It’s my main weakness I reckon.

I very rarely have to take calls from clients (it’s all done by the boss man, who loves to talk) and I seem to get myself in a state every time a total stranger calls. 😳 The worst thing is I’m not new to the job and I actually do know what I’m talking about…

Any advice from STWers?

This should be good 😀

Interesting, I think this is actually a rising ‘problem’ and its definitely a result of our over dependence/use of email and text. As well as internet forums, chat rooms and social networking sites. I guess the only way to get better is to answer the phone and go out and talk to people face to face.

I guess the only way to get better is to answer the phone and go out and talk to people face to face.

Yes … dont be scared of answering the phone … the more you do it, the easier it gets. I get myself wound up about having to phone people, wondering what i’ll say to them. By the time I put the phone down, i wonder what all the worry was about.

Its just a confidence thing, which with time and practice does go away.

I’m happy to talk to people face to face, but I hate using the phone for some reason. Get a bit panicky sometimes when a number comes up I don’t know – but them I am also a bit mental.

fisha is quite correct though.

I hate talking on the phone, especially with other people in the same room.

I get myself wound up about having to phone people, wondering what i’ll say to them.

I have this weird worry that I’ll be asked sensible questions and I’ll reply UUGGG-hem-uh-UGGGG… sorry, sorry…. UUUUGGGGGHH…’

Face-to-face is cool, high level meetings are cool – so why this damn phone thing?

It doesn’t help that the guys I work with seem so impressed by my phone conversation technique (whatever that is). Apparently what runs through my mind and what I actually say are two very different things.

Thanks all

i don’t like to use the phone. i’ll always use a text-based communication in preference.

It’s no wonder I can’t recruit decent telesales staff.

schrickvr6 wrote:

I hate talking on the phone, especially with other people in the same room.

Me too.

KINGTUT – Member

It’s no wonder I can’t recruit decent telesales staff.

worry not, if the ‘customers’ are getting phone phobic too, then telesales might have a dwindling usefulness: just start employing people to sell stuff in other ways than phoning/being phoned.

I hate talking on the phone, especially with other people in the same room.

Why don’t you just speak to them in person, if they are in the same room as you? 😛

*sorry

I hate making calls, but I don’t mind receiving them.
As a result I always make the missus call the take-away for us.

I have no idea why. 😕

I’m not phobic but do reserve the right not to answer my phone ‘on demand’.
I had a phone call last evening from a mildy perplexed mate wondering why I hadn’t answered his txt asking why I hadn’t replied to a FB msg 😕

So, who else works in IT?

Don’t work in IT. I work in IR/Marketing/Communications, which, given the nature of this thread, is pretty ironic.

Thinking about this thread again, I’d like to downgrade ‘phobic’ to ‘disliker’… phobic is too severe and, frankly, too American.

I dislike using phones, speech involves more than just words and much of this is lost in phone conversations. I tend to be quite expressive in my mannerisms in conversation, I also like to be able to punch people I disagree with mid sentence.

Writing emails etc is a bit more akin to writing letters, I tend to spend a little more time choosing my words to express what is required.

You just need to answer the damn phone, what is your problem?

I will give you one top tip though. If it is a customer on the telephone asking for discount try to be polite.

Rubber_Buccaneer – Member
I will give you one top tip though. If it is a customer on the telephone asking for discount try to be polite.

second top tip. If it’s “the awkward caller no-one wants to speak to” make sure the mute button if properly engaged before giving an impromptu and expressive analysis of their character to your office mates 😳

I generally don’t like using the phone – incoming or outgoing. It’s a disruptive technology, most of the stuff I either deal with or ask of others isn’t time-critical so voice just isn’t the best option a lot of the time. Unless I need an answer RIGHT NOW (and they’re not on our internal IM system) there’s no need to interrupt what they’re doing to ask. Plus I spend a lot of time on customer sites being billed out at silly rates so spending my days on the phone to other customers isn’t a great idea.

Scheduled calls are fine – sometimes talking can be the best way to get things done. I do prepare to a ridiculous level though to have everything I need to hand. I’m not very good at BS or deflecting questions I don’t the answers to.

It’s no wonder I can’t recruit decent telesales staff.

It’s no wonder I won’t pick up the phone when your staff ring.

I’m like GrahamS – I always get th GF to call for taxis and takeaways. I’m fine receiving calls, I just don’t like calling people I’ve never met.

I think it’s down to two things – fear of the takeaway/taxi getting it wrong and feeling guilty about it, and the fact we didn’t have a phone at home til I was about 13.

