You know who responds to their web forms or emails? Less than 20%.
A problem, absolutely. And yes, when you're a consumer looking to engage a business, a phone call can be the path of least resistance—
if that business treats phone interaction as valuable. My experience has been the businesses that don't answer text or web queries are also terrible about returning phone calls. There's zero excuse for not communicating promptly and effectively if your job in
any way involves interacting with the public. That should include web forms, email, maybe texts, and definitely phone calls. Agreed.
I was more referring to B2B interactions: I am self-employed and interact with a stable but far-flung set of clients, all representing other businesses. There are some I think I speak to on an actual phone call once a year, if that. They email, they text, they link me to shared documents. A Zoom meeting (with an
agenda) occasionally when we need to deep-dive into something in real time. Every other communication medium under the sun. Just never a phone call. Others seem completely unable to resist calling me over the smallest of fucking things. They don't use the phone because it's efficient or the best choice for what they need to communicate, or any other practical reason. They do it because they're disorganized and it's their default, much like the fax is to similarly ossified organizations. It's become too casual. Phone calls should be about !!! THIS IS ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT !!! only, much as the fax should be for... well, I don't know what the fax should still be for in an era where sharing secured documents digitally is trivial.
Guess which clients 1. I enjoy working with, 2. Have their shit together more often than not, 3. Always pay my invoices on time, 4. Seem to understand their markets and are successful in their own right?
Phone calls are a precision tool when used effectively. I just don't think they make sense as the go-to general-purpose communication tool anymore. My time is too valuable for someone else's need to turn a three line email into a 30 minute chat.
Personally, if I call you, it's a damn good reason for sure, but I am not apologizing because I'm calling you, I'm apologizing because I'm Canadian and an apology comes every other second.
I visited Canada for the first time this past summer. Y'all really are the nicest people. Such a joy, even the simplest interaction. Except, at least in Toronto, you're terrible drivers.
EDIT: Sorry, Horatio, I've turned this into a Lounge topic. Bad moderator, no donut.
