{"id":7113,"date":"2019-10-02T10:32:46","date_gmt":"2019-10-02T09:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=7113"},"modified":"2023-01-16T16:50:28","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T16:50:28","slug":"the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s Talk: The Pros and Cons of Online and Offline Communication"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Let\u2019s talk.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">That used to be a very simple proposition. Let\u2019s get together and chat, discuss, debate, plan, persuade, or entertain.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Today? Let\u2019s &#8220;talk\u201d can mean different things. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Communication has fundamentally changed over the years to include not just face-to-face interaction, but also phone calls, email, instant messaging, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/office\/features\/video-conference\/overview.html\">video conferencing<\/a>. Ask ten different people which is their preferred channel, and you\u2019ll likely get ten different answers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Consider:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"c11 lst-kix_quqmjl3w1si0-0 start\">\n<li class=\"c1\">About\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">57% of customers prefer digital communication<\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0such as email or social media over voice channels like the telephone or video calls<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\">Nearly 25% want a\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">face-to-face interaction<\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0for complicated customer service issues<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\">Two-thirds of\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">consumers use 3+ channels<\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0to communicate with a business<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c7\">74% of Americans<\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0have used their phone to contact customer service<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c7\"><a class=\"c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.twilio.com\/learn\/contact-center\/communication-preferences-by-generation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Age also plays a part in preference<\/a><\/span><span class=\"c2\">, with each generation having its own favourites and least liked. It\u2019s critical to use the right channels to connect with the right groups \u2013 the wrong ones may be missed, ignored, unappreciated, or even considered rude.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">The silent generation (pre-1946) and the Baby Boomers (1946-1964) both prefer face-to-face and telephone calls over anything else, although Boomers are generally okay with email, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Generation X (1965-1980) is most comfortable with social media, but they tend to think of it as a personal platform. Email is their preferred medium for communication.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\">Millennials (1981-2000) love the instant connection that comes with\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">social media<\/span><span class=\"c2\">, texting, and email.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Finally, Generation Z (post-2000) is the first generation of digital natives. Social media \u2013 especially newer platforms like Instagram and Snapchat \u2013 and instant messaging are their preferred channels for most communication. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\">Sometimes, the deciding factor is speed and convenience. If you\u2019re offering social media as a communication channel, for example, you\u2019d better be able to respond quickly. Close to half of people\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">expect an answer or response<\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0in an hour or less.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\">We send about\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">293 billion emails<\/span>,\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">23 billion text messages<\/span>\u00a0(SMS), and make over\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">12 billion phone calls<\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0every single day, among other channels. That\u2019s a lot of communication going on and a lot of choices to be made in how you communicate.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Most of us carry a smartphone with us at all times, and we spend hours online every day. Online communication as a whole seems to be taking over as the de facto king of the castle \u2013 but is it the best choice?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Maybe, maybe not. As with everything in life, there are pros and cons. So, what are the advantages and disadvantages of online communication compared to offline communication?<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Here&#8217;s a closer look.<\/span><\/p>\n\t<div class=\"cta-banner  CID-2FdM5dTp IID-69d09fd3911f1\"\r\n\t\tdata-dl-custom-type=\"ctaButton\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"cta-banner-img-wrap\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"cta-banner-img\" style=\"background-image:url(\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/IDC-Marketscape-announce.png)\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"cta-body\" data-dl-custom-type=\"ctaButton\">\r\n\t\t\t<span class=\"cta-sub-heading\">Collaborate from anywhere<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"cta-heading\">One application for all interactions<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t<p>Keep your team connected and collaborating while working remotely.