What do you do when they just won't put you through?

Question

When you try to call someone and their secretary won't put you through? He isn't here today until Tuesday, he isn't in the office at the moment....

Answer 1

ask to leave a voicemail?

Answer 2

I usually opt to hold... they hate that...

Or, get an email address - most people in business read their own email.

Answer 3

Ask if you can schedule a time that she knows he will be there to take the call (puts her in power).  "Gosh, you know I have called several time and he is so hard to catch.  I need your help!  When would you say is the time to call to make sure I reach him?  I sure appreciate your help."  Get her name and use it often.  Also ask her if you would have better luck reaching the contact via email or fax.  

Answer 4

Hahaha.  I am a secretary, and listen up.  They do not want to talk to you.  Period.  Nothing you do or say will get you by me.  You can hold on my phone for 1 hour if you want, I do not care!!  I can tell you "I'm sorry he's with someone" and "no I can not interrupt".  If you get nasty or mean with me, I hang up on you. And no, I do not get in trouble or disciplined for hanging up on a rude person.

Good luck.......lol  

Oh yea, the "when's the best time to call back" doesn't work either.  Sorry, but we don't know when the best time to call back is for our boss.  It could be 5 minutes, it could be 5 hours.  I love being the gate keeper.

One more thing - we never ever ever give out email addresses of our boss.  If you know my boss and talk to him regularly, you will have his email address.

Answer 5

I'm an administrative assistant. There isn't anything you can do about it. I deal with everyone else's callers all day long. Anytime I don't put a call thru directly to the party its for a specific reason...out of the office, given specific "do not disturb" instructions, lunch, etc. In any of these cases the caller gets sent to voicemail.

I don't accept "opt to hold" unless the person is available but on the phone. ...and I don't give out a call back time frame no matter what. The one time I did I almost got fired because the person complained to the boss that I was setting their schedule without authorization.