The advent of the internet brought huge changes to the way we communicate. Tools such as Skype have allowed businesses to keep in touch with clients and offices across the world, while social networking now plays a dominant role in advertising and marketing campaigns for firms across all industries.
However, technological advances have done more than speed up business to business connections – they have intrinsically altered the office environment. And one of the greatest casualties in this progression has been the office telephone.
In days gone by, telephones graced each desk in the workplace and were the first choice for businesses searching for ways to keep their staff informed in an up to the minute timeframe. As a result, offices tended to be constantly noisy due to ringing phones and the babble of conversation.
Now, email and instant messaging have negated the requirement for conversation, with most business issues being debated in text format. Offices are altogether more tranquil environments, with only occasional queries and the whirring of computers breaking the silence.
When telephones first became mainstream in the early 20th century, many businesses were wary about embracing a break from the norm. The Bank of England, for example, did not install a working telephone line until 1902 – however, as the head office regularly placed orders for quills until 1907 this is perhaps not surprising!
Bosses worried that employees would become easily distracted, sedentary and lack motivation if the use of telephones became too widespread. Those familiar with the opposition to social networking accounts for businesses may indeed spot some similarities in the arguments.
However, the benefits of the telephone by far outweighed the negatives, with the result that the majority of UK workers soon had their own telephone on their desk. Switchboard operators were in high demand and were often referred to as the “glue” holding businesses together thanks to the fast paced nature of their work.
Essentially, firms across the world embraced the telephone over time, in the same way that the internet has become an integral cog in the business machine. And just as the telephone did away with the need for messengers and errand boys, the internet has managed to render the telephone all but obsolete.
Of course, utilising new technology can prove to be a very cost-efficient method for companies, especially in the wake of the recession when most still strive to stick to strict budgets. Companies can now provide staff with a mid-range desktop computer safe in the knowledge that software such as Skype and instant messaging means the need to purchase a telephone as well is entirely unnecessary.
Yet in doing this, businesses are changing the face of their business entirely and as such are transforming the roles of their employees. While progression is indeed a staple of successful businesses, perhaps keeping a little “old fashioned” personal touch in the workplace, such as the office telephone, can be more valuable still.
Do you think the office telephone is now obsolete, or do you prefer to contact companies via phone rather than email?