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t<a class=\"rc-cta-shortcode btn btn-primary btn-lg\" data-dl-element=\"button\"\r\n\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/why-use-ringcentral-desktop-app.html\" class=\"btn btn-primary\"\r\n\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-dl-additional-info=\"One application for all interactions\"\r\n\t\t\t\tdata-dl-name=\"One application for all interactions | Find out how\">Find out how<\/a>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n<h2 id=\"h.fy5dsuj6tj6f\" class=\"c3\"><span class=\"c14\">Offline Communication<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"c4\">&#8216;Offline&#8217; communication used to be the\u00a0<span class=\"c13\">only<\/span>\u00a0communication, but obviously, that has changed significantly. What<span class=\"c13\">\u00a0hasn&#8217;t<\/span>\u00a0changed is that\u00a0<span class=\"c7\"><a class=\"c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/nickmorgan\/2015\/09\/01\/we-humans-are-social-beings-and-why-that-matters-for-speakers-and-leaders\/#40d374106abd\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">human beings are social creatures<\/a><\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0that respond to real-life connection and engagement. That\u2019s as true today as it was 150 years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">And while it may not be as fast or convenient as its online counterpart, offline communication still has a lot going for it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">It comes with that personal touch that we just don\u2019t get from an email or text message. There\u2019s just \u201csomething\u201d about a face-to-face conversation \u2013 or a phone call, to a lesser extent \u2013 that can\u2019t be matched by digital options. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h.i00u66iv4190\" class=\"c12\"><span class=\"c9\">In-Person<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Generally speaking, most of us are recharged by face-to-face interaction with other people. Our social lives \u2013 or lack thereof \u2013 have a tremendous impact on our physical and mental health.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">That\u2019s perhaps the biggest advantage for in-person communication. It resonates with us, even if only subconsciously, like no other channel. Don\u2019t underestimate that.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">As far as pros go, face-to-face interaction has a few that are hard to dismiss. It:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"c11 lst-kix_wkkjpakr00sl-0 start\">\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">It provides nonverbal cues<\/span>. Conventional wisdom and widely quoted studies\u00a0<span class=\"c7\"><a class=\"c6\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nonverbalgroup.com\/2011\/08\/how-much-of-communication-is-really-nonverbal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">tell us that only 7% of communication on average comes from the words<\/a><\/span>\u00a0we use. The other 93% comes from nonverbal cues, including body language and vocal elements. While new evidence suggests that the figure may not be accurate, the one thing that everyone agrees on is that the\u00a0<span class=\"c13\">vast<\/span>\u00a0majority of communication is conveyed nonverbally. Facial expressions, gestures,\u00a0<span class=\"c7\"><a class=\"c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thoughtco.com\/paralinguistics-paralanguage-term-1691568\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">paralinguistics<\/a><\/span><span class=\"c2\">, posture, proximity, eye contact, touch, and appearance reveal a lot more than what we\u2019re saying verbally. Any communication without it, like text messages, may fall victim to misunderstandings from its absence.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7114\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7114\" style=\"width: 599px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7114 size-full\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication-1.jpg\" alt=\"Let\u2019s Talk: The Pros and Cons of Online and Offline Communication-113\" width=\"599\" height=\"398\" srcset=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication-1.jpg 599w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication-1-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 599px) 100vw, 599px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7114\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: VeryWellMind<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul class=\"c11 lst-kix_70iym842wu0m-0 start\">\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Gives instant gratification<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. Need an answer or suggestion right away? Face-to-face conversations provide instant gratification. You\u2019re both there, in the moment, answering and talking in real-time. There\u2019s no waiting period.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Demonstrates importance<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. Nothing makes someone feel more important than a face-to-face meeting or discussion in a world where it happens less and less. Need a customer or friend to know how much they matter to you? Meet up in real life.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Enhances trust<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. When someone steadfastly refuses to meet in person, it can feel like they\u2019re hiding something from us. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Gets to the point<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. Simply put, there is no substitute for a face-to-face conversation (when it\u2019s possible, of course). Instead of playing phone tag, waiting on an email response, and\/or feeling ignored, everything is dealt with quickly and properly, with few, if any, misunderstandings.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Furnishes privacy and security<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. There is no app or device to hack and steal information from because it exists only in the mind of the participants.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"c4\">According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/iamalexbirkett\/\">Alex Birkett<\/a>, growth marketer at Hubspot and co-founder at\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">Omniscient Digital<\/span><span class=\"c2\">, nothing beats in-person communication when it comes to sales and building rapport.