6 reasons to use a phone rather than email

We are spoilt nowadays with how to get in touch with someone. You may like to talk to colleagues or clients over Skype, Facebook or simply sending emails. However, we often overlook the power of a phone call in business. Here’s six reasons why you should try and use a phone more often than sending an email.

1. They are much faster
It’s easy to ignore an email or forget about it, but most of the time people will pick up the phone when it’s ringing. That is why if you need to know something urgently, you’re better off ringing the person than waiting for a reply on an email.

2. You learn things
Are they in the office, in meetings, driving the length of the M1, or off sick? When are they expected back? Is there anyone else that can get the information you need? Can they be interrupted in the meeting? But with email, most of the time you are sending your message out into the void and hoping the person is at the other end and able to pick it up.

3. Shows more authority
Phone calls tend to hold more authority than an email or instant message as it is a more traditional form of communication. It also gets you on the front foot and can make it easier to control the conversation and manage the reaction. If you need to deliver an important message to someone, you’re better off telling them (before reaffirming it in an email, of course).

4. Way more simple
If you’re out and about, you may not have connection to receive and send emails. That’s why phone calls are often much more simple as you’re not having to rely on WiFi or a decent connection, therefore making them much easier will less hassle.

5. You can be clearer
It can be sometimes difficult to express your view or opinion over email as the person reading it doesn’t necessarily know which tone you’re using, sometimes making their reply be vague. Whereas with a phone call, you can express yourself without fear that they won’t know where you’re coming from with something.

6. Better friendships
If this is someone you’re having to talk to regularly, you’ll find it much easier to form a relationship with them if it is over the phone. You can be more informal, and often more direct, with each other in conversation, while problems that could have descended into email warfare can be nipped in the bud.

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