“Argh,” a colleague recently sighed. “Someone just gave me a hard time about not reading an email she sent a couple of days ago. She doesn’t realize that I get at least 100 new messages every day. Staying on top of it all is almost impossible. It’s not that I intend to be disrespectful, but…”
Communication overload, whether by voice mail or email, is a big deal. A recent newsletter from High Tech Connect notes that this high octane provider of marcom and PR talent has discovered that its clients often don’t respond to either. Voicemail and email, “the lifelines for PR pros and marketers,” have become a nuisance. The remedy? To meet clients where they are. These days, that can be via Facebook Chat or texting. Of course, High Tech Connect also makes liberal use of cell phones, because clients are rarely at their desks and are typically not checking landline voicemail.
I finally got a phone that lets me text and am surprised at how much I love it. (Texting argot is half the fun.) Still, I tend to rely on the old familiar channels to get, and stay, in touch. And when someone doesn’t get back to me, I tend to chalk it up to “Bay Area Communication Syndrome.”
I’m curious about how you communicate. What truly works, and what adds an unlovable layer of complication to your life?
Kay Paumier says
As a fellow sufferer of the “Bay Area Communication Syndrome,” I don’t answer all my emails or voice mails either, but I do respond to the vast majority of them. However, it can be a challenge. And I’m finding more communication happening through LinkedIn and Facebook. I really don’t follow Twitter; only tweet if I have found a short piece of wisdom I want to share.