The Value of Phone Calls in Business Communication

In a world of endless video meetings, the simple phone call has become a competitive advantage. For a while, it felt like every business conversation had somehow turned into a video call - Teams, Zoom, WhatsApp, Google and the rest. Even the most straightforward chat needed a link, a calendar invite, a waiting room, a camera check, and that weird moment where you’re trying to look engaged while also catching yourself staring at your own face in the corner of the screen! Video has been incredibly useful, especially when the distance between participants is a challenge and when you have a lot of information to exchange. If you need to present something, share a screen, run a proper workshop, or meet someone new where face-to-face contact matters, video is often the right choice. But when you need to just speak, to get a quick decision, or to follow up, the phone is best. “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲.” There’s a simplicity to it that we probably took for granted. A phone call is direct. It is easy. It takes away a lot of the friction that can come with other formats. Two people can have a proper conversation without it feeling like every exchange needs to become a production. It's also way more productive if you are like me and regularly travelling. Sitting in an Uber, I can "check in" with a couple of quick calls. But even more importantly, you listen, on video we present, but on the phone we concentrate solely on the other person's words. And that's what's important in business. There is one other point. There is a trend today to use technology to record video calls, often to allow an AI to produce a meeting summary. This recording is then stored, who knows where, and the summary of the call may end up in a file store or CRM. Be very careful that, for example, if you have signed an NDA, the recording doesn't infringe the terms of the NDA and that if your company receives a subject access request, you can account for why you are holding this recording. Good communication is not about defaulting to the same tool every time. Sometimes the right answer is to meet in person, sometimes it is video, sometimes it is email. And sometimes, the simplest option is simply to pick up the phone. So, before sending the next video link, it may be worth asking one simple question. Would this be better as a phone call? “𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧. 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.”

Just pick up the f**king phone. Business has never had more communication tools and somehow never communicated less effectively. Entire projects now die in group chats. Deals stall in inboxes. Relationships drift because everyone is too busy “circling back” to actually speak. Messenger and email have their place, but they’ve also created an entire generation of professionals who will spend 45 minutes crafting a paragraph to avoid a five-minute conversation. The irony is that all the tools designed to speed things up have created more delays, more misinterpretation, and more people misreading tone like it’s a psychic exercise. The reticence to actually call someone is getting worse. Younger teams, especially, treat the phone like an artefact from a lost civilisation. They’ll Slack, text, DM, send voice notes, @-tag you in three channels, and then wait for the universe to deliver clarity. Meanwhile the problem sits there, breeding. So much of business is friction masquerading as communication. A two-line misunderstanding becomes a project delay. A vague message becomes a political issue. A misread email becomes a week of unnecessary “alignment.” All of which could be solved in one short, direct conversation. In PE and operating roles, this becomes even more painful. Value creation slows down because people are talking around problems rather than through them. I’ve watched multimillion-dollar initiatives stall simply because nobody wanted to pick up the phone and ask the obvious question. Here’s a simple rule that still works: If a message takes longer to write than it would to say, CALL. If there’s even a chance of misinterpretation, CALL If the stakes are high, CALL. If the relationship matters, CALL. If you’re on message 14 in a thread that hasn’t moved an inch, definitely f**cking CALL. The fastest way to accelerate execution is often the oldest. Pick up the phone. Say the thing. Solve the issue. Move on. Most friction in companies isn’t strategic. It’s people avoiding a conversation that would take less time than the messages they’re sending about it. #ClaymorePartners #notveryprivateequity #privateequity #valuecreation #communication

We have defaulted to the lowest bandwidth response for the highest stakes conversations. And it is costing us more than we realize. Here is what I mean: Someone on your team sends you a message that is clearly emotional. A client raises a concern that needs careful handling. A friend reaches out and you can tell something is wrong. And you type a reply. Because it is quick. Because it is easy. Because you are in the middle of something and you will deal with it properly later. But later rarely comes. And the typed reply rarely lands the way you intended. Here is the rule I follow and teach to every leader I work with: If the conversation is emotional, pick up the phone. If it is important, show up in person. Reserve email and text for information that does not carry emotional weight. Schedules. Documents. Logistics. The moment a conversation requires nuance, empathy, or real understanding, you need your voice at minimum and your presence wherever possible. Here is why this matters more than ever right now. We are communicating more than any generation in history. And we are being understood less. Because we have replaced the richest forms of human communication with the most convenient ones. Body language. Tone of voice. Eye contact. The pause that tells someone you are really listening. None of that travels by text. And in the absence of those signals people fill the gaps with their own assumptions. Which are almost always worse than reality. One phone call at the right moment builds more trust than a hundred well worded emails. Make the call today. Who have you been meaning to call that you keep texting instead?

