Less is more in communication

A few days ago I received a call from Mustafa. Who is Mustafa? Yes, this was my first question to the caller. He was the customer service agent at my bank, who had called me a couple of weeks ago trying to sell two 'free' credit cards. My turning down the card offer did not discourage Mustafa from calling me again. "This is not for business, it is just to wish you Merry Christmas, or Happy Eid and Happy New Year," he said. But what I heard him saying was: "Think highly of my bank because we take personal care of our customers". All I could think of was how inappropriate for the bank to use my phone number for a non-business call.

Years ago I told many of my friends - who have been much closer to me than a customer service agent, that chain e-mails and short phone messages don't make my day. I believe e-mail and the telephone are efficient tools that should be restricted to their purpose - be it business or personal communication. Chain communication does not fall in either of those categories. It is very impersonal and gives the impression that the sender is tight on time and courtesy.

Spamming

Companies don't seem to share this view when they carelessly use phone communication.

Wherever you provide your cell phone number and/or e-mail address, you become a target of what I call 'customer spamming' - either in plain advertising of new products and services, or in the disguised form of "think highly of us". Whatever form it takes, it is a violation of your rights.

Sharing my indignation with a friend, she quietly commented, "Just ignore them. No harm done". Unfortunately, from the top of my head, I can think of at least half a dozen side effects of such nuisance calls. What about interruption, occupying my phone with an unneeded call, filling up the phone memory, and wasting my time sorting out messages? The cost may not be obvious in terms of dirhams, but if you regard your time and resources as valuable, you may realise that they are taking money out of your pocket.

Back to personal and business communication: I do not think chain e-mails or text messages are an intimate gesture. If you select the people you really care about and send each of them a more personalised message, or call them to express your wishes, it may be warmer and won't cost you more than the random text messaging - unless perhaps they are all living overseas.

Some may argue that in the business world, it is helpful to remain in touch with a large base of people even through this abbreviated contact. I don't agree because when you're sending a unified text message to everyone from your colleagues to your business contacts, you'd most probably go for a safe bet: a generic impersonal phrase like "Happy New Year" would do, but may not create the impression you're looking for.

Trouble

On the other hand , if you try to spice up the message a little bit, you run the risk of getting into trouble rather than helping your sociable self become more popular. Not because you may encounter people like me who are indifferent to your 30-fils text message, but because some people may not be familiar with the rules of the game and may take it personally.

A year ago a colleague sent her phone contacts, including me, a long text message wishing us all a happy ending to 2005, and a happier beginning for the New Year. She told me later that her message provoked the loneliness or frustration of a distant colleague - whose phone number happened to be in her phone book. He replied with sarcastic remarks criticising her childish view of life, believing in happy endings which don't happen except in Hollywood movies.

Take it or leave it: excessive advertising of company services may hurt, and so may season's greetings splashed all over telephone networks.