TL;DR: Anything capable of being conveyed through text should be.
Surprisingly, even quarantine measures and the era of self-isolation have not instilled the fundamental principles of telephone use in business culture.
To avoid seeming uncultured, remember these three key rules.
First: If it can be written, it should be written. It’s highly irresponsible to convey crucial information verbally (and through emojis 😬).
Second: The effectiveness of a phone conversation is inversely proportional to its duration. Thus, lengthy calls can indicate an inability to articulate one’s thoughts concisely. Strive to avoid this.
Third: Understand that people are generally preoccupied with their own affairs. Acknowledge this reality. Others are primarily interested in the benefits you can provide. Before each outgoing call, consider the question, “What value will this conversation bring to my counterpart?” Then, start crafting your message.
To improve the productivity of any incoming call, it can be useful to warn the caller that your phone battery is nearly empty, indicating that the conversation could be interrupted at any moment.
In our corporate group, we view email as a highly effective means of communication. It’s reliable, swift, and unaffected by time zone differences. Moreover, you can write to us in your native language at any time, free from fear of being misunderstood. We are fluent in English, Russian, German, French, Danish, Polish, Lithuanian, and Korean.