripted and spoken by a professional voice artist.
While answering your call and recording a message the ulterior function of Voicemail is to help discourage callers from phoning a competitor.
RISKY REWARDS
There is always room here to add humor but the wise writer will adhere to the same guidelines as advertising regarding “risk and reward”.
He or she must balance the risk of offending and going unnoticed against the reward of standing out from the ordinary.
If you go down the route of leaving Funny Voicemail Messages on your company phone system, you had better have a good stock of jokes on rotation. Otherwise, your regular callers may tire of the gags.
On the other side, if you intend to leave a funny message on a Voicemail bank, still ensure you include the basics; your name, company, and contact number.
If you’re calling a rubber dinghy manufacturer, try using a talking duck to leave the voicemail message.
By now you should be evaluating the risk and responsibility equation mentioned earlier. Will the “the duck voice” help get a callback?
Media Group NZ knows that to get results you have to put more into your Voicemail messages. There’s probably a formula that equates to the degree of effort required to achieve a tangible result.
Voicemail. Just one more area of expertise at www.mediagroup.co.nz
