I have a friend who refuses to text. She’s not much for email communication either. Her Facebook profile is just that. A profile. Not much interaction. So except for the rare times we see each other I don’t know much about what goes on in her life.
This poses a couple of problems.
The voice mail she left on my cellphone the other day was listened to while I was on the run. She needed a mutual friend’s address. Which I had and was happy to give her.
The problem was I forgot until two days later when I saw her name in my list of recent calls. That can happen to voicemails. They can get lost – like socks in the dryer – if you don’t keep your eyes on them.
I would have texted her the information but as I said – she doesn’t text. So I emailed. Even though I know how slow she is to retrieve it. She didn’t give me any other choice.
The truth is I don’t have the time to return the phone call so I can read out loud – s-l-o-w-l-y – what she needs while she writes it down. Not today. Probably not tomorrow.
The phone is just not an efficient use of my time. Yes, I still use it and think there are times when it is a refreshing choice and will make the most impact – but the list of people I speak to on the phone continues to shrink. It is reserved for my mother (who as you know has no computer), a few select friends and clients with money to spend. Even my brother who I am in communication with almost every single day over something having to do with Mom rarely gets a phone call or vice versa. But texting? All day. Every day.
According to Adam Singer at The Future Buzz, the Harvard Business Review has decided ( as he had already) that voicemail is irrelevant. I would not go so far as to use the word irrelevant – but I would say – as I already did – that it is inefficient.
It’s nice to hear someone’s voice. I love getting on the phone for long visits with my friend in Australia and my cousins who live in California. I don’t get to see them that often and it is a great and still relevant way for us to connect. But when I need a question answered or information and I need it now – I text or I email – depending exactly how urgent the request is.
That’s the beauty of digital technology – making your life easier.
Had she done that what she needed would have been delivered as soon as I read it. But she didn’t.
She’s one of those people who pushes against the tide of change when it comes to communication. I suppose she thinks that will make it stop – but it won’t. We’re too far into the age of digital now.
Which brings me to the second problem. She should know better. She’s a marketer. 
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