The Business Aversion to the Phone

Just when did talking live go out of style? Some would blame it on the Twitter, Facebook, et al world we live in. I think it took hold even before the dawn of social media.

I remember back in the Stone Age when customer service was a business letter and a stamp. Believe it or not, they had phones back then. But, rather than pick up the phone and talk about the simplest of problems, customers took the snail mail route, then waited for the snail mail response back.

Ironically, some of my worst experiences have been with the phone company. Is this what put people off live conversations? Did it start when some productivity genius decided that automated phone prompts were a great business strategy?

Today we tweet, text, post, write on walls, but seldom talk. Cubicle clones email rather than get up and talk to a coworker – even those across the cubicle wall. Business people complain about how they hate wasting time talking on the phone, but see no problem in sending email chains longer than the Continental Divide.

Perhaps it’s because I like things simple. I would rather have a five-minute phone call to clarify something then sit down and take much longer writing an email or letter. I understand the business need for putting things in writing, but there is also a real business need to connect live.

If social media is all about connecting, why not reach and touch someone? Have we lost the fine art of live conversation? What do you think?

Let us make a special effort to stop communicating with each other, so we can have some conversation.
Judith Martin, (Miss Manners)

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