By Legal Futures Associate Moneypenny
With texting, instant messaging, voice-to-text and emailing becoming increasingly popular forms of communication, a new survey from Moneypenny, the global leader in outsourced communication, reveals how errors can result in misunderstandings and potentially embarrassing consequences.
The survey of 2,000 adults nationwide found that younger generations are most likely to experience misunderstandings, or to make errors on text messages or emails: 41% of Gen Z (under 25 years) and 33% of Millennials (29-44 years), compared to only 6% of Babyboomers (59-78 years) and 3% of the Silent Generation (over 79 years).
The survey also showed people commonly send texts and emails to the wrong person: 52% of those surveyed, and this is more pronounced among younger generations: 67% of Gen Z and 66% of Millennials, compared with a third of Babyboomers and 21% of the Silent Gen.
Examples of embarrassing text errors among survey participants:
- I sent a kiss to my manager by mistake
- I asked the window cleaner for extra milk
- I arranged lunch with the wrong friend
- I contacted my MP about errors my council have made and accidentally sent it to the council worker I was complaining about
- I thought I was messaging my sister asking if she could go to my house and let my dog out for a pee and accidentally sent it to my boss
- I sent a cheeky text to my in laws that was meant for my husband
The Moneypenny survey also showed that 55% of those surveyed have had to use other forms of communication to clarify a message sent via text messaging or email, and again, younger generations are more likely to have had to do this: 73% of Gen Z and 71% of Millennials and 71% of Gen X compared with only 36% of Babyboomers and 21% of the Silent Generation.
When asked for specific reasons that contribute to misunderstandings in text or email communication, the key answers were:
- Misinterpretation of intent: 33%
- Lack of tone or emotion in written communications: 33%
- Lack of context or background info: 29%
- Ambiguous language or jargon: 28%
- Overuse of abbreviations 21%
The rise of ‘telephobia’
However, despite common mistakes and misinterpretation, young people admit that the main reason they prefer to text rather than chat is because they feel too anxious to talk on the phone. This reason was stated by almost half of Gen Z (49%), four out of ten (43%) Millennials. This compared with (26%) of Gen X, (16%) Babyboomers and one in seven (13%) Silent Gen (13%). This trend was also observed among students and the unemployed, where 35% and 32% respectively gave ‘anxiety about talking’ as a reason for preferring to text.
Other reasons given for preferring texting over talking were:
- Convenience 30%
- More thinking time 29%
- Easier to use 26%
- Less intrusive25%
Vexing voice-to-texting
The survey also revealed errors experienced with voice-to-text tools such as Siri, with almost one in five (19%) experiencing this. More men than women said they had experienced errors: 23% compared with 16%.
Similarly younger people seem more likely to experience errors: 31% of Gen Z and 32% of Millennials, compared with 7% of Babyboomers and 2% of the Silent Gen.
Examples of voice-to-text misunderstandings:
- I was trying to ask manager what ice cream flavour to get for the coffee morning and it autocorrected and asked her what flavour orgasm. It was awkward and embarrassing.
- I said ‘you look great today’ and it said ‘you gained weight today.’
- When trying to text my friend with voice-to-text, it typed profanities
It’s good to talk
While texting is preferred to talking, more than half of survey participants (54%) felt the emotional connection is stronger on phone calls. This is mirrored by findings of a survey* conducted by Mary Jane Copps, known as The Phone Lady, among 723 CEOs and senior executives in North America, England, France and Australia, which showed that phone conversations were classified as extremely important by 47% of respondents.
Mary Jane Copps commented: “My research suggests that the pendulum might swing back towards more traditional communication methods. Phone calls offer a level of immediacy that is often unmatched by digital channels. For urgent matters, clarifications, or when building relationships, the ability to pick up the phone and communicate remains invaluable. Phone communication continues to play a critical role in customer service and operational efficiency. The ability to communicate effectively over the phone significantly enhances customer experience, resolves issues promptly, and maintains high levels of customer satisfaction.”
Psychologist Dr David Lewis commented on the Moneypenny survey: “Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone, making the world’s first telephone call almost a hundred and fifty years ago, refused to have one in his own home, as he believed it would be too distracting. In contrast, today consumers around the globe are constantly connected to faraway friends and using their smart phones they trade stocks, seek out potential partners, make online purchases and live-stream experiences. Unfortunately because they communicate by text far more regularly and frequently than by voice, they never develop the same familiarity when using speech. Furthermore, when speaking to someone without being able to see them, you are unable to respond to those non-verbal cues that are so essential to fully understanding another’s emotional response to what you are saying and hearing.”
Wendy Swash, Chief Operating Officer from Moneypenny commented: “There’s no doubt we all love the speed and convenience of digital communication methods, indeed we incorporate digital tech into our own communication services for our clients, alongside our brilliant PA’s. However, our survey shows the increased margin of error from texting rather than talking, and highlights the fact that we lose an important emotional understanding that comes with speaking to someone, and we can’t detect the same subtle nuances that come from a conversation. For anything urgent, sensitive or complex, we’d urge people to simply pick up the phone.”