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c13 c15\">\u201cWhen I meet prospects in person, there is so much more trust and so much less friction. To my knowledge, it isn\u2019t really possible to achieve the same level of rapport via solely text communication like email. Even video conferencing doesn\u2019t bridge that gap entirely.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\">That said, offline conversation is not without its cons, as well, as people have many different preferred\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">communication styles<\/span><span class=\"c2\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">For starters, it\u2019s subject to time and place restrictions. You can only meet with someone if they\u2019re in the same place and available at the same time. That\u2019s not always possible in the modern world.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">It can also be a time-consuming approach. How many people can you physically meet with during a typical day versus how many emails you can send out?<\/span><\/p>\n\t\t<style>\r\n\t\t\t@media (min-width: 768px) {\r\n\t\t\t\t.bottom-cta .bottom-cta-img {\r\n\t\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\r\n\t\t\t\t\twidth: 50%;\r\n\t\t\t\t}\r\n\t\t\t}\r\n\r\n\t\t\t.bottom-cta .bottom-cta-img img {\r\n\t\t\t\twidth: 100%;\r\n\t\t\t}\r\n\r\n\t\t\t.bottom-cta {\r\n\t\t\t\tbackground: #001138;\r\n\t\t\t\tpadding: 30px;\r\n\t\t\t}\r\n\r\n\t\t\t.bottom-cta .bottom-cta-copy {\r\n\t\t\t\tpadding: 0 30px;\r\n\t\t\t\toverflow: hidden;\r\n\t\t\t\tcolor: #fff;\r\n\t\t\t}\r\n\r\n\t\t\t.bottom-cta .bottom-cta-copy .btn-primary {\r\n\t\t\t\twidth: 100%;\r\n\t\t\t}\r\n\t\t<\/style>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"bottom-cta  CID-cta-2FdM5dTp IID-cta-69d09fd391252\"\r\n\t\t\tdata-dl-custom-type=\"cta\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bottom-cta-img\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/collaboration-virtual-workforce-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Call to action banner\">\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bottom-cta-copy\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<span style=\"font-size: 24px; line-height: 30px;\">Video conferencing keeps teams connected and productive from anywhere<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"text-center\" style=\"display: block;\">\r\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"rc-cta-shortcode btn btn-primary btn-lg\" data-dl-element=\"button\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg\" style=\"margin-top: 16px; font-weight: bold;\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\ttitle=\"Mid content - Learn about contact centre tech create better experience for customers and agents\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/video.html\" target=\"_blank\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\trel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-dl-additional-info=\"Video conferencing keeps teams connected and productive from anywhere\"\r\n\t\t\t\t\tdata-dl-name=\"Video conferencing keeps teams connected and productive from anywhere | Find out how\">Find out how<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\n<h3 id=\"h.b3xufg4lg2tp\" class=\"c12\"><span class=\"c9\">Telephone Calls<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Still, under the offline umbrella, it\u2019s no surprise that phone calls are (still) a popular channel. Short of meeting in real life, they\u2019re a close second in terms of feeling appreciated and understood.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\">Much of what we gain from an in-person conversation can be achieved with a phone call. Most, but not\u00a0<span class=\"c13\">all<\/span><span class=\"c2\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\">What are the advantages? It\u2019s still personal. It\u2019s still real-time communication with instant gratification and responses. We get\u00a0<span class=\"c13\">some<\/span>\u00a0of the nonverbal cues \u2013 sighs, inflection, pitch, volume, and tone \u2013 and we save\u00a0<span class=\"c13\">some<\/span>\u00a0time because we don\u2019t have to travel anywhere. We can make a phone call to someone down the hall or across the globe. Calls are also more private, secure, and confidential than a written message, and are still\u00a0<span class=\"c7\"><a class=\"c6\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.mailshake.com\/sales-discovery-call\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">an effective sales tactic<\/a><\/span><span class=\"c2\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Where does it fall short? We lose the visual cues, which are the lion\u2019s share. We must still spend more minutes on a real-time conversation than a written message, and we\u2019re still bound by time and the availability of the other person. Ever play phone tag? Phone calls can also be frustrating, with each person cutting the other off or overlapping their conversation because we can\u2019t \u2018see\u2019 when they\u2019re done waiting for a response. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">That said, if you\u2019re looking to cultivate the relationship and build trust, few things compare to a face-to-face chat or call. It&#8217;s a fundamental part of <a href=\"https:\/\/referralrock.com\/blog\/relationship-marketing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">relationship marketing<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">But let\u2019s be honest: few have the luxury of being able to engage strictly in offline conversations. Online digital channels obviously do have a big place in the communication matrix, too.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h.i9fd5x1nl185\" class=\"c3\"><span class=\"c14\">Online Communication<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">It\u2019s a digital world, and to ignore that would be foolish. The chief advantage of <a href=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/\">online communication<\/a> is that both geography and time are relatively \u2013 if not completely \u2013 unimportant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Online communication is available 24\/7 and provides global accessibility. Need to convey important and time-sensitive information but it\u2019s 2 a.m. in Germany where the recipient lives? Go the online route.