Personally, I will text, instant chat, email, Facebook message, What’s App and send telepathic messages before I pick up the phone to communicate. In a world where there are so many efficient mediums to say exactly what you need to—no more, no less—why waste time on a phone conversation?
As it turns out there are lots of reasons. Whether you are picking up your office phone to clear something up with a colleague, or just ringing a friend on your mobile as you board a train, it will reap benefits to re-learn the lost art of talking on the phone.
Here are some reasons everyone should start using their fancy business telephone systems, home phones, mobile phones or VoIP phones. The phone doesn’t matter; talking on it does.
No voice = no originality.
You can't copy and paste a phone conversation. But you can copy and paste a photo, a link, a gif, etc.
Think about it: a phone conversation is one of a kind. It is shared only by the two of you.
No talking means no listening.
Most of us don’t properly read texts or emails—we skim them, and respond with a minimal ‘ok’, ‘xx’ or ‘sounds good’.
You can't skim a phone conversation. And half-listening doesn’t work because you can’t scroll up the screen to find out what you missed.
Getting tone right is hard when you type.
Emails and other typed messages are often more inefficient than a phone call because you spend forever trying to get the tone of the written words right. One the phone, this is a non-issue.
When there is less time to think, there is more honesty.
How many emails or texts have you carefully crafted in order not to hurt someone’s feelings? When you are on the phone, you don’t have time to carefully craft a response. Your voice tells it all, and as such, conversations are more honest.
What you write can be sent anywhere.
Unless you are on your office telephone, and it is enabled with call recording, what you say can’t be forwarded, copied, or used against you. Text, emails, instant messages—can all be forwarded, even if you don’t want them to be.
Calling someone is the biggest compliment.
While you can text any number of people anywhere, anytime, while doing any number of other tasks… a phone call is special. You make a phone call when you have some time, and you consciously decide that you want to devote that time to a conversation with the person on the other end.
You call someone for one reason and one reason only: he or she is the only person you want to be talking to at this very point in time. It is the highest compliment.
About VTSL
VTSL is a hosted business telephone system specialist and leading VoIP provider based in the UK. Providing businesses with the latest telephony technology, integration with other systems and easy-to-use office phone, mobility and flexible working solutions is what they do best. Call 020 7078 3200 for more information.