Get the Message Right

While voice mail and answering machines are nice, many times we are faced with the responsibility of taking a message and having to deliver it ourselves. Often, when this happens we believe that we are going to be able to remember everything without any problem and get the proper message to the proper person with no delay. Well, as any child who has ever played the game "telephone" can tell you, this is sadly not the case.

What can a person do to make sure they have taken down all the important information in a message, that it gets to the right person, all while ensuring that the information is not lost? Luckily, the answer to this question is a simple one, and one that can be applied equally to either a personal or business environment. That answer is through the use of message pads.

Message pads can be purchased at any office supply store, and they are relatively inexpensive. When you are choosing the message pad that you are going to be using though, there are just a few features that you are going to want to keep in mind, and make sure that your pad has when you make your final decision. So, when you are choosing y our message pad, just use this simple checklist and you are going to have all the basics covered, and therefore be well on the way to having a well organized message delivery system. These may seem a little simplistic, but keep in mind that these are the basics.

• Message for. Obviously, you are going to need something that lists who the message is for. When you are taking the message, you are going to need to make sure that you know who you are to deliver the message to otherwise it is going to make the whole process of delivering the message a tad difficult.
• Person called. One of the most basic parts of message taking, this had better be on the pad otherwise there is little point in taking the message. This is necessary information which is going to allow the recipient of the message to return the call, or take other action that may be required.
• Message. This is going to be the main part of the note, it doesn't have to be extremely detailed or exceptionally long, but it does have to cover the main points of what the caller wants passed on. Therefore, you need to make sure that your pad has at the very least an area for writing this down.
• Date/Time. The message pad needs to have an area that allows you to write down the date and time the call came in. This way your message recipient is going to know exactly when, and at what time, the phone call came in.
• Action to be taken. This is a fairly simple part of the message pad that can allow the person who receives the message to know what is expected of them. This is going to allow the recipient to know whether they are expected to give a call back, or if some other