It's a sign of the times: Coca-Cola is no longer accepting voice mail messages. At the Atlanta headquarters, employees can shut off their voice mail system and never have to listen to another message. Only 6% opted in.

According to spokesperson Amanda Roesster, the move meets the goal of "changing the tools and methods in which we communicate as a company." In an internal message announcing the decision, CIO Ed Steinike wrote that eliminating voice mail will "simplify the way we work and increase productivity."

Bloomberg and MSN credit Millennials for the declining use of voice mail. To people under 30, they are a waste of time. Texting and Facebook messages are more efficient, and some Millennials admit not listening to voice messages at all. An NPR article quotes a trend expert: 

"Everyone criticizes the Millennials for being the 'me' generation and being so entitled. I don't think they're so entitled. I think they're just incredibly pragmatic. So for them if a voice mail isn't practical - which most of the time it isn't - and there's a more practical way of delivering the same information, they're gonna go for that."

Image source. 

Discussion Starters: 

• What's your view of voice mail messages? What are the advantages of voice messages that Coca-Cola may lose? 
• How do you decide whether to send someone an email, text, Facebook message, or voice mail? See advice in Chapter 1 for ideas.