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The phone call has been around for over 100 years. It is an integral part of today’s world, and it won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. But how is it that a century-old technology is still around today? Let’s take a look at the technology many see set to replace the phone call, and why it is not a suitable replacement in the long run.
The evolution of Text-Based Communications Platforms
Many people view the progressive development of text-based communications platforms as the inevitable replacement of the phone call. The convenience of being able to respond at one’s own convenience is a huge advantage of the technology. Pair that with the fact that text-based communications provides a transcript for all users in a conversation, emails have become the preferred form of communication when accountability/liability is a factor.
However, text-based communications comes with some disadvantages. Let’s explore these pitfalls in more detail below.
Where Text-Based Communications Falls Short of the Phone Call
Phone calls have two very distinct advantages when compared to text-based platforms.
Tone
Exclamation points can only tell you so much in a conversation. A phone call lets you hear a person’s tone and react accordingly. The lack of tone in text can hinder the outcome of a conversation.
Time
Have you ever emailed back and forth for hours to get the answer you were looking for? Responding at your own convenience is both a blessing and a curse in the business world. If you are trying to get something done that is time sensitive, an email chain is generally not the best route to go. Text conversations can become harder to follow when you factor in that multiple responders can respond at different times to different portions of a conversation.
Today’s Phone is not 100 Years Old
The phone systems available to businesses today aren’t the same as the ones used even 10 years ago. The phone call has evolved rapidly thanks to the advancements of technology. The overall cost of a communications network, in regards to VoIP technology, has gone significantly down. Additionally, technology companies are integrating phone systems with more recent technology to keep up with today’s ever-changing business communications tools. Below are a few examples of how communications technology has evolved: