Amid the ever-expanding choice of communications methods, the use of the humble telephone is in decline. Who responds to voicemails right? And yet, the old and reliable land line is still prevalent, specially the business phone service, as it has proven to still be quite necessary and helpful when it comes to running a business.

With that being said, here are ten tasks which need you to pick up the phone. Don’t hide behind email, take a deep breath and dial. It’s faster and more productive.

1. You have good news – share it directly, it might need explaining.

2. You have bad news – put it in context and answer questions.

3. Something has gone badly wrong – agree the plan to solve it.

4. You’re annoyed about something – it’s harder to rant to a real person.

5. There’s a misunderstanding – email can exacerbate this.

6. There’s a legal dispute – they only escalate with formal written comms.

7. You need to negotiate – when it gets to the wire, talk or better still, meet in person.

8. Someone needs your help – somehow digital help isn’t quite as warm.

9. Staff management issues – talk about it, follow up by email as a record.

10. It’s urgent – and email is unreliable.