Email is efficient. It’s convenient, easy to track, and often the default for client communication. But in my experience, it’s rarely the best form of communication to build trust and generate new work. Live conversation—conversation beyond the scope of an active matter—is far better. When lawyers pick up the phone—even just a short, unscripted check-in—good things tend to happen. Clients share more. The context of their business challenges becomes clearer. A small issue on their to-do list they hadn’t prioritized is surfaced. And often, that quick call leads a new matter or a bigger discussion. It’s easy to chalk that up to luck. But it’s not luck. It’s being present when the client is ready to talk about something that isn’t fully formed yet—the kind of thing that doesn’t make it into an email but shows up in conversation. Of course, in-person meetings are ideal. But they’re not always feasible. And email absolutely has its place. But if your only non-billable touchpoints with clients are asynchronous, you’re missing important opportunities to deepen the relationship. Live conversations create space for curiosity and connection. They allow you to share your unique vantage point, which clients appreciate. After all, your clients want you to be their trusted advisor. They also demonstrate that you're thinking about the client beyond the billable hour. And that builds more trust. If you haven’t had a casual conversation with a key client in a while, set aside 15 minutes next week (or this afternoon). Make one unscheduled call. You may be surprised by what comes out of it.

Phone > Email: The POWER & JOY of a quick (5-15 min) phone call vs a handful of emails... here's how, when, & why a call often makes sense. (HINT: It's not all the time.) Email is GREAT for a lot of things... -short updates -simple things that require an easy answer -attachments -things that can be handled easily async -things where "tone" isn't important Email is an AWESOME tool in the right situation. It avoids a meeting, can be handled async, and is very efficient for the right things. But email is also TERRIBLE for a lot of things... -anything that could require a few back & forths to get to a good answer -anything where "tone" matters -anything complex where you need to find a win-win amongst many options -anything that could require unforeseen solutions -anything that needs lists, visuals, etc. (attachments) As planned, I'm leaving the NACDS Annual Meeting a day early. Sam Swidensky will handle the rest of the business matters for the big event. I travel again Thursday afternoon with Shelby for a new TikTok partnership, and need at least a 3 days at office/home this week. In the Uber to the airport, an email came in from one of our partners. Long story short, they sent us an email last week, we then had to email another partner to get some information—that second partner was then slow to respond, required a few pings, etc. which slowed us down—then the first partner had to send us another email asking status. (In hindsight, we should have sent an update at first sign of delay.) Rather than deal with it via email. I emailed the first partner and asked if we could do a 10 min call. They said yes. I called them from the airport, and within that 10 mins, I explained the hold up on our end, asked questions, and we quickly came to a resolution and plan that worked for both parties. We then spent 5 more mins to discuss other issues, things we were excited about, etc. while we were at it. It was a DELIGHTFUL call... AND it strengthened the partnership, increased trust, etc.! With emails you can sit there and read over them 20x, try to get tone perfect, try to imagine a range of interpretations, etc. And then you hit send and deal with the anxiety of waiting for a response. ("Did I say the right thing?!") And even after all that effort, you realize you still may need another few back and forth emails. 🤣 A quick call in the right situation is so much better. You can handle a bunch of things at once, you get the joy of talking to a fellow partner/human, and you get the satisfaction of real resolution. I LOVE the power & joy of a short call... But there is one CRITICAL rule. If you asked for a 10 min call, keep it to 10 mins unless they offer more time from their end. If you ask for 10 mins and then take 30... then next time you ask for 10 mins... they'll see your request and think: "Goodness, I can't do that, anytime I get on the phone with this person they take more than asked!" Short calls are a SACRED TOOL among partners.

Today, I want to talk about a practice I've embraced and found incredibly rewarding, both personally and professionally. I call it "peopling" Its the simple act of picking up the phone and calling someone who's been on your mind. 📞 Why 'Peopling'? For whatever reason (time? fear of connecting?) we often default to texts or emails for communication. But there's something uniquely impactful about a phone call. It's not just about doing business; it's about genuinely connecting with another person, sharing stories, and sometimes, just listening. The Power of Voice Research shows that voice calls create a deeper connection than texts. According to a study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, voice-based communication, even without visual cues, results in greater empathetic accuracy when compared to text-based communication. Hearing someone's tone, their laughter, or even their pauses, adds a layer of emotional understanding that text messages can't convey. My 'Aha' Moments Through 'peopling,' I've had several 'aha' moments. These calls, made without any agenda of doing business, often lead to unexpected insights, knowledge sharing, and yes, even referrals that have helped my business grow. It's a reminder that at the heart of every business interaction is a human connection. Why It's More Impactful Than Text A phone call is a commitment of your time and attention – two of the most precious commodities in our lives. It shows the person on the other end that they are worth that investment. In contrast, texts, while convenient, lack the warmth and immediacy of a real-time conversation. An Invitation to 'People' I encourage you to try 'peopling.' Reach out to a contact, a former colleague, or even someone you've only connected with digitally. You'll be surprised at how enriching these conversations can be. Let's bring back the personal touch to our professional lives. Who knows what opportunities, insights, or friendships might arise from a simple phone call? #Peopling #HumanConnection #Networking #BusinessGrowth #PhoneCallsOverTexts

