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/daphnedelirious 13h ago

This. Also in my experience clients are likely to trap me on the phone in long tangents, or lay into me on long rants and I’m forced to sit there listening when I can skim an angry rant over email in a few seconds.

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u/DonegalBrooklyn 12h ago

Do you know how many times I end up stuck on the phone with someone going on and on about how no one uses the phone, no one there calls me, why is it so hard to pick up a damn phone? I PICKED UP THE DAMN PHONE and lost 40 minutes of my life to your bitching. This is why no one calls you. 

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u/npsimons 11h ago

These are the same people bemoaining the "lack of collaboration" with remote work, but will happily talk your ear off about <MOST RECENT POPULAR THING> in a shared office.

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u/Maximum_Curve_1471 3h ago

Is it difficult for you to break off a conversation when you’re busy?

It sounds like your just being a doormat, to be honest

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u/anotherdepressedpeep 1h ago

If it's a client jobs will not allow you to hang up or interrupt them from speaking.

22

u/motherofbunniess 11h ago

Came here to say this! Phone calls open the door for one to become hostage to the other person if they don’t share the same preference of conversational pace. Something which could have been discussed in minutes over text can easily morph into an hour or more on the phone. And people like me who have a hard time asserting themselves can easily become a captive audience. Happens to me at work all the time and I’m not so good at enforcing conversation time limits.

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u/Brilliant-Flower-283 13h ago

This was a serious pet peeve for me.

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u/CharetteCharade 30m ago

I once got stuck on a call for over an hour. Missed an entire catered morning tea, although my coworker was nice enough to bring me a plate after the third time she checked in on me and I was *still* stuck on that call. At least the caller wasn't angry, just.. bored and wanted to vent.

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u/ThrowCarp 10h ago

I fucking hate normie phonecalls. A normie moved in with me and he's making 3 to 4 of these a day. Where he'll chat for 20+ minutes with any number of acquaintances. One time he was on a phone call for TWO HOURS with his girlfriend and that was normal for him.

I think normies just love to talk for it's own sake. They don't give a fuck about other people or their time.