The faces behind the voices

Every other day we receive ten's of calls from tele-callers selling us policies, bank loans , insurance , medical cover and real estate deals. In business terms this is called  "Cold Calling", the most cheapest and impersonal way of Sales and Marketing of products or services. Companies have definitely succeeded a bit using these tool for sales or else how would we explain the menace of plethora of calls, that we receive everyday.

With technology the world is shrinking

Similarly like above, every other day we call  "Customer Care" or " Help Desk" of companies for which we are a consumer . This support center is the first point of contact that companies set up to provide assistance to its customers. More often than not, we get our queries resolved . Accept it or not the new paradigms have made "Virtual Business" a healthy possibility. Whether you buy online , receive deal offers on phone or call support desk for an answer this virtual communication will definitely form a part of your entire transaction.

So who are the people behind these voices  ??

At times it is a energetic male voice ,  sometimes a girl with a chirpy , bubbly sweet voice and on other instances a heavy pitch or sombre tone. It is remote possibility that you will ever meet these virtual people but what is quite possible is that you and me will surely conduct business with these 'Invisible entities'. The calls do not come on their own or to anyone or everyone for that matter. The companies are smart enough to choose their segment and the set of the targeted audience. So, when we are being sold an idea , a product or service the caller already has a profile in his or her mind. He or she can draw in his mind a caricature of the person being called and uses all his/her capabilities to hear you and make himself /herself heard. All his skills rely on only one tool and that is coming up with a 'Winning Pitch' in less than a minute's time. In fact it is the first 30 secs that decide which way the call will go.Apart from striking a interesting and intelligent conversation what attracts people is your voice. If the texture, smoothness, clarity , tone can make someone stop for a moment he or she will definitely give you time. If you are ultimately successfull there will be a relationship that gets build with your prospect over a series of dialogues.

Virtual Teams is the Future

Over the years I have worked with virtual teams across geographies , across nationalities and across diversities . During the course of these prolonged tele - interactions i even made good friends and conducted business successfully. All i knew about the person is the knowledge that he or she presented over the calls followed by some written mails. So having known them for long without seeing them ever i only had a mind map to imagine. The entire relationship hinged on a call that had two voices and two minds working in tandem. With the series of conversations image after image kept on adding to the person's profile and my mind accepted that virtual acquaintance.

At few times i even had the chance to add a face to the name and the voice i knew for so long. I found these people more or less in sync with the information they had provided about themselves. There were some who were better off from what they sounded on phone and some had more about them to be still known. What perplexed me is, i could not really connect the voice and the person. Probably relationships that start in person don't have any false impressions. You meet people, talk to them , understand their views and opinions and decide in some time if you want to carry along. The acquaintance that starts with making an virtual impression of the other person has hardly other parameters to bank upon. The human touch, the warmth , the eyes and the body language is not there to be seen.

If you ask me let the virtual world be virtual only. Let the identity of the person be a secret and the real self be hidden. Enjoy making images in your mind and live with those rosy and pretty imagination of yours than face the reality.The faces behind the voices have only one face and that is their voice !!

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