5 powerful reasons to pick up the phone

There is an irony that in 2022 when we all have mobile ‘phones’, the phone function is the feature people seem to use the least. 

With the majority of people working at home during the pandemic and continually exhausted from back-to-back MS Teams meetings, many found email an easier method for additional messages. Consequently, most organisations saw a significant rise in email volume over that period.  Many of our customers reported this rise, however the increased level has not subsided. We speak to people daily who complain that now not only have email volumes stayed high, which creates stress, but they report that many of their colleagues are more reluctant than ever to pick up the phone, either to make calls or to answer them. This is a source of serious frustration, possibly for the older generations, who grew up with the phone being the main method of generating activity and getting things done. 

There are many valid, researched and powerful reasons people in business should favour the phone for a number of exchanges over other communications methods such as email or instant chat. Of course, every channel of communication has its place. Something we have always said at Emailogic is that every communication is unique and needs consideration about what channel will be the best suited for the interaction. An essential business skill is to know when it will be more effective to pick up the phone over other communications methods. 

Many business processes have been designed now to bypass the phone – it is too expensive and not seen as effective to funnel customers and potential customers through phone lines. Better use a BOT, instant chat or email. 

A sensible way to explore when to use the phone over other methods of communication is to look at the benefits.

What does the phone offer and why use it?  

Here is a list of some of the reasons why the phone is so powerful: 

Dexterity – infinite ways for you to express yourself fully and temper your messages with tone, pitch, pace and volume. 
Instant – live, sharing of ideas, responses are made in the moment, you can jive and groove more easily. There is much more focus with no visual distraction. We can pick up all sorts of messages in silences. Agreements, decisions and plans can be made immediately. 
Feedback – ability to give immediate feedback, to probe and go deeper, to learn and develop in the moment. 
Engage – much more opportunity to create engagement, to empathise and build more meaningful rapport, fostering stronger relationships. 
Repeat – we can ask for clarification so there is less chance of misunderstandings and misinterpretations. There is less room for us to paint our interpretation on to what is being said – which is a big hazard with email. 

Besides all of the above, you may be surprised to learn that human beings process audio information five times faster than visual information. This is according to Seth Horowitz PhD – who has studied and researched how audio shapes how we think.  

So, the next time you are about to respond to an email, particularly if it anything but a simple answer, consider picking up the phone and having a discussion with a real life, walking, talking human being. 

If you want to learn more about how you can improve staff communication whether it is by phone, MS Teams meetings, blended meetings or email – visit our website or contact one of the Emailogic team on 0203 154 6611.