How do you define interruption?

Chances are, if you're an accountant, you define "interruption" in an unproductive way. That's because you were hired for a skill set that requires concentration and processing. Your productivity is disproportionate to the amount of time you're interrupted.

If you're on the sales team, the perspective changes. "Interruption"—by cell phone, email, text message, or Twitter—is defined as potential opportunity. You might even share horror stories about the client who was ready to buy but went to your competitor because you weren't available. Welcoming interruptions is vital to your bottom line.

It's one thing to understand that we all define interruptions differently. But how do we communicate that effectively? One of the greatest opportunities to do this is with your outgoing messages.

Suppose your voicemail message say something like, "Hey, this is Jackie's voice mail. Leave me a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

• If someone in sales leaves a message, "as soon as you can" could mean in five minutes.
• If someone in accounting is calling, "as soon as you can" could mean at the end of the day.

Each person who calls you has a different expectation of when you'll call them back. But what if you told them how you defined interruptions? In other words, what if you gave them some insight into your daily tasks and related your expectations for returning messages?

Here's a template: 

• Hey, this is John and you've probably reached my voicemail because I'm [writing reports/collecting depositions/interviewing clients/on the phone with a customer/etc.] 
• I usually check my messages [each afternoon/twice a day around noon and four p.m./as soon as I get out of my meetings/right away]. 
• If you'd like to leave a message, include your contact information and a time when it's convenient for me to reach you.  (Remember: The only way to get respect for your time is to give respect for someone else's. Here, you're giving them a chance to explain how they work.)
• Otherwise, I usually return messages [once a week/within one business day/this afternoon/within the hour/as soon as I check them].
  
• If you're request is detailed, feel free to email me at [your email address]. Thanks.

Now you've laid out the expectations based on what you were hired to do (and your definition of interruption). When someone asks you why, explain that everyone has a different concept of interruptions. Receptionists are hired precisely to answer ringing phones all day—interruptions are part of their core purpose and, therefore, welcome. Maintenance managers were hired to repair and maintain the building—interruptions might be for emergencies only, so anything less than an emergency needs to be put in the morning report, etc. It's a good conversation starter and can help to eliminate the tension over unexplained expectations.

Want to take it a step further? Put a similar script beneath your email signature.