An article by Heidi Walkinshaw.

Millennials, the email generation, better known as “bury our heads in the sand, try and avoid the conflict or it’s easy to hit delete” generation. Because if you are emailing back and forth it’s eventually going to solve the issue, right? Usually the avoidance is for “oh but they might yell at me”. But, how much time does this take out of your day?

If you are like me, you thrive on having an inbox that is under control and in order, so when you have emails pinging back and forward, it pretty quickly fills up the space. We have clients who are more demanding than ever and in many cases wanting a response immediately. What better way to fill this void and solve this issue, than pick up the phone.

Don’t ever underestimate the importance of the personal touch. In our roles as Property Management experts, we are dealing with individuals who have invested huge amounts of money in what is essentially one of the biggest investments in their lives. They are going to be, in some cases, emotional and challenging. Spending those 5 or 10 minutes out of your day to pick up the phone may save you half a day worth of email ping pong as well as the management.

While it may be easier to email, remember it can be very easy to misconstrue the meaning and for the situation to become out of control. The receiver may misunderstand the tone you are using and one email can quickly turn into twenty with each party becoming more frustrated. A quick phone call can usually solve this issue and if you like, follow up with an email to confirm your conversation with the client.

I challenge you to stop being a keyboard warrior, have a conversation with the client, and get outside your comfort zone, maybe even take them for coffee and build that relationship. Who knows, you may find that they are actually are human and not as scary as you think.