The desk-phone has been and continues to be the stalwart of business communications, I’m not sure whether it’s like the proverbial comfort blanket, an unconscious attachment or something altogether different. Don’t get me wrong, I still use a desk phone, as do most of my colleagues, inside the business and my wider business contacts but what would happen if it was taken away? Would cutting the ties really have a negative effect? Would the cultural change be step too far and have me begging to go back to a desk-phone? or would the whole experience be altogether better?
As someone that spends a large proportion of my work life engaging with businesses to improve how they communicate, I’m on the one hand being asked by customers where I stand on the “do I need a desk-phone?” debate and on the other hand I’m being told by the major voice technology vendors that “you just don’t need a desk-phone”. So, I’ve decided to try it for myself and share with you all of the good things, all of the bad things and what you need to consider if you want drop the desk-phone in your business. I’m also going to try and drop any preconceptions of what I think the outcome will be through my own experiences.
If you’re reading this, it’s because it is something you have also considered. I’ll tell you some more about me to create some context. So, like everyone else, I split my time between work and home life, although I’d personally say that for me there isn’t really a clear demarcation between the two all of the time, for example I do frequently find myself taking calls or being involved in conference calls on days off, although only when I want to be. Most of the week I travel from home to the office in Wakefield which is about an hour round trip, brew up and start my day. I’m on the desk-phone in the office for a good couple of hours a day and also taking calls on my mobile and participating in conference calls. My working week usually involves some travelling from the office to visit new and existing customers, as well as taking an active role in some of our implementations, so I’d say some weeks I’m in the office 90% of the time and other weeks out of the office 75% of the time. Whilst out of the office I’m still joining conference calls, taking calls directly from customers and colleagues on my mobile and dealing with emails when I get the chance to stop and check them. I also do not have 2 mobile phones like many people, I prefer just one mobile rather than the hassle of transporting around 2. On occasion, I do work from home, but probably only a couple of days a month.
So I have asked to have my desk-phone removed and I’m going to rely completely on my mobile, laptop and the technology out there. If you want to talk to me about this feel free to call the office on 0330 055 3570 or watch out for my next posts that will show you how I’m getting on.