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h.czllhlug1b6v\" class=\"c12\"><span class=\"c9\">Email<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Going by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/office\/features\/local-numbers.html\">numbers<\/a>, there is perhaps no more popular channel than email. Nearly everyone, regardless of age or location, has access to and knows how to use email. Hundreds of billions of emails are sent and received every single day worldwide.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_7115\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-7115\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-7115 size-full\" src=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication-2.png\" alt=\"Let\u2019s Talk: The Pros and Cons of Online and Offline Communication-53\" width=\"1000\" height=\"743\" srcset=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication-2.png 1000w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication-2-300x223.png 300w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication-2-768x571.png 768w, \/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication-2-640x476.png 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-7115\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/456500\/daily-number-of-e-mails-worldwide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Statista<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Other advantages of email include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"c11 lst-kix_rb85xq1bquai-0 start\">\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Reach<\/span>. There were 3.8 billion email users worldwide in 2019. It\u2019s\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">expected to hit 4.3 billion<\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0\u2013 over half the population \u2013 by 2023.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Affordability<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. Email is free for most users, and even if you decide to upgrade to a paid service, it\u2019s still an extremely affordable channel for individuals and businesses.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Accountability<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. As a written medium, it\u2019s easy to keep records of email conversations, promises, and agreements.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Depth<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. Because it\u2019s not limited by character or word count like some social or text platforms, you can convey a lot of information in a single, in-depth email.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Speed<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. Hit \u2018send\u2019, and your email is almost instantly delivered to the inbox of your recipient(s).<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Scalability<\/span>. Start small, and grow. Email service providers like\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">Mailshake<\/span><span class=\"c2\"> make it dead simple to send a personalised message to one recipient, or dozens.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Mobility<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. Send an email from your desktop at work, your laptop at home, or your smartphone from virtually anywhere.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Personal.\u00a0<\/span>It\u2019s never been easier to add\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">personalisation<\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0to every customer touchpoint. With email, you can segment and send highly targeted messages.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\">Data and Experimentation. You can track the effectiveness of your email outreach over time, and you can run\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">controlled experiments<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. At scale, this can lead to a much better ROI.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Ease-of-use<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. Even the less tech-savvy among us can master the basics.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t<div class=\"cta-banner  CID-2FdM5dTp IID-69d09fd39127d\"\r\n\t\tdata-dl-custom-type=\"ctaButton\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"cta-banner-img-wrap\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"cta-banner-img\" style=\"background-image:url(\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/remote-teams-cta.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"cta-body\" data-dl-custom-type=\"ctaButton\">\r\n\t\t\t<span class=\"cta-sub-heading\">Collaborate from anywhere<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"cta-heading\">One application for all interactions<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t<p>Keep your team connected and collaborating while working remotely.<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t<a class=\"rc-cta-shortcode btn btn-primary btn-lg\" data-dl-element=\"button\"\r\n\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/why-use-ringcentral-desktop-app.html\" class=\"btn btn-primary\"\r\n\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-dl-additional-info=\"One application for all interactions\"\r\n\t\t\t\tdata-dl-name=\"One application for all interactions | Find out how\">Find out how<\/a>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n<p class=\"c4\">In fact, email marketing has\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">an excellent return-on-investment<\/span>\u00a0for businesses both large and small \u2014 whether you\u2019re using the channel to communicate on a small scale with sales prospects or at a higher volume in order to\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">drive traffic to your blog<\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0or new product landing page.