{"id":19348,"date":"2023-04-14T11:03:32","date_gmt":"2023-04-14T15:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/conversational.com\/?p=19348"},"modified":"2025-02-10T07:43:22","modified_gmt":"2025-02-10T12:43:22","slug":"customer-service-phone-call-vs-email-whats-preferred-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/conversational.com\/customer-service-phone-call-vs-email-whats-preferred-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Customer Service Phone Call vs Email: What\u2019s Preferred?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A customer can have many options available to them as far as reaching a company\u2019s customer service department or representative, but many times, the choice comes down to a customer service phone call vs email. Between a phone call vs email, which channel is preferred by customers, and does one have a faster resolution time than the other?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customer Service Phone Call vs Email: What\u2019s Preferred?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Comparing a customer service phone call vs email<\/strong> starts with the speed of resolution \u2013 how fast the customer\u2019s issue can be resolved. While email may at first seem faster than a phone call, the total resolution time is higher due to the nature of this channel of communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A customer writes an inquiry by email and hits Send. You receive it, but may not check your inbox right away. When you see the email, it takes time to formulate and send your response. A day or more could pass in between replies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compare that to the efficient nature of customer service phone calls, which take place as soon as the customer calls the company and poses his or her question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because the phone offers instant communication rather than delayed responses like email, the issue or question can be resolved immediately without sitting in an inbox to be opened. That creates higher customer satisfaction and frees up you and your employees\u2019 time to deal with other issues or tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In favor of phone calls<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Harvard Business Journal wrote an enlightening piece on the subject titled \u2018Don\u2019t Send That Email! Pick Up the Phone.\u2019 In it, author Anthony Tjan outlines 3 ways the phone beats email for professional usage. The 3 points he outlines are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. It is hard to get the emotional intelligence right in emails<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Email and text often promote reactive responses<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Email prolongs debate<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Emailing just doesn\u2019t substitute for a phone call and makes it very easy to misread or misunderstand the intention or meaning of another\u2019s statements. In most cases, Tjan argues, making a phone call instead of emailing makes the most sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Research agency eConsultancy completed a study of U.S. customers\u2019 preferred support channels. These were their findings (participants were free to choose more than one option):<\/p>\n\n\n\n