How important is The Phone in the Internet Era?

Featured article by Kerry Blake, Independent Technology Author

With the rapid advancement in technology, many businesses are abandoning effective methods of communication such as phones in favour of modern methods such as computers that are mainly used to compose, send and receive emails. The computers are also used to reach out to prospective clients via websites, blogs and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

Reaching out to customers via digital technology is great because it’s easy, but, business organizations should also consider using tried and tested methods of communication such as phone systems. Even though they’re considered quite traditional, phone systems are still one of the most effective and efficient ways of external and internal communication.

Many companies in different sectors of the economy are working extremely hard to enhance their online presence by creating or improving websites, creating blogs, encouraging correspondence via emails as well as having strong presence on social networking sites.

It’s quite difficult to initiate and maintain relationship with prospective or existing customers through websites, blogs, emails or social media platforms. Achieving such objectives using telephone communication is comparatively easier.

What makes the phone important for your business?

Immediate and personal

Using a phone for business is one of the best ways of getting personal responses from both existing and prospective customers. It’s almost like having actual face to face conversations. If the customers are available, business transactions can be conducted on the spot. It’s better than other communication methods such as text or email messages, whereby you leave messages and then hope for quick responses. Phone makes it personal.

Effectiveness

Effective communication consists of three elements; body language, spoken words and voice tone. Two elements in this case.

If you choose to communicate with clients using a phone, your voice tone gives passion and dimension to the words, which effectively makes communication more effective.

On the other hand, alternative communication methods such as sending emails or text messages only transmit words that can be interpreted in ways that you didn’t intend to.

Interactivity through teleconferencing

Teleconferencing allows you to assemble employees who are based in different geographical locations or working from home. Compare that with financial costs that would have been incurred in arranging physical meetings.

Participants who are required to attend such meetings can join virtual conference rooms where they can conveniently interact with colleagues as well as the moderator.

Business organizations can complement teleconferencing facilities with video-conferencing systems to enable participants view presentations, ask questions and even discuss answers with others in real time.

Confidentiality

A business phone allows you to personally pass across confidential and/or sensitive information like condolence messages or warnings. If you make the deliberate effort of calling, you’ll be taken more seriously than if you just send impersonal emails or texts.

Chances of your messages being misinterpreted are not very high because the communication is two-way, even if they do, it is easier to explain and repair the damage immediately.

Conclusion

Many corporations choose to get in touch with potential clients by first calling them. The opposite is also true; most prospective customers prefer to establish first contact with business organizations by making phone calls.

Business phone still has several advantages and we can say that there is a place and need for businesses to use them. Since you can’t see each other, both of you have better capacity of solving unfavourable and/or tricky situations in a matter of minutes. During conversations (especially if you have the ability of multi-tasking), you can take notes, ask colleagues for something or continue working on your computer.