Your smart phone allows you to check your e-mail, browse the web, send text messages and could probably make a cup of coffee if you downloaded the right app.  But how often do you use it to actually make a phone call?

Every new advance in business technology has shifted the way we do business.  Telex gave way to fax machines which has given way to e-mail attachments.   Landlines were supplanted by cellphones and VOIP.  As early as 2001, the media was trumpeting ‘The Death Of The Telephone’ and, while that is certainly an oversimplification, the truth is that we are on average spending much less time actually talking on the phone.  We text, we email, we update our social media.

According to Neilsen Media, voice usage on cell phone plans has remained relatively constant since 2005 while text use is skyrocketing and will shortly overtake voice figures.   When we do call someone, the call is now much shorter – down 50% from an average of three minutes in 2005.  Increasing numbers of people don’t even bother to set up their voicemail, because they don’t WANT anyone to leave them a message.  They will only have to call back.

Even Judith Martin,aka Miss Manners agrees, “I’ve been hammering away at this for decades. The telephone has a very rude propensity to interrupt people.”  Now, it is more likely that you would receive an email asking if it was a convenient time for you to receive a call. 

The  workplace dynamic has changed as well.  As we strive to do more with less, many business people no longer have the luxury of an assistant to screen their calls or manage their communication.  In an increasingly mobile business environment, it is safe to assume that no one is at their desk from 9-5 every day.  In some business environments, phone calls are only used for issues that require immediate response.  For non-urgent inquiries, e-mail is often more appropriate, being a useful roadmap of the conversation and documentation of agreed upon points.

A generation or so ago, half the world had never made a phone call. Now three-quarters of the planet owns a cell phone and, in the global marketplace, smart-phones are expected to outsell PCs by the middle of next year.

You can donate to charity by text, ask directions, check movie show times or reserve a taxi.  You can sign up to receive coupons, emergency alerts, weather forecasts and reminders to pick up milk on your way home.  You can even receive 411 directory assistance information by text. 

You know, in the event that you actually wish to make a  call.