re: What's up with people not wanting to, or afraid to call other people?

I hate talking on the phone. The phone is such an intrusion. It demands your immediate attention. I like dealing through e-mail so that I can address things when I want to.

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If we have met previously you do not need to see me to talk to me.

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Yep. I hate when the other person has their camera on and I feel forced to use mine. We don't dress professionally since we don't see clients in office, so it isn't uncommon to be in a v-neck or something while working.

The one good thing with the time difference is I'm usually on my way home when calls take place, so I have a good excuse to use my phone instead of computer.

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I hate talking on the phone. The phone is such an intrusion. It demands your immediate attention.

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You could always not answer if you're busy. I constantly reject calls because I am in a meeting or a zoom call or otherwise busy.

Then I get a voicemail which is an entirely different topic.

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That sounds more like an employee (or past employee) issue than a phone issue. No digital copies of quotes anywhere?

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That was my first thought as well.

As far as I’m concerned there’s a time and a place for both (calls and email).

For me, email is the go-to method if:
- I need someone to take a specific action.
- I have a direct question or one that isn’t likely to require a ton of follow-up. If I have multiple questions I’m usually OK with bulleting them out in the email UNLESS I know I’m talking to someone with a history of not addressing the entire email (this drives me insane).
- I need to communicate facts, results, data, etc.
- There’s a need for a paper trail (e.g. the obvious case of vendor quotes).

I’d prefer to talk on the phone if:
- I need to communicate something sensitive or nuanced, where I’m worried about making sure the tone of the message gets communicated correctly (often followed up with an email).
- I need to discuss something or it’s open-ended and I know there are going to be a lot of follow-up questions. If I think a question is going to require more than 3-4 emails over a 24 hour period, I’d rather just talk it through quickly on the phone.

I can tell you this. From a business standpoint always keep the communication to the original method when possible. If someone emails you instead of calling, and vice versa, it's for a reason.

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you must damn near go into cardiac arrest when they tell you to pull around to wait for spicy

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Nah baw cause big mama tells you that in person at the window

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Honestly, I feel like this isn't really an issue with our clients anymore. It isn't uncommon for our clients and my colleagues to be on calls wearing T-shirts or hoodies, etc. The exception may be with new clients, but otherwise my industry has moved to casual pretty quickly.

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Same. I moreso meant from .. a boob point of view. If I don't know in advance someone plans to video chat with me, I very well may be in something lower neck. We are a super casual office of young women where workout clothes aren't unusual.

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You don't like it when someone calls you in response to a simple yes/no email question?

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If someone calls in response to an email, it usually means they don't want their reply on written record. They also just broke the email chain and now you have to account for multiple sources of info.

Just reply to the got damn email. How long does it take to reply yes or no and hit send?

I have zero anxiety about making phone calls, but I do find them unpleasant. They require your full attention while not giving you the visual cues and feedback that make in person communication engaging and keeps people from accidentally talking over one another. Just an overall shitty form of communication.

With that said, I’ve never asked someone who wasn’t my assistant to make a phone call for me, and I’ve never asked anyone to make a personal call for me.