One of the latest services that is growing steadily is "email tophone", whereby you can receive email messages by voice over thephone, or send voice messages as emails from any phone - cellphone, satellite phone or a regular land line.
When I first heard of this, I wondered, "Why would I want tolisten to my email instead of reading it?" But I soon learnedthat there are a great many people who can stay in much bettertouch receiving email messages by phone. Here is a list of thetop ten reasons I have complied to use an email to phone service:
Email to phone for busy people on the run
1. You can pick up a message any time, any where, even if youhad not planned to. Have you ever had that eerie feeling therewas an urgent email waiting for you? Now you can relieve yourcuriosity, deal with the email and feel 100% assured thatlanding the sand trap was not a result of email anxiety.
2. Receiving emails by phone is ideal for a busy person on therun. Between the meetings and the restaurant and the cab, a busyperson does not always have the time to sit down in front of acomputer. But he always has time for his cell phone (You mighthave noticed this in restaurants, theatre shows, etc.)
3. International travelers have a great use for email to phoneservices, as they cannot always foretell the availability of acomputer or an Internet connection, nor how much time they mighthave between flights, meetings, etc. This way, they can keepmonitoring all their urgent messages wherever they end up, anddelayed flights will no longer mean delayed business.
Email to phone for constant access
4. There are some places where you just can't plug into yourcomputer (or would not want to). On a boat, for instance. Withemail to phone messaging, you can receive email while you relaxon a boat, far from an Internet connection. And yes, it ISrelaxing to know you don't have to fret about a missed emailthat could bring down the company or cost you your job.
5. On a hunting or fishing trip, you might often find yourselfwith no Internet connection. And you certainly won't have acomputer with you (I hope!). But you might have cell phoneaccess. And if one of your hunting buddies does drag along hisPC from home, you can tell him to get an email to phone serviceinstead.
6. Check in at the cottage, without lugging a computer around.Need I say more. It is indeed relaxing to know you don't have tofret about a missed email that cost you your job. It is NOTrelaxing to have to open your eyes to look at a computer monitor.
7. There are also many countries where Internet access is notreliable, even in parts of well-traveled countries. Who needsInternet for emails, when you can receive them by phone?
8. Indeed, even in your own country, there might be areas youfrequent that are outside of the digital coverage area, whereSMS and text messaging are unavailable, such as driving throughdeserts or mountains. Even with analog coverage or a regularphone line, you can keep monitoring your email.
Special monitoring email by phone
9. Some people need instant alerts, and have to be in touch evenwhile in the lunch room or traveling between meetings. ITsupport people, who subscribe to a web sitemonitoringservice are a perfect example. If a company'swebsite goes down, the CEO won't be pleased if 45 minutes laterthe IT manager says, "Sorry, I was out to lunch."
10. Some people have the misfortune of having to communicatewith high-tech show-offs like me who use email to communicate.For these unfortunate people who might otherwise be forced toadapt to 21st century technology, email to phone messaging ridesto the rescue. "Hah! Now I can listen to email messages on mycell phone. And they thought they could force me to adopt moderntechnology. Hah! I sure fooled them!"
There you have it - my top ten reasons to use email to phoneservices. Amazing how new ideas can turn even a stone-agedtelephone into a technological leap forward. Imagine whatthey'll do with boulders next
