Do you remember the day of hearing a human voice on the other end of the phone line?
| She Said | He Said |
| Remember the day when you would hear a human voice every time someone answered the phone? Yes, I’m dating myself here, but I think it’s time we take a step back and re-evaluate the importance of the person-to-person relationship. I’m so old that I remember calling numbers and getting no answer – yes, before the beloved answering machine. When I finally convinced my parents to buy one – I thought it was the best thing in the world. I don’t know why – I was a teenager who hardly ever talked on the phone. I still like the idea of voice mail – I do find it to be more efficient than trying to remember to try again later. When I was in my early-20’s I worked for a company that I felt was very old-fashioned and chauvinistic. The women (regardless of position) only wore skirts and dresses of moderate length, closed-toe shoes, addressed all the men as “Mr. so-n-so” and women generally were regarded as second-class citizens. But the biggest point of contention I had was the fact that the company required a person to handle every phone call. The company didn’t have voice mail and didn’t believe in the concept. They also didn’t believe in e-mail. Being one of the women that had to handle these phone calls I couldn’t understand why we couldn’t incorporate voice mail into the system. Here I am 20 years later, now hating the fact that every phone call I make is answered by a machine. I’m so tired of hearing “For English, please press 1″ or have to jump through mega-hoops just to get a voice. Our society has become so electronic and digital that we are losing sight of the importance of human interaction. How many people hand write a thank you note these days? Your lucky if you get a brief thank you e-mail. As for that company I worked for many years ago – I still have bad feelings about the sexist, chauvinistic way they did things. But I must admit that I was wrong about the importance of a person answering the phones. It does provide a higher level of service and is a welcomed approach to doing business. My final tidbit – my son’s cotillion instructor told the class that you should smile when you are on the phone, because the person on the phone will hear it. I don’t know if it’s true – but let’s give it a try. It never hurts to show extra kindness! |
Having spent many years of my life making a living on the phone I will admit a smile can have an impact. But take a moment to consider how little could get done if we didn’t have the marvels of modern technology.
Pay rates have gotten so large in the U.S. that companies simply could not afford to hire enough people to take all the phone calls considering their current size. If we were to step back and eliminate voice mail then e-mail would have to be on the chopping block too. How much would you be able to get done at work if you actually had to answer the phone every time it rang. Or imagine if in addition to the phone calls you get you also had a phone ringing for every e-mail and text message sent to you as well. Not only would it be overwhelming and prevent us from getting work and life done because of the constant interruptions; think about how much it would slow progress if you actually had to keep calling back over and over because someone was not at home or their desk! We also have to think of the benefits of having these technologies to use. Whether or not someone is in you can still communicate with them when you want to. Not having a human voice is sometimes the best thing that can happen. It makes it easier to deliver bad news. It also makes it easier to be rude without offending anyone. The mobile social network site surveyed 20,000 of its members and found that 47% admitted to dumping over text messages. A few quick keystrokes and its over. How sweet is that? (The wife assumes these were all men!) And what about those calls from charities. When the automated message comes on the line you can hang up without feeling bad. Just take a moment and imagine, what would life be like if we always had to rely on a human answering the phone. It may not be all its cracked up to be! |
Do you miss having a human voice with which to interact when you make a phone call?
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