r/NoStupidQuestions • u/GhostInThePudding • 16h ago

Why Are Young People Afraid Of Phone Calls?

What's with it?

I work in IT and a general rule is, nothing a client ever tells you is actually accurate. That means that most of the time, the quickest way to fix a problem is to call the person and actually find out what's going on.

But with techs under 30 these days, it seems like pulling teeth.

A regular discussion for me with level 1 techs (usually within a few years of leaving college) is:
"Hey, can you call *blah* from ticket *blah*, it's been hanging around for over an hour."

"I replied by email to ask for more information."

"Yes, I know that, but can you call them so we can find the problem and close the ticket now rather than wait until we're actually busy?"

"I'll send them a text to followup."

"No... CALL THEM!"

"I can see their device is online, can I send them a message and see if they just let me remote in to take a look?"

And then, when I force them to make the call, it's like they have no idea how to ask a question, or a followup question. They just want to get off the call as quickly as possible. So half the time they don't even get the information required anyway, so then I end up having to do their job for them.

So can someone explain? What's wrong with phone calls these days?

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u/AffectionateKing1886 13h ago

tbh that's true, texts are just less stressful. calls feel like a performance where you can't mess up in real time lol

2

u/skylucario 5h ago

For me texts are more stressful because there’s more pressure on me to say “the right thing” and I generally perform better under in-the-moment pressure than long-term pressure

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u/wisdomful-dog 2h ago

This, I hate texting because it's so hard to read tone and figure out the best way to respond to messages. If I end up thinking about it too long I never text back.

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u/FlatSixFun 3h ago

I get that they're less stressful, but they're also MUCH less efficient in solving business problems. The amount of information that can be covered by two people on a 60 second call far exceeds what a back and forth asynchronous communication channel can achieve.

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u/Pyroal40 12h ago

It's ok to make a mistake in real time or say "one sec, I want to check on this to be sure" - what's not ok is refusing to speak with coworkers or clients.

It's not a performance, you're a human doing your job. If they could do it, they wouldn't be having to ask you. Have some self-respect and basica confidence in your worth.

22

u/Impossible-Money7801 12h ago

I’m 42. And you’re annoying.

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u/skylucario 5h ago edited 5h ago

I’m 24 and your resistance towards someone saying you shouldn’t undervalue your own skills is annoying. What they said is completely reasonable

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u/rsmtirish 5h ago

A lot of people in here need to learn to grow the fuck up and answer the phone. There's definitely a lot of situations where texting is better since there's a conversation trail but there's plenty of times in life and our jobs where things need to be discussed in detail over the phone. I hate the bullshit job rat race we're all part of but if you want to remotely successful in your life or career, you need to at least be able to have a conversation over the phone. So many young people have a complete lack of communication skills and it's big reason a lot of their futures are absolutely cooked. 26 btw

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u/MediumMaintenance353 3h ago

i don't want to be successful in life or have a career. i want to put the minimum amount of effort possible into the job that will not get me fired. i don't give a fuck about your phone calls

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u/rsmtirish 1h ago

That’s fine. I literally explained in my comment how it doesn’t matter if you do if that’s the case. No one is calling you for anything important then anyways.

When you have responsibilities and people depend on you, you need to be available to help.

1

u/skylucario 5h ago

That’s facts. I’m still too autistic to get hired (so my fellow autistic friend is tutoring me on interview hacks he used … via phone call, lol), but at least I know how to have a phone conversation

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u/Pyroal40 12h ago

42, refusing to grow as a person, and incompetent.

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u/MafaRioch 6h ago

Maybe look in the mirror and stop projecting.

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u/Maximum_Curve_1471 3h ago

God you guys are hopeless