Who prefers phone calls over emails? No one, that’s who. If making phone calls for work elicits a bit of anxiety, you’re not alone. TrackMaven CEO Allen Gannett also preferred texting and email over good old fashioned phone calls, but decided to emulate the traits of the more productive people and turn to the tried and true telephone instead of the impersonal email.
Image credit: Fabio Sola Penna/Flickr
Connecting with customers or clients on the phone might be more helpful if you’re trying to discern how they actually feel about something. It’s notoriously difficult to decipher emotions in texts and emails. Indeed, a 2005 study revealed recipients of either serious or sarcastic emails were able to identify the tone only 56 per cent of the time.
Gannett became more phone-friendly by responding to emails with a request for a phone call instead. He also kept a call list, people he needed to reach out to over the course of the week. The result? “In that week, I had fulfilling conversations that wouldn’t have been possible through typing alone,” Gannett said.
Not everything was sunshine and rainbows, however. Gannett’s issues with using the phone as a primary contact method resulted in more than a few missed calls, and some calls required more time when an email would have sufficed. In the end, Gannett integrated the call list with his to-do list, and found his relationships became profound while he got even more work done. Not bad for a phone call.
What Happened When I Replied “Call Me” To Every Email I Got For A Week [Fast Company]
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