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Businesses – Don’t Forget To Talk, It Could Cost You!

Business Telephone SystemDespite a meteoric rise in text-based communication, which has now surpassed verbal interactions, businesses are being advised to re-embrace talking. This is because it is feared that a lack of traditional interaction may be damaging to the company.

A recent Ofcom study reported that, for the first time ever, texting, e-mails and social networks were the preferred form of communication, ahead of phone calls and face-to-face meetings. The amount of landline calls has dropped by 10% in the last year, while the average number of texts sent by an individual per week has risen to fifty, double the amount it was four years ago.

Businesses are also following this trend, with a majority of customer service departments today being managed through web based portals and most inter-office communication is done via text message, online chat or emails.

However, the lack of traditional forms of communication can be damaging to the business. Kommein reported that the voice is better than words as it helps show an implied tone or inference, avoiding common misunderstandings that often occur via text conversations. They go on to say that it is also the more efficient and productive to communicate, as one call can be carried out quicker than a chain of several e-mails, and provides and instant response as opposed to waiting.

Ian Hilton, Director of Lancashire-based telecommunications company TechAdvance, is also a keen advocate of traditional interaction.

He stated: “Undoubtedly, verbal communication is still the best method of interaction; it helps build rapport, develop relationships and offers a clearer understanding of what the other person is saying based upon their tone of voice.”

He continued: “These days, there’s no reason not to embrace verbal communication. The latest technology gives us Internet protocol telephones (IPT), which uses Internet technology to deliver your conversation. Put simply, you can talk to your customers or co-workers using a traditional handset, but your conversation is sent over the Internet in the same was as an email, rather than over your existing telephone network.

It’s a high quality voice transmission and as for cost, just like with broadband you pay a flat cost for IPT and all of your calls within the network are free of charge.”

Ian concluded: “Verbal communication will never be replaced by written communication, no matter how innovative technologies become. Conversations on the phone can be completed much quicker, you can resolve a problem or answer a question in the time it would take to open and compose an email. Remember the old maxim: time is money.”

Property Aspects appreciates the contribution to this article from Ian Hilton of TechAdvance who has worked in telecommunications for 22 years. For more information, contact Ian via Tel: 0845 389 2311 or E-Mail: ihilton@techadvance.co.uk