We know that voice is better for communicating in the moments when nuance, empathy, and human connection matters in addition to getting your point across.
So practically when are some of these moments where voice messaging thrives versus a call, meeting, or text form of communication?
Micro-conversations to ask a series of quick questions
Get a deeper explanation of the document
Make team-building top-of-mind but not intrusive
Alignment for a Distributed team
Not the right time to get on the phone
In-the-moment feedback
You really want people to know how you feel
Time to think about your response in a discussion or debate
Articulate your philosophy or approach
Collaborating with someone on a different schedule
Communication with small businesses
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Micro-conversations to ask a series of quick questions We use voice messaging with our bookkeepers and accountants to explain certain charges, discuss accounting strategy for costs, etc. The alternative would have been a longer call later or a long email with a lot of back and forth discussion.
Get a deeper explanation of the document When working with our lawyers, oftentimes there are certain terms, redlining, or even clarifying our strategy that requires more explanation and context. Traditionally, this would wait for a longer phone-call. Voice messaging with Carbon Voice allowed us to accelerate the process because we weren’t waiting to schedule calls and instead questions could get answered quickly between calls. I also had time to formulate my questions instead of forcing it to be in the moment on a call. And of course, it helped us avoid a lot of emails that would have used more words and time trying to fully describe the issue. Another plus was that instead of having to rehash conversations with other partners and associates, they could all join the conversation and easily follow along to stay aligned.
Make team-building top-of-mind but not intrusive To create small moments of connection throughout the week. We take turns asking a Question of the Day like “What’s your favorite food?” or “What’s a moment you’ve been most embarrassed?”. Our teammates can then go and listen to and engage with them whenever it is convenient for them.
Alignment for a Distributed team Our team is small, but we pride ourselves in being a truly global team. However, working across 9 different countries and several different time zones can present certain challenges. One way we stay aligned is to post our statuses each day via voice messages. I also do similar posts after sales or partnership meetings or to brainstorm some new feature ideas. This way, we can listen to status updates asynchronously, whether that’s on our daily commute, while we are washing the dishes or walking the dog. This then frees up more of our synchronous time together on actually solving problems and talking strategy.
Not the right time to get on the phone When someone calls us, it may not always be the right time or convenient to pick up the phone. In this situation, we often decline the call with an auto-response text that points to send us a voice message. That way, I can respond back quickly between my appointments.
In-the-moment feedback You’re probably aware that as a manager, mentor, or peer who gives constructive feedback, that the best time to do it is in the moment. However, practically that can be hard as people move on to the next appointment. The result is feedback waits or is never shared. Trying to share feedback in text format typically backfires as it lacks empathy, but sending a quick voice message allows you to give the feedback while it is fresh and leave less room for things to be misinterpreted.
You really want people to know how you feel Why only type Happy Birthday when you can sing it? It was recently my birthday, and while I got the typical series of Happy Birthday texts and posts, what felt most authentic and special was some old colleagues sending me voice messages saying Happy Birthday, with even a couple of songs between. (I also enjoyed a Zoom session where everyone had a customized background. Even one JibJab animated one!).
Time to think about your response in a discussion or debate Instead of having to respond in the moment, having a discussion or debate over a voice message chat gives you time to give a thoughtful response, whether that’s taking more time to articulate what your point of view is or having time to do more research to support your case.
Articulate your philosophy or approach Sharing your philosophy or approach can be important to keeping a team aligned. A good example of this is a comment about customer service: “I’ve noticed customers are sometimes frustrated with our speed. This matters because…. I think this is happening because…. And going forward we should….” When done as an email, it’s often long and not read. When done as a call or during a stand-up, it’s easy for people to miss something or not be around in that moment. Sharing it via voice messages adds context and meaning and ensures that nothing gets misinterpreted. In addition, people on the receiving end can play it back as many times as they need to in order to fully understand you.
Collaborating with someone on a different schedule When your team, customer or clients have different schedules (due to personal commitments, kids, family health, or being in different time zones) , it can be extremely hard to find the time to get on a call together, and writing things out can feel heavy and time-consuming. Often the result is a long delay until everyone’s schedule aligns. However, voice messages provide a better way to pass your thoughts and questions quickly back and forth when you have them, no matter where you are or what time it is. The small moments between activities, such as waiting for an elevator, waiting to pick up the kids, or walking from the car to the grocery store etc., can now be used to move a conversation forward faster, versus waiting for a scheduled call.
Communication with small businesses Small businesses have a unique challenge in communication because the role of answering customer questions is often shared with juggling multiple tasks while trying to get the job done. Voice messaging gives the business the option to still communicate with their customers with voice like a phone call, but at a time that is convenient for them and without the missed calls and interruptions while servicing in-person customers. For customers, voice messages lets customers directly reach out to ask questions more easily without having to write out lengthy emails or play phone tag and deal with long hold times. And they can do it at any time of the day rather than waiting for “Business Hours”!
All of these and more feed into reasons why voice messaging is on the rise.