How to skip voicemail greeting . . . one-star-pound

The problem is that everyone is wasting time listening to an unnecessary, misinformed, voice mail greeting -- everyone knows what, why, how, "to leave a message" and "wait for a quick call back."  There is no need to leave the "time and date" or your "call back number", since both are already recorded.  If not, then you are not someone who is deserving of a call back.

Each carrier is different, but there is a universal sequence that will bypass any of them.  Its not entirely elegant, but it works: '1' then '*' then '#' or simply stated "1*#" 

Here are the technical details if you want to read on.

Each carrier offers a key-press that skips the greeting and takes you to the recording beep.  A thoughtful greeter should offer the skip at the beginning of one's message, but that is not always the case.

The carriers do not promote the existence of this key-press.  By having you listen for the 15+ seconds, you are chewing up the plan's minutes which eventually turns in to earnings by  charging for those dead-minutes.  Notice that the key to press is different with each company:

• * (star) for Verizon
• 1 (one) for Sprint
• # (pound) for AT&T
• # (pound) for T-Mobile

Each time you dial a number,  you would have to know which carrier the person you are calling subscribes from -- silly at best.

Just pressing *-1-# in a row does not work and will send you into an endless loop boxed into that system’s voicemail menus.

STEP ONE. Press 1. If the carrier is Sprint, you get the beep and you are done. If you hear an error recording, continue:

STEP TWO. Press *. If the carrier is Verizon, you get the beep. If not, continue:

STEP THREE: Push #. You get the beep for T-Mobile or AT&T.

You have to pause after each steb and you have to keep listening, but it is one small way to fight back.  

Remember: one-star-pound.

Now that you have this tip, check if you greeting is caller friendly and tell your caller how to skip, "Hi, you have reached <name-here>'s voice mail.  Press <key-press> to skip this greeting.  Blah-blah-blah."