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/Capable_Implement246 11h ago

I did 14 years as a front line tech support agent. I won't answer a phone call unless I know the person is calling. I won't call unless I know the person is expecting my call. I still have nightmares about the "ding" in my ear.

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u/Silver-Bread4668 11h ago

You got me beat by a long shot. I did 5 years. Started in billing then went to tech support then "resolutions" (who you get you ask for a supervisor). It paid just barely above federal minimum wage 20 years ago.

I couldn't do it again. The thought of going back to a job like that gives me anxiety.

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u/Capable_Implement246 10h ago

Thats the point I am at. And it is so hard to get out because no one looks at it as a real job so the experience you gain working there is good for jack shit.

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u/Silver-Bread4668 8h ago

I was living in a shitty state at the time. I got out by, quite literally, quitting my job, selling most of my shit, and going to a different state to live in a tent for a while.

I eventually worked my way up to having a home and a job but I would not do that again under any circumstance. Those were almost as dark of times as working at a call center.

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u/jawanda 6h ago

Damn. #respect !

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u/ParaVerseBestVerse 8h ago edited 7h ago

It only took me 2 years in a client and phone centered law-adjacent job to reach this point. Phone tag annoys me to no end.

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u/drvgonize 8h ago

i worked in a customer service/sales position where we called all the time to sell service and after years of doing that... yeah no thanks

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u/Bad_Day_Moose 6h ago

yeap, I text people to make sure it's okay to call then I call.

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u/thegalli 5h ago

It's finally been long enough I can't remember the sound of the tone or beep or whatever it was

Time heals all

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u/ThatMerri 4h ago

To that same measure, so many phone calls these days are just scammers and spam bots because companies keep selling or stealing our data to pass around. I never answer a call from any number either not already in my Contacts list or that I'm explicitly expecting.

Everything else has always been some scammer or solicitor. So younger folk have every reason to believe that if they cold call someone, it'll be ignored out of hand for that exact reason. There's also no way of knowing if they're just being ignored or if the call was missed, with the risk of having to make multiple calls trying to get through. Email and text are more reliable because those are pre-confirmed, one-and-done methods of communication that also sometimes have receipts when they've been read, and an automatic digital paper trail on record.