When it comes to communication, many companies push talking on the phone over emailing. Atos, a giant global IT company, actually went so far as to phase out email for all of their employees. I’ve read a number of other articles that have promoted picking up the phone and calling instead of using emails.
I disagree. I think that using email is better than the phone, and I will tell you why.
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Phone calls interrupt and often are not urgent
I absolutely understand that the phone is a great – if not the most important – resource in an emergency. If you lock your keys in the car, have a medical emergency, etc. it absolutely makes sense to call for help. Let’s be honest, though, most calls are not urgent. If you answer your phone every time it rings you are likely constantly being interrupted, and I doubt it’s always important (at least the calls I get aren’t!).
What about the times where someone calls you to ask you a question or to have a conversation that could have waited? You may have been in the middle of an important task, but the phone call forces you to give your full attention to the person on the phone. A text or email is much more appropriate in these cases.
I have to note that if you are driving it always makes sense to call (texting or emailing while driving is dangerous, as I’m sure you all know).
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Emails can be prioritized
While sorting through emails does take some time, it allows you to prioritize issues, questions and “to-dos.” For example, if I have an email asking me to provide some information to someone in another department, but they don’t need it for two weeks, I will flag it and get to it when I have time. On the other hand, if a programmer sends me an email to tell me a data set is ready for me to tie-out, I will start working on it right away.
At many companies people get hundreds of emails sent to them each month from corporate communications. These can easily be handled by flagging ones requiring work and putting the non-priority ones in a “Company-wide” email folder. It takes me only a few seconds to recognize whether it is an email requiring my action, and after that I can either put it in a folder for future reference or flag it and keep it in my inbox.
Personal email can be overwhelming. I get probably fifty emails a day on average. I get emails when there are new comments on this site, emails from other blogs I subscribe to, emails from various companies, and personal emails from other individuals. The mistake many people do is spend too much time dwelling on each individual email. If you quickly filter, delete, and respond to emails it really shouldn’t take up too much time.
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Emails leave a paper trail
One of the most annoying things about phone calls is the lack of a paper trail. Especially in my work as an accountant, I need documented backup for almost everything I do. I could make an entry today and have to supply backup for an audit a year from now. I can’t tell you how many times someone has called me on the phone and I’ve either had to type down everything they say or ask them to email me the question/information.
Another example is when someone is showing you how to do something or giving you directions, and you have to write it down and then type it up. If they had just emailed you a document with screen shots and detailed steps, it would save everyone time and allow you to reference the document in the future.
Perhaps an example that is applicable to just about everyone is when you have to call a company for help. I hate calling for help. It took me 15 minutes on the phone to schedule the delivery of our appliances from Menards. If I could have just scheduled it online it probably would have taken 1/3 of the time, or less, and left a paper trail in case the company screws up and mixes up the delivery date/location/etc. I will always use a chat feature instead of calling if I’m trying to get a company to fix something. It gives you a paper trail if you need to contact them again and you have the entire conversation in writing.
While I may take my hatred of the phone to an extreme, please realize that I am just talking about efficiency here. Phones serve a purpose and I am not opposed to talking to a family member on the phone, or using it in an emergency (in fact I encourage it!). I just think that many businesses make the phone out to be some sort of efficient tool, both to internal and external communications, when in reality email is usually far more efficient.
Which do you think is better? Email or the phone?
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Photo by Robert Couse-Baker
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I think it depends on the situation. I hate to talk on the phone and will almost always choose email. The one drawback to that is that with a phone call you can at least tell the inflection of the persons voice, and that is not always possible through email. If it is about something that’s a touchy subject a phone call might be better, but other than that I would almost always go or the email instead.
In my work it is extremely important that I have a paper trail of every conversation I have so if ever I speak to someone I always follow it up with a “As discussed” email which relates all the finer points which I need documented.
I like email better. No one is caught off guard and questions can be answered correctly, and it also makes it easier because I can just print everything out.
@SenseofCents I agree! Too often on the phone I am just typing/writing down things the person is saying (unless it is a personal call, of course).
I like email better, too, but for another reason. I can quickly respond to an email, while a phone call always has pleasantries. “Hi, how are you/what did you do yesterday/etc.” all costs me my most precious commodity: time.
@AverageJoeMoney How could I forget! In Minnesota this is bad….the hello/goodbye can take a long, long time.
