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Even Telecom Workers Don't Want To Talk On the Phone (fastcompany.com)

Posted by msmash on from the how-we-live dept.

An anonymous reader shares a report: Of the 1,000 Americans surveyed by Fundera, more than half said they prefer email, even though an often overflowing inbox has been proven to hinder productivity. Other methods of communicating paled in comparison. For instance, face-to-face conversations came in a distant second, preferred by only 15.8% of respondents, while phone calls came in at the bottom across 17 different industries. Even telecom workers don't want to talk on the phone: 70% would prefer to use instant messages or email.

12 of 52 comments (clear)

  1. Yeah so? by yokem_55 · · Score: 3, Funny

    If we answer the phone then we have to do things like help our customers and solve problems. If you don't answer the phone, eventually people stop calling....

    --
    ...and IN SOVIET RUSSIA, beowulf clusters imagine 1, 2, 3 profit!!!! jokes made out of YOU!!!
    1. Re:Yeah so? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If we answer the phone then we have to do things like help our customers and solve problems.

      Phone calls are a poor medium for "solving problems". An emailed inquiry with specific information, maybe including a screenshot, is far superior. Then I can send a reply with specific instructions, a photo of the solution, and links for more information. When I hire tech-support people, they almost always ask if they will have to do phone support, and if they are good, I will hire them anyway. So the dreg employees staff the phones, where they recite the manual to idiots too lazy to read it for themselves.

      There are some good tech support phone calls, such as this: "I have a critical problem, and just emailed you a detailed description. Please read it and respond ASAP!". But other than that, I don't think so.

    2. Re:Yeah so? by Pentium100 · · Score: 2

      In my experience, email, sky and phonecalls have their uses.

      Email is for something that can wait - when I have the time I will read the email. Also, it is only good if the conversation is short (not many replies) and slow.
      Phonecalls, for me, are good for urgent matters ("Hi, internet connection for client X is not working, I tried connecting my own PC, checked the wiring, I get an IP, but no internet access"), especially if realtime conversation is needed ("OK, try it now").

      I would hate doing the realtime urgent one over email because it would mean that I would need to check my email every minute.

      Skype is somewhere in the middle - I am more likely to notice the message faster and then we can have an almost-realtime conversation.

      I prefer phonecall over text when I need to explain stuff to people because I would rather talk than type a full page of explanations (to which there will be questions etc).

      An emailed inquiry with specific information, maybe including a screenshot, is far superior. Then I can send a reply with specific instructions, a photo of the solution, and links for more information.

      For the realtime conversations, I usually just ask the person to email me a screenshot or something while we are on the phone.

      For email to work, both parties need to write more information, because if I need to send many messages to get the information (for example, I send two questions, get an answer to one, have to repeat the other), with delays of 5 - 30 minutes between replies, then I will waste more time checking my email than I would if we just talked.

  2. In related surveys ... by Obfuscant · · Score: 4, Funny

    A majority (76%) of ER doctors admitted that they did not want to need to use the ER, and 63% of morticians said they did not want to have to make use of their own services personally. And only 14% of Slashdot editors admitted that they felt they needed to use an editor before accepting a submission.

    1. Re:In related surveys ... by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 2

      toilet makers, on the other hand.....

  3. Email was salvation for employees by OffTheLip · · Score: 2

    Receive email from your boss was much better than a phone call. Gave you time to work on an approach to what was being asked. Read receipt off of course.

  4. Crafting Answers by Bigbutt · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Email is a benefit for me. It lets me read the email, check my data, craft an answer, and have a paper trail of the task. I also know what is needed and can refer to the email should there be a dispute.

    Phone: "Hey, I need you to blah blah blah"

    Me: "Okay, send me an email with the details and I'll get on it."

    [John]

    --
    Shit better not happen!
    1. Re:Crafting Answers by Calydor · · Score: 2

      And on the other end, it gives the guy reading your answer the ability to check back an hour later to see the exact same details, rather than relying on his recollection of a phone call that happened while he was playing Solitaire on the computer and getting blown by his secretary.

      --
      -=This sig has nothing to do with my comment. Move along now=-
    2. Re:Crafting Answers by Neuronwelder · · Score: 2

      There IS a place for email when it comes to.. "Just get to the point!"... But it's not for conversations that morph into new ideas. Or have more than one direction depending upon the previous answer and need to be done in real time.

  5. What's this ringly thingie on my desk? by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The majority of my coworkers communicate via Microsoft Lync (IM) with a headset. I got a coworker who uses the phone because he doesn't want to leave a paper trail that could make him look bad. He gets mad at me because I document everything out of habit. What he says over the phone doesn't always match what he writes in the ticket log. I've put him on my "trust but verify" list of coworkers.

  6. Doesn't interrupt my schedule by SoftwareArtist · · Score: 3, Informative

    If someone emails me, I can deal with it whenever it's convenient for me. If they phone me, I'm supposed to deal with it right that moment, no matter what I was in the middle of when they interrupted me. Or I can let it go to voicemail, but that's way less convenient to check than email.

    --
    "I'm too busy to research this and form an educated opinion, but I do have time to tell everyone my uninformed opinion."
  7. Customer service by backslashdot · · Score: 2

    Why is customer support still mainly done over the phone? Why not do it over instant messenger or text?

    Old people need to hear a voice ?