Pick Up the Darn Phone!

As a professional who has been around the block a few times, in both a Sales Engineer and a Project Manager capacity, I struggle when people (co-workers, vendors, clients, etc.) resist using the telephone for what it was actually created for- to speak with someone else.

Much of this hesitancy is generational, but not all.

It is surely true that most Millennials and certainly Gen Z’s would usually rather correspond via email or text instead of an actual phone call- something verbal.  I think most observers would agree.

But it can go deeper and broader than that explanation.  For me, just today I was speaking with a colleague who is about 45 years old about a current hot-button issue.  People in his department have been emailing and checking websites and dancing around the problem for 2 weeks now.  I just asked him, “Did anyone pick up the phone and speak directly with someone at the logistics company?”.  Nobody had, and to that point- he noted that he did not see the need or reason to do so.

OK, well the reason is:  most people have grown accustomed to ignoring emails and text messages.  It is easy to do so, with that mode of communication.  I admit that in today’s business world most of ongoing correspondence is done via email or another non-verbal means.  And in 85% of cases that works out fine.

But there is a funny thing about having a phone conversation with someone else.  You are both on a line, in real time, directly with each other.  Listening and hearing their voices, and their volume and also their demeanor.  You really cannot ignore them.  You cannot be silent and then choose to respond 2-3 days from now.  (Or never respond.)  You have to engage in a conversation, and people tend to shy away from difficult conversations, as we had today when the problem came up which is costing our company a lot of time and money and aggravation.

The verbal conversation can get pretty awkward and difficult, especially if one of the parties has made a mistake.  But avoiding or ignoring the conversation will not make the problem disappear; it would be foolish to think so.

We are all in the business world, and we are trying to accomplish tasks and the end goals.  With that said, there will be problems and things that go awry.  In many cases time is money, so the quicker a problem can be resolved, the better it is for everyone.  A phone call is more personal than a text or an email.  It is not the same as a face-to-face conversation, but it is pretty close.  And that personal touch can and often does lead to a quicker and better outcome.

Technology is great, and email itself is great and has its own benefits.  But once in a while, just realize that you should use ALL the tools that you have- even your cell or landline phone.  It may be a tad outdated, but it still has a very relevant purpose in today’s business world and society.