Emails are free :). Living abroad, it makes quite a difference not to make international phone calls. But there are many people who don’t manage email well, and waiting for 2-3 days for a reply (especially from a person who spends 8 hours a day on FB) is annoying. At my bank they recently put a limit that the clerks have to answer emails in 24 hours. Before (6 months ago) I had to send FAXES for them to reply. 2012? faxes? Do they have a pager too?
@RFIndependence Yes that would be frustrating if people do not manage their emails well. People are even worse at FB messaging!
Gosh…I had to send a fax recently as well. Couldn’t believe it.
@DC @ Young Adult Money I scan my signature and send PDFs on freefax via internet, people seem happy..
If I could talk to people through email only, my job would be perfect!
@Holly at ClubThrifty Same here!
When I worked in a corporate office I always preferred emails over phone calls, for as you say, the paper trail. I worked with one woman who was the complete opposite. The times at work that I would prefer a call to an email would be for sensitive calls that could be misunderstood via email.
I hate talking on the phone and if my Mom would learn to text, I’d probably never have a personal phone call. I do think customer service should have someone answer the phone. I hate push 1 for English, push 3 if you might die before someone answers the phone, etc. I also think places that schedule appointments should have a person answering the phone. Otherwise phone calls can become a dinosaur.
@Eyesonthedollar When I was looking for a new optometrist I went to a few websites of those in our network. I choose the one I did because they were a small biz AND believe it or not…I could sign up for my appointment online :D Worked like a charm! No phone calls at all! They even had all my insurance stuff ready when I got there. So quick and painless.
Great points… especially the one about leaving a paper trail. The only time I really prefer talking on the phone is when I need a quick response to something. People can reply to an email at a leisurely pace, but if I just call them, I can get an answer within seconds.
@Joanna@OurFreakingBudget OR you could text or IM them, and they’ll usually get back pretty quick ;) Okay maybe that only works with IM, but I text back pretty quick.
I think the situation dictates how I feel about each communication method. I would never want to be on a sales email string. You would never be able to close the deal. As John indicated, it is extremely difficult to understand the general tone of an email, but you can get that from a phone call. Trust me though, I don’t like phone calls and I generally use email for everything. There are cases when phone calls are much better.
@DebtRoundUp
^ this. Email for troubleshooting purposes is extremely slow.Hopping on the phone has saved me HOURS of back and forth. But for most other things, I do agree that email can help.
@iHeartBudgets @DebtRoundUp I would argue for troubleshooting issues that chat is the most useful. You have a paper trail and it usually has the same effectiveness as the phone. Just my experience, of course.
For business use, I agree. Email allows me to be concise and make sure I get everything I need said, said. Plus like you wrote, it leaves a paper trail where I can go back and say “um, yeah I did say that and here it is.”
@KyleJames1 That paper trail is so important.
Funny, I have been emailing and texting way more than chatting on the phone lately; it’s the way of the future. I don’t miss the phone chats…..
@kinhavenmusic I “grew up” on texting as my first phone was right when texting was getting big. Between email, texting, IM, and social media, the phone has really taken a back seat. Except in corporate environments…
I totally agree, paper trails are a necessity… especially at work.
@Cara Lyn Erickson For sure! Hey you should link your livefyre account to your blog, you will probably get some traffic : )
I am not a big fan of the phone and I’m not a big fan of email either I prefer face to face although I know it’s not always possible. Paper trails are great for the obvious reason although I find sometimes recipients misunderstand emails myself included hence why I would prefer the phone although it has more to do with the situation, who’s involved that also drives my decision of use. Great email shared on FB to get fan feedback.
@CanadianBudgetB There’s no one solution : )
Emails are quicker and serve a better business purpose but being on the phone allows you to ask follow up questions quicker. I think the type of media for communication really depends on what the objective of the communication is. Short quick questions go email but there are some things that need to be discussed that email doesn’t work for. You can always summarize your discussion via email after you get off the phone.
I much prefer e-mail to phone. I like having a paper trail (esp. for Shady folks who try to say they didn’t say something when they did). I can just forward their reply back to them to prove what was said.
Where I work, talking on the phone is way better. Emails are nice for small issues, but trying to have a conversation takes forever. One phone call can replace 10 emails and cut the communication time in half.
Email is ALWAYS my first go to! Especially for the paper trail aspect. However, if I really want to make that strong interpersonal connection with the client, I still use the phone.