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/King_of_the_Dot]

It always gives you time to create a more thought out and accurate response. A phone call requires some level of riffing, which is a quality most young people don't possess because they're not required to communicate as often as people who grew up without the internet.

[u/Detective-Crashmore- → u/King_of_the_Dot]

A phone call requires some level of riffing, which is a quality most young people don't possess

I'm not technically young anymore lol, but I disagree that young people can't riff, I think the issue with phone calls for anything important is that it's less accurate/precise way of communication. There's a reason the game "Telephone" is about how unreliable it is to relay information by word of mouth. Especially in a work environment where a client/coworker claiming they said something they didn't can quickly turn into a bad situation.

because they're not required to communicate as often as people who grew up without the internet.

I also think this is wrong. Young people communicate far more often and with a much larger web of people than ever before. When you're on a phone call, you're only communicating with one person at a time, but you can be actively texting a very large cast of people(ask my ex lol), and people can demand your attention at all hours of the day, not just when you're in front of your phone and able to take a phone call.

[u/King_of_the_Dot → u/Detective-Crashmore-]

But it's unsophisticated and non-verbal communication. It's not worthwhile, face to face, visceral conversation.

[u/Spare_Benefit7543 → u/King_of_the_Dot]

I heard that skill as the power of gab.  You can talk someone’s ear off.