Practical advice on choosing whether to call, email, text, or chat.

1. eMail, Chat,
Text, Call ….
Oh my!
No wonder we’re all
confused.
Practical advice on
when to do what.
Brought to you by Fonality.com … A business phone system that’s more than just talk

2. Today’s workforce is swimming in a sea of communications platforms from instant
message to text to email and phone. Each has a specific place in the corporate
world, depending on the situation.

3. How do you know which one to use over the other?
Let’s take a look at best practices for choosing the right communication tool for the
job.

4. IM:
Instant Gratification
You might IM if ….
•
A one-sentence answer will suffice:
Otherwise, go with email.
•
You need to ping someone:
Is a member of your team late for a
call? IM away.
•
It’s not business-critical:
There are many business matters
that require quick “yes/no”
responses.

5. SMS:
A Privilege Not to Be Abused
So how do you know if SMS is OK
to use? Give it a shot if ….
• The message can’t wait until
morning
• The problem isn’t too
complicated for text messaging
• The person who gets it will
think it was text worthy

6. Email: When a Paper Trail is Needed
(Ok, not “paper” exactly, but you know what we mean)
Use eMail when …
• You need multiple parties to weigh in
• You are discussing something that has legal, compliance or contractual
implications
• There is nothing emotional about what is being discussed
• You will need to be able to seamlessly access this conversation again

7. Phone:
Remember That Thing?
The telephone has been the go to
tool for communications for more
than 130 years. There’s a reason.
Pick up the phone if …
• The topic is complex
• You need to discuss something
personal or emotional
• A prior email exchange didn’t
resolve the issue or question

8. Feel better? We hope so.
To learn more about how Fonality helps businesses manage their
communication and collaboration needs, pay us a visit at www.fonality.com.
Our business phone system is more than just talk.