29% prefer to communicate with remote workers by phone

A new survey from Voxbone reveals the phone is still the preferred technology for staying in touch for remote workers. This might be somewhat surprising considering the popularity of text and IM, but a phone call is hard to beat to quickly get your point across; especially with complex subject matters.

The Remote Worker Survey is the first edition of Voxobone’s look into how the growing number of this workforce keeps in touch. As a company specializing in business communications, understanding the way companies communicate with their remote workforce is one of the reasons for this survey.

For small businesses whose workforce is also increasingly made up of freelancers working remotely, it is just as important to find out the most efficient communication technology. This includes not overlooking the old and reliable phone.

As Ash Hekmat, who wrote the blog on the survey data, said “It’s easy to overlook the humble phone line when you’re thinking about the technologies that help your business achieve success. But doing so is a big mistake.”

Voxbone carried out the survey with the participation of 500 people across the US to determine how the remote worker landscape looks like in 2018.

Communicate With Remote Workers

Effective communication has always been critically important in business, but for people working remotely, it is especially important.

The survey says 40% of Americans work with remote employees. And without a reliable form of communication, it means missing opportunities for new jobs and even losing existing jobs.

As to their preferred mode of communication, the phone came in the top position with 29% of the respondents. This was followed by text at 13%, IM at 10%, and video at 7%.

When it is time for a conference call, they said they prefer using a phone because of the reliability it provides. For 60% of them, the quality of the service they use is average or worse when conducting a video conference.

Some of the issues they face are poor sound quality, time lag or pixelation, dropped connections, and lack of international dial-ins. The challenges highlight the need to more effectively address this growing workforce.

Addressing the Increasing Number of Americans Working Remotely

The 7th Annual State of Independence (PDF) report from MBO Partners, which provides technology for independent workers, says there are 41 million Americans who now work independently.

The report says these are adults of all ages, skill, and income levels working across a wide range of industries as consultants, freelancers, and contractors on a temporary or on-call basis. And they are working to build businesses, develop their careers, pursue passions and/or to supplement their incomes.

For small business in the communications, finance, insurance, and technology segment, this workforce provides new opportunities. Addressing the specific needs of remote workers is one way your company can differentiate itself.

Image: Voxbone