When silence isn't golden...

[Jim Barker]

When did it become accepted business practice not to reply to phone calls or emails? Instead of taking two minutes to make a call or dash off an email, people seem to prefer these days to just ignore you and hope you'll go away.

I have, at the minute, three clients with work in various stages (and one is just inches away from finalising a job) who have suddenly started ignoring enquiries to find out where we are with the work. And these are only the latest in a string of people who have gone dumb half way through jobs. I wondered if it might be just me, a cartoonist/illustrator seemingly not high on a list of essential personnel, but in conversation at networking event and on other forums, I'm finding this seems to be a widespread practice.

What are other peoples experience?

 

[Jon Neale]

Just my two pence worth:
The world suffers from email overload - too many emails for stuff which can be dealt with much more quickly by just verbally discussing (generally covering ones backside by copying the rest of the office). I think anyone who deals with 100's of emails a day tends to change the way they operate. I know I did, remove Hi whoever, and Regards/Thanks and just write what needs to happen. This is quite rude and something I have changed but when all you do is send email all day those few seconds can count. I know people who operate by deleting things they dont think is important and saying "they'll come back to me if it's really important'.

Changing priorities - when a project starts they are fresh after a few weeks/months/years they are no longer fresh just another list on a long todo list and probably not this weeks main target.

 

[Click2Post.co.uk]

Emails get deleted, in fact it surprises me how many people only have one inbox.
I have a folder on my email account that I put all 'actioned' emails in to.
Therefore, anything in my inbox is still outstanding and requires attention (at some point).

I have all my staff do the same.

 

[estwig]

I would reply to your post......................................but I'm ignoring you, in the hope you will go away!!!

 

[e-vulture]

It's just so easy to ignore emails. It should not happen, but it does.