I M P O RTA N C E O F

TELEPHONE
C O M M U N I C AT I O N
AND HOW HAS IT
CHANGED OVER
TIME

DONE BY VRITTI DHANJANI,

MAHA KHALIQ 12H
 IMPORTANCE OF TELEPHONE
COMMUNICATION

Email and text seem to be go-to methods of communication these days, with many other trending social channels not far behind.
Amidst this modernization, we are left wondering whether the act of picking up the phone and speaking to one another still holds
value.

With the digital transformation and the changes in human needs and behavior patterns, technology has become such a vital part
of our lives. We find it difficult to envisage our day without our smartphones or the possibility of not having data and information
at the touch of a button. We also all know and recognize how important communicating with customers is when we flip this to a
business scene.

This may seem like restating the obvious, yet how rarely is the telephone so much as mentioned as a means to communicate?
While it has previously been recognized as a fundamental means to communicate, it appears to be on the decline, and we want to
dwell on the existence of this cultural layer because it is disappearing. It even extends to businesses that try to do everything they
can to bypass picking up the phone. The reflex of answering which was built so deeply into people who grew up in the 20th-
century telephonic culture is now gone.

It may be valid that the younger generations will have it a little difficult as they simply did not grow up in times where the phone
was the absolute best way to get in touch with someone. Email, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter,
TikTok (the list goes on) all have a powerful ability to drive forward tasks, create records of information and allow for mass
sharing. But they equally sap us of the richness of dynamic discussion and in-depth relationship building that the phone has so
consistently delivered. Put this into a workplace context, and we start to see what we are leaving on the table. Plain and
straightforward: phone calls make things happen.
 Telephone Communication in Business

Person-to-person telephone calls do not command the

primary communication role they once had back before
the information age blossomed. Businesses have
numerous other options for communicating now, such
as email, texting and social media. Telephone
communication may be slower than its new-media
counterparts, but it still has benefits in an increasingly
impersonal world. The telephone call, which connects
a caller with a human voice, creates a connection that
other media may lack and is still an important business
component.
ADVANATAGES OF TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION
Personal and Immediate
Short of talking with someone face-to-face, a phone call is the best way to get a personal response. If the
person you called is available, you can take care of business on the spot. With other forms of communication,
such as texting or email, you leave a message and hope for a quick response. Phone calls have a vocal backup
in the form of voice mail. The caller can leave a detailed voice message, without the restriction of a certain
number of characters or typing a text message on a tiny cell-phone keypad
Communication is More than Words
A classic article on communication theory, “Inference of Attitudes from Nonverbal Communication in Two Channels,” named three components of
effective communication: body language accounts for 55 percent of communication, voice tone for 38 percent and spoken words for just 7
percent. This analysis is still widely accepted as the basis for effective communication today.
On the telephone, the tone you use gives dimension and emotion to words, increasing the effectiveness of the communication. Certain body
language, such as smiling and standing while talking, may come through in the conversation. Texting and emails are simply words open to
interpretation by the receiver, without the benefit of voice tone or body language.
Phone Calls and Confidentiality

Some communications, such as condolences, disciplinary issues, sensitive and confidential issues,
should be handled with a personal phone call. Taking the time to make a phone call carries more
weight than an impersonal text or email. Without the opportunity for two-way communication,
sensitive issues may be misinterpreted. Text messages and emails become legal documents and can
be retrieved as evidence long after deletion. Some businesses monitor and record phone
conversations between employees and customers for training purposes. Deleted voice-mail
messages may not be retrieved and do not leave a record of the conversation.

Safe Use of Phones

Making phone calls while driving may be hazardous, but Bluetooth technology makes
hands-free dialing and conversation safe – freeing up travel time to provide availability
for business calls. Texting and emailing while driving are hazardous and, in some states,
illegal.
 Sensitive Issues are Better Handled By a
Telephone Call
Sensitive and confidential issues such as
condolences and disciplinary problems should
really be done using a personal phone call. If you
take the time to make a call, you are saying that
this issue is important, and you are giving it the
value that it deserves. If you don’t give the
opportunity for a two-way conversation when it
comes to sensitive topics, then your message
could be misinterpreted and also seem cold and
uncaring. It is also important to remember that a
text or email could inadvertently be seen by
someone that shouldn’t see it perhaps due to the
recipient’s settings, or sending it to a wrong
recipient by mistake, or by forgetting that you
have it up on your screen when a co-worker
comes over to your desk.
HOW TELEPHONE COMMUNICATION HAS
CHANGED OVER TIME
BEFORE….
- FIRST TELEPHON: ELECTROMAGNET TELEPHONE
- FIRST INVENTED BY ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL
ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL
- BORN IN NOVA SCOTIA
- BORN MARCH 3,1847
- DIED AUGUST 2,1922