A lot of Client Success problems come down to one thing: Your team has calls… but not conversations that move the relationship forward. After almost a decade in Client Success, I’ve learned that great CSMs don’t need 20 scripts. They only need to master five conversations - and everything else becomes easier. Here they are: 1. The Onboarding Alignment Call Set expectations. Define success. Remove assumptions. If this conversation is weak, every future call becomes reactive. 2. The Early-Stage Momentum Call Clients don’t churn because they’re unhappy - they churn because they don’t see progress. This call builds early confidence and prevents silent drop-off. 3. The Value Check-In Not “How’s everything going?” But: “Here’s where you started. Here’s what improved. Here’s what happens next.” This is the difference between being liked and being kept. 4. The Risk Identification Call Most teams avoid these. Great teams initiate them. If something feels off-usage, sentiment, communication-your job is to surface it early, not hope it disappears. 5. The Renewal & Future Planning Call Start 90 days early. Show proof of value. Paint the vision for the next 12 months. Renewals should feel like the natural continuation of a good partnership, not a negotiation. If a CSM can master these five conversations, they can drive retention, revenue, and trust at a level most teams never reach.

When I led acquisitions and business development for a national Build-to-Rent operator, the owners we referred to our PM partners went from an average of 1 to 5 properties in their portfolio after we referred them! 🤯 I attribute that success to one practice: Routine check-ins. After closing, I would connect our clients with one of our local PM partners, while I continued to manage the relationship on the PM’s behalf. It was basically outsourced investor relations.   I would call every owner once a quarter, talk with them about their goals, their experience, produce a few reports, and help them execute on things like buy/sell decisions, buying insurance, refinancing, etc. The reason we operated that way is that most of our clients were out-of-state and foreign investors who needed very close guidance, and also because we knew if we maintained the relationship, we’d be top of mind when they were ready to invest again. And it worked really well 📈 There are two reasons check-ins are so effective: 1️⃣ They make the client feel valued. Owners appreciate the effort of a phone call. It makes them feel like a priority. They especially appreciate when that call focuses on their success instead of your problems. 2️⃣ It humanizes the business. For most of us, it’s much harder to be angry and disagreeable when you know there’s a friendly person on the other end of the phone who wants to help you. Don’t sleep on picking up the phone! 🤙

You want better results and collaboration? Stop writing emails and use the phone. No matter how well or kindly an email is written, especially to an "adversary" it will come off as antagonistic. You won't be able to give the context of what you're trying to do or truly work together to find a solution. You're creating a one way channel where you put your position, the other side then guesses your intent and puts their position, and you keep going back and forth puffing your chests out. By calling and having a conversation, you can cut right to the point. It shows you want to actually resolve the issue, lay out the barriers you are facing, and gives you a chance to listen to what the other side needs to see in order to resolve it. When I was in biglaw, I never used the phone. Now, I call to introduce myself before I ever send an email. And the results have been 10x better. More settlements and voluntary dismissals. More extensions to give time for the parties to find a resolution. People will give you more respect and leniency if they see you taking an active role to make yourself available to them instead of stalling from the get go. Here's a great example. Your client gets sued, but the plaintiff has the wrong party. If you email them a formal letter, they are going to think you are just trying to dodge liability. But with a phone call, you get the chance to show you are responsive and willing to collaborate. You want to save them time and energy. You acknowledge their claim, but want to point them in the right direction/party. Another one is settlement. Whenever someone asks me to send an offer or counter via email, I give them a call. Why waste time going back and forth nickel and diming each other. It gives the parties a chance to figure out what is really blocking the issue and what result will get both clients feeling like they got a win. Conversation is important. It brings back the human element to our work. Whether you are dealing with opposing counsel or someone at your own firm... pick up the phone more and use the phone less. You'll be shocked by the results. #Lawfirm #Emails #Praticetips

There’s this simple rule that we've integrated into our team's way of communicating, and it's a game-changer: If you've exchanged more than two emails in both directions without achieving the clarity you need, then guess what? It's time to pick up that phone. Yes, I'm talking about actually making a call. Now, I get it, in this digital age, phone calls seem almost old-fashioned, right? But it’s what the high-performing teams do. Harvard Business Review’s research shows standout teams do not shy away from dialing each other up. Comparing the numbers, it's staggering: high-performing teams make an average of 10.1 calls daily versus 6.1 for the rest. Just think about it for a moment. Instead of playing ping-pong in Slack or going on an email journey where the message gets lost in translation, why not cut to the chase? Imagine turning those hours of conversation in long email chains into mere minutes of a focused, impactful call. So, the next time you're caught in that endless loop with a colleague, here's what I want you to do: grab that phone. Dial that number. Make that call. Not only will you be wrapping things up in a fraction of the time, but you'll also be nurturing those relationships. Success is all about finding those little hacks that make a big impact.