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">But it\u2019s not perfect, either. A few of the disadvantages include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"c11 lst-kix_1ra18nbteivg-0 start\">\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Deliverability<\/span>. As any email user can attest, email has a spam problem. Roughly\u00a0<span class=\"c7\"><a class=\"c6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/420391\/spam-email-traffic-share\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">56% of email volume is spam<\/a><\/span>. Gmail alone\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">blocks millions and millions of messages<\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0each day. As a result, it\u2019s possible your email won\u2019t make it to the recipient&#8217;s inbox if it\u2019s mistakenly flagged by the filters.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Vulnerability<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. Although most providers do a great job of keeping your data safe, anything in the cloud is at risk in one way or another. If you\u2019re sharing confidential information via email, it could be intercepted or hacked. If you\u2019re archiving it, it could be lost to server damage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Difficult to interpret<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. Email is completely devoid of those very important nonverbal cues we mentioned earlier, so it&#8217;s much easier for misunderstandings to occur. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"c1\"><span class=\"c5\">Response time<\/span><span class=\"c2\">. Send an email, and you may have to wait an hour, a day, or longer for a response. It\u2019s delivered immediately, but that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019ll be opened just as quickly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"c4\">The good news? You can\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">learn to be a better email user<\/span><span class=\"c2\">, stay out of the junk folder, use a <a href=\"https:\/\/quickemailverification.com\/tools\/email-checker\">free email checker<\/a> to see if the email address is valid, and negate a few of those cons.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"h.r0m24z9nsvxe\" class=\"c12\"><span class=\"c9\">Video Conference<\/span><\/h3>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">This one blends the best of face-to-face and online channels. You get all of the advantages of a phone call but with almost all of the nonverbal cues for better communication.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">You can cross great distances, too. Friends, family, or customers on the other side of the world? Video has it covered, to say nothing of the money you save on travel costs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\">In a\u00a0<span class=\"c7\">recent study conducted by Lifesize<\/span><span class=\"c2\">, 94% of respondents said video conferencing increases productivity and 89% said video conferencing helps them feel connected.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">It\u2019s the instant-gratification, real-time communication that we love, and a strong bridge to keep older customers that are further away from you happy and satisfied. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">But, yet again, there are cons to the medium, too, like technical issues, setup costs, and international time zones (everyone still needs to be available at the same time), to name but a few.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\">If you\u2019re dealing with younger generations, you should particularly look to use social media, instant messaging, <a href=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-rise-of-chatbots\/\">chatbots<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/office\/features\/messaging\/overview.html\"><span class=\"c7\">SMS texting<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in your communication strategy, all of which are fast, usually opened and responded to\u00a0<span class=\"c13\">very<\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0quickly, and popular. But you have to keep the messages short, and you can also run the risk of appearing intrusive if you send too many. Balance is the name of the game. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\t<div class=\"cta-banner  CID-2FdM5dTp IID-69d09fd391291\"\r\n\t\tdata-dl-custom-type=\"ctaButton\">\r\n\t\t<div class=\"cta-banner-img-wrap\">\r\n\t\t\t<div class=\"cta-banner-img\" style=\"background-image:url(\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/video-meeting-cta.jpg)\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<div class=\"cta-body\" data-dl-custom-type=\"ctaButton\">\r\n\t\t\t<span class=\"cta-sub-heading\">Discover the financial benefits of online meetings<\/span>\r\n\t\t\t<h3 class=\"cta-heading\">Team collaboration with RingCentral meetings and conferencing<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t<p>Get the complete video and audio conferencing solution included with RingCentral Office<\/p>\r\n\t\t\t<a class=\"rc-cta-shortcode btn btn-primary btn-lg\" data-dl-element=\"button\"\r\n\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/office\/features\/online-meetings\/overview.html\" class=\"btn btn-primary\"\r\n\t\t\t\ttarget=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-dl-additional-info=\"Team collaboration with RingCentral meetings and conferencing\"\r\n\t\t\t\tdata-dl-name=\"Team collaboration with RingCentral meetings and conferencing | Start a free trial\">Start a free trial<\/a>\r\n\r\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t<\/div>\r\n\t\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Ultimately, you&#8217;ll need a strategy that incorporates multiple channels for communication. Customers want to be able to communicate with you via their preferred channel, whether that&#8217;s the telephone and face-to-face interactions, or email and chat\/IM.