{"id":4325,"date":"2025-07-23T10:07:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T08:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teamlead.io\/?p=4325"},"modified":"2025-09-15T18:00:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T16:00:10","slug":"%f0%9f%93%9e-the-comeback-of-the-telephone-channel-why-voice-isnt-dead-anytime-soon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teamlead.io\/en\/%f0%9f%93%9e-the-comeback-of-the-telephone-channel-why-voice-isnt-dead-anytime-soon\/","title":{"rendered":"\ud83d\udcde The comeback of the telephone channel. Why voice isn\u2019t dead anytime soon"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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In a world full of bots, chats, and AI assistants, the good old phone call has suddenly become surprisingly valuable again. Voice is back\u2014from never really having left.<\/p>

Remember the days when companies were scrapping the telephone channel en masse?
\u201cEverything goes digital!\u201d they shouted. Self-service portals, chatbots, email-only support, and if all else failed: a contact form buried on page 37.<\/p>

But now, a few years later, there\u2019s an interesting twist: the phone is making a comeback.<\/p>

\ud83d\udcc9 The Misconception: \u201cFewer Calls = Success\u201d<\/strong><\/p>

Many organizations thought: fewer calls mean we\u2019re doing great.
But in practice, what happened?<\/p>

  • Customers who had to chat three times anyway ended up calling.<\/p><\/li>

  • Employees had to resolve complex questions via email\u2014in four back-and-forths.<\/p><\/li>

  • Customer satisfaction dropped, despite lower call volumes.<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

    Fewer calls didn\u2019t automatically mean better service. More often, it meant more frustration and less personal contact.<\/p>

    \ud83d\udcca What we see: Call volumes remain surprisingly stable<\/strong><\/p>

    Across many of our clients, in industries like telecom, finance, and government, we see the same pattern: the number of calls isn\u2019t decreasing. In fact, in some sectors, it has remained remarkably stable for years. Meanwhile, other channels (chat, social) are growing. Voice isn\u2019t disappearing. It\u2019s holding its ground. And that says a lot. Customers still pick up the phone when it really matters. And as an organization, you want to take that moment seriously.<\/p>

    \ud83d\udd04 The turning point: A need for real conversations<\/strong><\/p>

    In a time of automation and AI, customers crave something different:
    A human. A voice. Someone who truly listens.<\/p>

    Voice is increasingly the channel for:<\/p>

    • Complex or emotional situations<\/strong>
      (\u201cI don\u2019t understand my healthcare bill.\u201d \/ \u201cI just lost a loved one.\u201d)<\/p><\/li>

    • Escalations or uncertainties<\/strong>
      (\u201cI want to make sure this is handled correctly.\u201d)<\/p><\/li>

    • Building trust<\/strong>
      (\u201cI\u2019m considering switching providers but have a few questions.\u201d)<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

      In these situations, a good conversation is worth its weight in gold.<\/p>

      \ud83e\udde0 Voice requires expertise<\/strong><\/p>

      Voice isn\u2019t just a channel, it\u2019s a craft.
      A good phone agent:<\/p>

      • Can hear your smile<\/p><\/li>

      • Recognizes frustration in a sigh<\/p><\/li>

      • Shows empathy without following a script<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

        That\u2019s something no chatbot\u2014however advanced\u2014can truly replicate.<\/p>

        \ud83d\udee0\ufe0f What this means for your planning<\/strong><\/p>

        As voice grows in importance, it affects how you plan:<\/p>

        • Longer handling times than chat or email<\/p><\/li>

        • Greater variety in interactions \u2192 higher complexity<\/p><\/li>

        • Higher value per interaction \u2192 you want the right people handling these calls<\/p><\/li><\/ul>

          A good WFM tool (hello, Teamlead) accounts for all of this\u2014not just in your forecast, but also in skills, breaks, and intraday adjustments.<\/p>

          \ud83d\udcac The future is hybrid \u2013 and voice is an essential pillar<\/strong><\/p>

          We\u2019re not saying: \u201cEverything should go back to the phone.\u201d But voice deserves its place in the mix\u2014for customer experience, trust, and real connection.<\/p>

          So next time someone claims voice is \u201cdead,\u201d feel free to give them our number. We\u2019d be happy to talk.<\/p>

          Want to know more about planning voice channels in a multichannel environment?
          Send us a message\u2014or just give us a call. \ud83d\udcde<\/p>

          If you want, I can also create a more punchy, LinkedIn-ready version<\/strong> that keeps the playful tone and emojis for maximum engagement. Do you want me to do that?<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          In a world full of bots, chats, and AI assistants, the good old phone call has suddenly become surprisingly valuable again. Voice is back\u2014from never really having left. Remember the days when companies were scrapping the telephone channel en masse?\u201cEverything goes digital!\u201d they shouted. Self-service portals, chatbots, email-only support, and if all else failed: a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4325","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-geen-onderdeel-van-een-categorie"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/teamlead.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4325","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/teamlead.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/teamlead.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teamlead.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teamlead.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4325"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/teamlead.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4325\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4330,"href":"https:\/\/teamlead.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4325\/revisions\/4330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/teamlead.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4325"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teamlead.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4325"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/teamlead.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4325"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}