I don’t mind calling strange people at work (I work for a mobile phone network, and I prefer calls to emails) but I have to be in the right mindset to do it.

Apart from a few select people I don’t like making calls. Quite often get in quite a state before I make a call (then very annoying when people don’t answer!). I don’t tend to answer the phone at home if I don’t know who it is.

Not so bad at work any more, although like to be out of ear shot of other people. I think the only way to get over it is to just do it!

Interesting, I think this is actually a rising ‘problem’ and its definitely a result of our over dependence/use of email and text.

Who says it’s a “problem”?

For most of the last century, the only real-time communication possible between two normal people (I’m excluding telegraph operators and the like) in different places has been via the telephone. It’s only in the last 20 years or so that other methods have supplemented it. We now have more choice, and some methods are more appropriate than others for different tasks.

It’s funny, I work for a company who’s primary business is Unified Communications (effectively tying together phone, voicemail, IM, email, etc via products like Microsoft Lync and Exchange). Voice integration is usually consider a really big thing but IME having a good internal IM system that does presence, etc cuts down on voice calls drastically. When you can see immediately whether someone on the other side of the country or world is available, and send them a quick IM to find something out, why would you bother calling them?

I dig the phone.

mrsconsequence used to have the same problem, but then she got a job that involved using the phone a lot, several hours a week providing phone support to women experiencing domestic abuse.

took less than a month to get over her fear and ever since she’s been fine with phones.

i suggest you dress up as a lady and go get a job working for womens aid.

i suggest you dress up as a lady and go get a job working for womens aid.

You know what? I might just try that!

I hate making phone calls too, and will put off making a call or get someone else to do it.

Thought it was just me.

Fine with email/text where you can take your time a bit. Fine face-to-face, but hate the phone – I’m quite a ‘visual’ person and not being able to see someone’s gestures and facial expressions as they talk bothers me a bit.

I’m another one who will avoid answering the phone at home (don’t have any choice at work) especially if I don’t recognise the number, and my wife does all the takeaway/taxi/utilities/etc. calls.

slainte 😳 rob

People I know and like – no problem. Otherwise, it’s more of a struggle.

Thank god, i feel like this is a confessional – me too. Considering what I do and the person I am it’s quite weird – face to face etc all good, phones – hate them. Avoid making calls, rarely answer phone at home etc. Weird. I’m not alone – yay !

Yeah I don’t mind receiving calls but making them I’m always a bit reluctant, just feels awkward to me plus in my place you need an audit trail as ‘deny everything’ seems to be the motto if anything goes wrong so email wins out there.

Can I join the support group too please. I work from home in France for a UK company. Landline calls to the UK cost me nothing, and I still don’t like ringing them. Soemtimes I get in a flow though and ring them for at least 1/2 hour a day every day for a week or so to discuss progress etc. It does me good, but I need to force myself.

We are currently trying to set up a site investigation contract using a Turkish subcontractor for a job in Azerbiajan and Georgia, so I am speaking to them too, but we prefer e mail as it is easier for them to understand the English, but I ring them to pressure them to action my e mail, but agian I’m not at ease ringing them.

I get flustered and jumble my words over the phone 😆 I can also tend to do this in person but not as bad. It’s a bit weird.

Hmm, used to be like that when I started work. But it eased with just having to make calls.
Haven’t had to make/receive calls so much since moving jobs (only about 4 or 5 a week as opposed to a similar daily) and its creeping back a little. More of a reluctance I’d say.
However answering the door, that weirds me out as the previous gaff didn’t a door bell and I got used to the peace… leave me alone please!

I sometimes wuss out of ordering Pizza’s or Taxi’s but I never have any problems calling people when it’s regarding work (although if it’s non urgent I go with e-mail first) It’s definitely a bit odd.

It’s no wonder I can’t recruit decent telesales staff.

It’s no wonder I won’t pick up the phone when your staff ring.

I’m not recruiting them for me, they are for a client but it is B2B and that is a very very tough market at the moment.

Personally I was answering the phone at home as soon as I could reach it / talk, I was encouraged to do so.

Oh god yes I hate speaking on the phone, I would much rather email. I too freak out when unknown numbers call me, to the extent that I block incoming anonymous/unkown calls entirely, use that “choose to refuse” call blocker thing and have blacklist software on my cellphone.

we prefer e mail as it is easier for them to understand the English,

This may have been what concreted my preference for text. I used to communicate in a foreign language with business partners; it was easier for me to write in their language and ensure I remembered everything than it was to scream down the phone at them in an open plan office and have everyone listen to me.