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\">The question to ask is, Who are\u00a0<span class=\"c13\">your<\/span>\u00a0customers? Which channels do\u00a0<span class=\"c13\">they<\/span><span class=\"c2\">\u00a0prefer? At a minimum, you\u2019d do well to have at least one online channel \u2013 such as email \u2013 and one offline channel \u2013 such as a phone number or periodic real-world meetings \u2013 open to your customers. But don&#8217;t stop there. Additional research, testing, and customer feedback may reveal other channels that you need to add to the mix.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c2\">Stay flexible, and make the most of the analog and digital world we call home.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"c4\"><span class=\"c5\">What does your communication matrix look like? What channels are most successful for your business? Share in the comments below.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bio:<\/strong> Mark shares 44% of the letters that make up the word &#8220;marketing&#8221;, so his future was set from an early age. After a short but financially lucrative gig as a Macaulay Culkin celebrity impersonator, Mark fulfilled his prophecy and joined the <a href=\"https:\/\/mailshake.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mailshake team<\/a> as a marketing strategist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"uc-expo-cta-2 text-center IId-bottom-banner-144903516 CId-bottom-banner-1098205596\"><span style=\"font-size: 24px; line-height: 30px;\">Now discover how to make working from home work for you<\/span><span class=\"text-center\" style=\"display: block;\" data-dtm-element=\"button\" data-dtm-context=\"bottom-cta\" data-dtm-additional-info=\"Get the guide\"><a class=\"btn btn-primary btn-lg\" style=\"margin-top: 16px; font-weight: bold;\" title=\"Get the guide\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/work-from-home.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-dtm-name=\"Bottom CTA\">Find out more<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s talk. That used to be a very simple proposition. Let\u2019s get together and chat, discuss, debate, plan, persuade, or entertain. Today? Let\u2019s &#8220;talk\u201d can mean different things. \u00a0 Communication &hellip; <a href=\"\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/\" class=\"more-link\">Read more<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Let\u2019s Talk: The Pros and Cons of Online and Offline Communication&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":244,"featured_media":7171,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-content-hub.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[136,135,138,137],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Let\u2019s Talk: The Pros and Cons of Online and Offline Communication | RingCentral UK Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Communication is important for any business. Here are a few of the most important pros and cons of online and offline communication.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"RingCentral Team\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Let\u2019s Talk: The Pros and Cons of Online and Offline Communication | RingCentral UK Blog","description":"Communication is important for any business. Here are a few of the most important pros and cons of online and offline communication.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ringcentral.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"RingCentral Team","Est. reading time":"13 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":":\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/"},"author":{"name":"RingCentral Team","@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cc4f043d2b478862a8622c28b0ebd08c"},"headline":"Let\u2019s Talk: The Pros and Cons of Online and Offline Communication","datePublished":"2019-10-02T09:32:46+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-16T16:50:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/"},"wordCount":2540,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Offline Communication","Online Communication","Pros of Offline Communication","Pros of Online communication"],"articleSection":["Tips"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":[":\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/","url":":\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/","name":"Let\u2019s Talk: The Pros and Cons of Online and Offline Communication | RingCentral UK Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2019-10-02T09:32:46+00:00","dateModified":"2023-01-16T16:50:28+00:00","description":"Communication is important for any business. Here are a few of the most important pros and cons of online and offline communication.","breadcrumb":{"@id":":\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":[":\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":":\/gb\/en\/blog\/the-pros-and-cons-of-online-and-offline-communication\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"RingCentral Blog","item":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Tips"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/#website","url":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/","name":"RingCentral UK Blog","description":"RingCentral News and Tips","publisher":{"@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/#organization","name":"RingCentral UK","url":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/ringcentral-logo.png","contentUrl":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/ringcentral-logo.png","width":1921,"height":416,"caption":"RingCentral UK"},"image":{"@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/cc4f043d2b478862a8622c28b0ebd08c","name":"RingCentral Team","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/rcbloguk.wpengine.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/rc-profile-photo\/images\/default-avatar.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/rcbloguk.wpengine.com\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/rc-profile-photo\/images\/default-avatar.png","caption":"RingCentral Team"},"url":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/author\/ringcentral-team\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7113"}],"collection":[{"href":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/244"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7171"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}