So this is just one example of how technology has kind of taken over us and it almost controls us in a way. It's sad but we don't even hand-write anything anymore! Other than taking notes in class or making small lists, etc., we rarely ever write. How many of us actually write letters anymore? I know I don't...But I guess we need to accept that this is the future...
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Email may sometimes save time compared to phone calls. In your example, it is only rarely that someone fails to respond to two emails, so it's not the norm. In most instances, the email saves you time instead of repeatedly calling someone till they answer the phone. The advantage email has over phone is that the former gets the response when the person checks it, while the latter requires the person be present near it to answer it. Of course, there is voicemail, but most people nowadays check their email more often than their voicemail.
Some people are also more accustomed to dealing with emails rather than phone calls if it is a professional matter. For instance, I have found that it is easier to reply to 20 emails at work in one day rather than answer 20 work-related phone calls in the same day.
I agree with you in that a phone sometimes has a better success rate in response and also it is easier to discuss things and finish the conversation or resolve a issue with one phone call. But sometimes the same thing might need a long e-mail thread to come to a conclusion.
I work in a IT support and i feel that we save more time and resolve issues faster when we can get hold of people over the phone. As most of the time when people send e-mails it does not include all the required information, over the phone we can get the information needed by asking questions.
Also, one important element with in person or telephone conversation is the human element, where you make a connection with people and develop relationships. In my opinion e-mailing someone 100 times is not the same as talking to them 10 times over the phone or meeting them once in person.
To develop these relationships groups in company's like Intel, Sun today are trying to follow things like "No e-mail Fridays" etc., if they can talk to people in person to develop relationships.
pinklady, you make a good point. Sometimes as bus244_mba said, the best thing to do is pick up the phone, yet email may be the best communication tool at other times. The trick is knowing when to use which one.
For organizations, an advantage of email is that there's a record of the messages; that's typically not the case with phone conversations. However, if the communication is supposed to be confidential, then email is not the best choice.
I agree with your post regarding some of the drawbacks of email, as well as the other comments. Telecommuting for the past year forced me to rely primarily on email and IM communication to stay in contact with others in my department, including my boss. One of my frustrations about email, as buss 244 echoed, is that when you ask a question, you often get a response that does not answer your question exactly. Almost always, nother round of emails is needed to follow up - resulting in delays of up to a day.
I always try to be very specific in my email communication, but feel like recepients are often turned off when they see a lengthy email. I found that IM was a better alternative, but can also be intrusive.
I think that we all understand the frustrations of email. It has become a staple in the workplace. Look at all the people who now have Blackberries so that they are never away from their email. I think in some instances it is great to have that immediate delivery but it is so impersonal.
My real dilemma with email is that I have such limited space in my inbox and receive soooooo many emails that my inbox fills up. EVERYDAY at 4:00 pm I receive an email message telling me my inbox is over its size limit and EVERYDAY at 4:01 pm I have to clean out what I can, but I don’t have the time to clean out every email, there are thousands of them, so it just fills up the again next day. As soon as I clean out my email I get 4 or 5 new messages that come through that were stuck in the system because my inbox was full. Sometimes they include important action items and by not receiving them I was late in responding. I have now learned that if a couple hours go by with no new messages I should probably clean out my inbox because there are probably messages stuck in the queue.
Unfortunately, there are always a couple slackers who don’t use their email effectively. I have come across several people who do not keep on top of their email, and it is always when you need to contact them about something important.
I am reminded of the “critical mass theory” mentioned in chapter twelve. It is true that the more people who adopt a form of communication (i.e. email) the more effective and efficient it is. However, there are always a couple people who make this process less effective when they don’t keep up with emails. There are certainly pros and cons with email.
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