If you miss an important call and you are in easy reach of your phone, it is fine to call back within the first 30 seconds. The rationale behind this being: the more time which elapses between calls, the higher the chance the person you are trying to contact will not answer.
As the caller, if the intended recipient calls you back within 30 seconds, then if possible, you really should answer. Finding an excuse for missing such a return call will obviously be difficult as such a small amount of time has passed in the meantime. However, if five or so minutes passes before you are called back, it’s perfectly understandable if you miss their return call.
Screening calls is perfectly acceptable – here is the etiquette to follow
If you are called from a number you do not recognise it is perfectly acceptable to wait and see whether you are left a voicemail message. If they do and you would like to call to talk to them, call them back. If they don’t then leave a message there is every chance that the call was the telephone equivalent of spam, so there really is no need to call them back.
On the other hand, if you are the caller and you are pretty sure that the intended recipient does not have your number, then leave a voicemail, it will greatly increase the chance of receiving a call back.
So what exactly is the best plan of attack when leaving a voicemail?
The dreaded voicemail; nemesis of so many and friend to so few. Well here are some tips. If someone calls your phone and waits to be put through to your messaging service, the last thing they are then going to want is a long winded Shakespearian soliloquy. Keep your greeting short and the caller will be far more likely to leave a message in the first place. If you are the caller it is important not to explain to the caller everything you wish to talk about. Save that for the actual call. If it’s vital information then keep it brief. Never just leave a message asking the individual to call you back. Your missed call already affirms that.
It is acceptable to text back to a call?
It is acceptable to text back to a call; however, it’s only really acceptable to do so in certain circumstances. If you are in a location where it is impossible to answer the phone, such as a theatre or cinema, or you are in a meeting, responding with a text shows that you are aware of the missed call and are interested in talking as soon as it is possible to do so.
If you are the caller and you receive a text response it is important to set up a time to talk, or calmly wait for the individual to call you back at their own convenience.
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