Comments on: Phone vs Email http://www.mypunchbowl.com/blog/2009/06/02/phone-vs-email/ Party Planning and Online Invitations with MyPunchbowl Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:45:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 By: Ken Pickering http://www.mypunchbowl.com/blog/2009/06/02/phone-vs-email/#comment-12303 Ken Pickering Tue, 09 Jun 2009 20:00:41 +0000 http://www.mypunchbowl.com/blog/2009/06/02/phone-vs-email/#comment-12303 Email, although effective, is also the most impersonal form of business communication. It adds almost no personality or context to a conversation which may be beneficial in some aspects, but can typically fall short especially when establishing a relationship with someone on the other end of the planet. Working with people overseas, having a personal phone conversation gives meaningful context to their perception of you. You're not just someone on an org chart with a signature after their name... You're actually a living, breathing human being with a unique voice. Also, in terms of quick communication, email is very clunky an inefficient... Even chatting in an IM window is slower. There's something to be set for real-time transmission of information, where each party doesn't have to wait for an IMAP or exchange synch up and manage to notice the little blink in their dashboard. If I need quick information, phone is the way to go. Plus, in a business setting, who uses office phones? It's all cellular. And, almost all professionals I know answer their phone immediately when it's a business related phone call coming through. That's why the company subsidizes our bill. If you want to look at the future of text communication. look no further than Google Wave. They're at least trying to optimize the email process. It has been virtually unchanged as a medium since the 70s, and is in need of a serious overhaul. Email, although effective, is also the most impersonal form of business communication. It adds almost no personality or context to a conversation which may be beneficial in some aspects, but can typically fall short especially when establishing a relationship with someone on the other end of the planet. Working with people overseas, having a personal phone conversation gives meaningful context to their perception of you. You’re not just someone on an org chart with a signature after their name… You’re actually a living, breathing human being with a unique voice.

Also, in terms of quick communication, email is very clunky an inefficient… Even chatting in an IM window is slower. There’s something to be set for real-time transmission of information, where each party doesn’t have to wait for an IMAP or exchange synch up and manage to notice the little blink in their dashboard. If I need quick information, phone is the way to go. Plus, in a business setting, who uses office phones? It’s all cellular. And, almost all professionals I know answer their phone immediately when it’s a business related phone call coming through. That’s why the company subsidizes our bill.

If you want to look at the future of text communication. look no further than Google Wave. They’re at least trying to optimize the email process. It has been virtually unchanged as a medium since the 70s, and is in need of a serious overhaul.

]]> By: Colin JT Woods http://www.mypunchbowl.com/blog/2009/06/02/phone-vs-email/#comment-12236 Colin JT Woods Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:46:58 +0000 http://www.mypunchbowl.com/blog/2009/06/02/phone-vs-email/#comment-12236 I have seen an increasing incidence of people using email etiquette and organization with their phones. They employ the ability to screen and respond 'when convenient' rather than address the issue. We all know that that convenient time never comes. If my phone call is wasting your time it is really simple to politely tell me so in less than a minute. On the other hand, if I believe that my communication warrants using the phone, I am not going to stop calling until I get through. My response is often to call every day. This means that I will waste much more of your time by crossing the plate multiple times. When sending out I defer to email and use the phone for urgency or if I can't get a response. I just wish people would respond to phone calls with an understanding of that level of urgency. It would save them everyone's time. One of my favorite stories of professional dedication was a potential internship (Travelers Championship) I called and didn't get through. I left a message and thought that I would be calling the next day. She called back at 830pm from the airport on a transfer. Now I am a lowly potential intern, but if they treat me that way then it goes all the way up. In the end it saves time and creates a reciprocal culture of respect and efficient information exchange. I have seen an increasing incidence of people using email etiquette and organization with their phones. They employ the ability to screen and respond ‘when convenient’ rather than address the issue. We all know that that convenient time never comes. If my phone call is wasting your time it is really simple to politely tell me so in less than a minute. On the other hand, if I believe that my communication warrants using the phone, I am not going to stop calling until I get through. My response is often to call every day. This means that I will waste much more of your time by crossing the plate multiple times.

When sending out I defer to email and use the phone for urgency or if I can’t get a response. I just wish people would respond to phone calls with an understanding of that level of urgency. It would save them everyone’s time.

One of my favorite stories of professional dedication was a potential internship (Travelers Championship) I called and didn’t get through. I left a message and thought that I would be calling the next day. She called back at 830pm from the airport on a transfer. Now I am a lowly potential intern, but if they treat me that way then it goes all the way up. In the end it saves time and creates a reciprocal culture of respect and efficient information exchange.

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