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I've had to deal with several types of businesses over the last several days, mostly starting from web-submitted forms where I could specify my preferred mode of communication is email. I always specify email, and without fail it seems like everyone is simply ignoring it and calling and leaving voicemails. I work a core business hour shift and cannot always respond to a voicemail.
Why are people so determined to communicate only by phone?
I've had to deal with several types of businesses over the last several days, mostly starting from web-submitted forms where I could specify my preferred mode of communication is email. I always specify email, and without fail it seems like everyone is simply ignoring it and calling and leaving voicemails. I work a core business hour shift and cannot always respond to a voicemail.
Why are people so determined to communicate only by phone?
For me, I can often resolve a problem or schedule an activity/meeting during a quick two or three minute phone call, that would take me 15 minutes to type a detailed email and then have to wait until that person responds. And, then perhaps, play email-tag to set up the meeting/activity or solve the problem.
My time is valuable. I would much rather get something solved in few minutes than spend several 15 minute blocks of time, possibly over several hours or several days.
However, if it was a business matter I would use whatever method the customer requested.
For me, I can often resolve a problem or schedule an activity/meeting during a quick two or three minute phone call, that would take me 15 minutes to type a detailed email and then have to wait until that person responds. And, then perhaps, play email-tag to set up the meeting/activity or solve the problem.
My time is valuable. I would much rather get something solved in few minutes than spend several 15 minute blocks of time, possibly over several hours or several days.
However, if it was a business matter I would use whatever method the customer requested.
Most of these calls have been to schedule appointments. There are a lot of times I can't break away from my desk for an hour or two to return a phone call, but can return an email nearly immediately. I agree that if it's something extremely in-depth, I'd rather talk on the phone, but this game of phone tag to do such simple things is irritating as all hell.
Most of these calls have been to schedule appointments. There are a lot of times I can't break away from my desk for an hour or two to return a phone call, but can return an email nearly immediately. I agree that if it's something extremely in-depth, I'd rather talk on the phone, but this game of phone tag to do such simple things is irritating as all hell.
Scheduling an appointment over email can be a frustrating situation, since you have to come up with a date and time that works for both parties. You can wind up in an endless chain of:
How about Thursday the 3rd?
Nope, not available. Maybe the 4th?
Okay, I have a 10:00.
Sorry, not available at 10:00. How about 4:00?
No, nothing available at 4:00. How about 8:00 on the 7th?
I can do 2:00 on the 7th.
Nope. That time is taken. 9:00 on the 8th?
... and on and on and on ...
It's most efficiently done on the phone.
Why would you need to break away from your desk for an hour or two to return a call? Does it really take an hour or two to schedule an appointment? I can usually do that on my way to a bathroom break.
Scheduling an appointment over email can be a frustrating situation, since you have to come up with a date and time that works for both parties. You can wind up in an endless chain of:
How about Thursday the 3rd?
Nope, not available. Maybe the 4th?
Okay, I have a 10:00.
Sorry, not available at 10:00. How about 4:00?
No, nothing available at 4:00. How about 8:00 on the 7th?
I can do 2:00 on the 7th.
Nope. That time is taken. 9:00 on the 8th?
... and on and on and on ...
It's most efficiently done on the phone.
Why would you need to break away from your desk for an hour or two to return a call? Does it really take an hour or two to schedule an appointment? I can usually do that on my way to a bathroom break.
Totally. I prefer email and text for most things but hate making appointments on anything but the phone.
Why would you need to break away from your desk for an hour or two to return a call? Does it really take an hour or two to schedule an appointment? I can usually do that on my way to a bathroom break.
The call won't take that long, but it is difficult for me to get away from my desk sometimes.
They do it for all kinds of reasons. They want to sell you something else. They want to "get to know you" so they can contact you later about other things. They don't want to put anything in writing because if they screw up, you have proof of what they originally said.
If all prior correspondence is in email, I don't bother with complying with their request to call them. I just say, "Sorry I didn't get a chance to call you. Been swamped. This is to confirm that our appointment is for Thursday at 3:00, as discussed in the emails below."
Scheduling an appointment over email can be a frustrating situation, since you have to come up with a date and time that works for both parties. You can wind up in an endless chain of:
How about Thursday the 3rd?
Nope, not available. Maybe the 4th?
Okay, I have a 10:00.
Sorry, not available at 10:00. How about 4:00?
No, nothing available at 4:00. How about 8:00 on the 7th?
I can do 2:00 on the 7th.
Nope. That time is taken. 9:00 on the 8th?
... and on and on and on ...
It's most efficiently done on the phone.
Not necessarily, if your work requires you to juggle multiple appointments. I deal with this day in and day out. Here's how I do it:
Me: If you could give me a couple of times that work, we can pin it down from there. As you can imagine, I'm juggling multiple appointments for this, so options would help in scheduling.
Source A: I'm available tomorrow between 1 and 3 and Friday between 9 and 11 and again at 4.
Source B: I'm available tomorrow between 2 and 4 and Friday between 9 and 11.
Source C. I'm available Friday all day.
Me to A: Great! Let's go with tomorrow at 1:00.
Me to B: Great! Let's go with Friday at 10:00.
Me to C. Great! Let's go with Friday at 2:00.
Half the time it's their administrative assistants handling it, anyway, and scheduling is part of an administrative assistant's job. I've had too many people request the same times in the past, and I think it's rude to ask people for their time and then go back and say, "Oops, sorry, that slot is taken. How about another?" I write you, you write me, I write you, the end.
Not necessarily, if your work requires you to juggle multiple appointments. I deal with this day in and day out. Here's how I do it:
Me: If you could give me a couple of times that work, we can pin it down from there. As you can imagine, I'm juggling multiple appointments for this, so options would help in scheduling.
Source A: I'm available tomorrow between 1 and 3 and Friday between 9 and 11 and again at 4.
Source B: I'm available tomorrow between 2 and 4 and Friday between 9 and 11.
Source C. I'm available Friday all day.
Me to A: Great! Let's go with tomorrow at 1:00.
Me to B: Great! Let's go with Friday at 10:00.
Me to C. Great! Let's go with Friday at 2:00.
Half the time it's their administrative assistants handling it, anyway, and scheduling is part of an administrative assistant's job. I've had too many people request the same times in the past, and I think it's rude to ask people for their time and then go back and say, "Oops, sorry, that slot is taken. How about another?" I write you, you write me, I write you, the end.
It doesn't sound like it is about work-related appointments or OP would certainly be able to return their calls from her desk at work and wouldn't have to try to slip away to return them.
If it's a personal appointment like a doctor or hairdresser, I would never ask them to take the time to go back and forth and back and forth. It also wouldn't work....if they write "we have 1:00 Friday open" and you don't answer the e-mail for 5 hours, are they supposed to keep it open just in case you want it whenever you get back to them? What if you write back and say "I'll take it!" but by the time you've written the slot is now gone?
It just sounds horribly inefficient to me and if it were my business, I'd be picking up the phone, too.
I've had to deal with several types of businesses over the last several days, mostly starting from web-submitted forms where I could specify my preferred mode of communication is email. I always specify email, and without fail it seems like everyone is simply ignoring it and calling and leaving voicemails. I work a core business hour shift and cannot always respond to a voicemail.
Why are people so determined to communicate only by phone?
Because one emails turns into 20 because the written word is too easily misunderstood. Also, email is a form of one way communication, it does not go both ways and 9 times our of 10 the information is taken out of context or worse, perceived in a manner that the sender had not intended. What I think is cute or nice in an email someone could think is rude, dismissive or belittling.
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