Voicemail is Obsolete

Today Michael Arrington has a post on TechCrunch that touches one of my office annoyances: voicemail.

I have voicemail at work. I wish I didn’t. They actually changed my landline phone number a couple months and I asked if not having voicemail was an option, but apparently it’s required.

I have e-mail. I have instant messaging. Why do I need voicemail?

My organization has about 5,000 employees. I work with a development group that probably numbers 30 including developers, business analysts, and related management. Of those folks, only one uses voicemail. Extensively. She leaves messages that say things like “I just wanted to let you know I’m going to send you an e-mail…” Anyone remember the beginning of the pilot episode of the Dilbert TV show? Yeah.