> Sure, there are appropriate discussions that can take place over the phone, but in this industry it's usually a good interpersonal vehicle, but a horrendous w

> Sure, there are appropriate discussions that can take place over the phone, but in this industry it's usually a good interpersonal vehicle, but a horrendous way of coming to decisions or communicating ideas. I very strongly disagree with this. Email correspondence is subject to subpoena; there is some stuff that just should not be said in email for liability reasons. It's also easy for someone to miss something in a longer email, or for a couple people to have to go back and forth several times to clarify a point or explain incorrect interpretations. Phone calls are very useful when they are supplemented with note-taking, especially in the context of work tickets * . You communicate ideas more quickly, you are completely in control of what is on the record, and it's much more difficult to have misunderstandings. * At my current job, when we have a phone call we record in the work ticket a summary of the relevant (non-sensitive) details of the discussion along with the deliverables.