Wasn't email supposed to make things easier?

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Q. We’re having a problem with our designer. They never answer emails. We’ve been trying to move our upcoming changes along. I know this is a busy time, but we thought emails would make things easier and speed the whole process. By getting drawings to us faster, we hoped to be started before we take a trip this winter, but we’ll have to postpone our plans. Is there a better way to get the job moving?

A. Wouldn’t it be nice if everything went smoothly, just falling into place, and you could get instant answers, instant gratification, minute-to-minute attention? Technology is a blessing and a curse (or a tease). Email has created a tool for communication that can be magical and amazingly fast, but also gives a false impression that the sender and receiver both had nothing else to do. Cell phones give the same impression, because now you’re expected to answer, no matter where you are or what you’re doing. You can now get a waterproof phone for use in the shower.

We all deserve a return call, but keep in mind that when the person you called keeps trying to call you, only to get an incoming call before they can finish dialing, the opportunity is lost. This happens to me frequently, so I understand why calls are sometimes not returned in a timely manner. Some of us can remember when you got a busy signal and had to call back, and there were no cell phones to feel obligated to interrupt a meeting to answer. Taking a call during a meeting looks rude, and putting off the caller seems rude. A no-win situation has been created. Or worse, you leave a message because they didn’t answer, forcing them to spend the time they could have spent speaking to you just listening to the message you’re going to repeat when you speak to each other, anyway.

All that time lost means communication and opportunities are also lost. Emails have created a dilemma for professionals who have a full schedule, because most software used by architects and engineers requires that the consumer have the same software to open emailed drawings. An engineer recently sent me a non-compatible version that had to be converted before we could convert the file into another version that the building owner could open to read. Sound complicated?

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