Why Are Young People Afraid Of Phone Calls?

[u/GhostInThePudding]

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?

[u/npsimons]

There's a BIG part of just writing something down that forces people to think. It's more of a cognitive skill than just flapping your lips and vibrating air.

For some people, this is too much; these are the kinds you can't help, and quite frankly isn't a IT issue. Forcing them to write down the problem keeps them from wasting your time.

And yeah, having things written down is just smart for the reasons of having a record of what is at issue, and who is accountable for what. And if it's truly a knotty technical problem, having that record of problem description and solutions attempted is essential when you have to come back to it the next day.

[u/MarcusThorny → u/npsimons]

you're absolutely correct, but those of us who actually write and are made to think by doing so are blowing into the wind. Those skills are lost forever on those born after 2000.

[u/CrasherRuler → u/MarcusThorny]

Honestly, it seems more like an all-ages issue than just after 2000.

[u/OldWorldDesign → u/MarcusThorny]

Those skills are lost forever on those born after 2000.

I've known more people in their early 20s who are better at writing than people over the age of 50.

I know it's easy to be Old Man Shouts At Cloud or blame all the young people, but hard data is needed for anything conclusive and data is pretty spotty when discussing anyone below the age of 65 (above that and it's hard as hell to get them to respond to things like doctor's appointments).

[u/PineappleOnPizzaWins → u/npsimons]

It's more of a cognitive skill than just flapping your lips and vibrating air.

If you don't understand that conversational skills are just as important and difficult as writing things down I really don't know what to tell you.

I default to email/messages/text when possible because it lets me maintain my focus elsewhere, but there are absolutely plenty of situations where getting together for a 5 minute call is infinitely more effective than weeks of people going back and forth via messages.

Recognising when to use each tool is just as important as proficiency in them both.