Which used to be a normal thing - at least where I live and especially if you were young. At the same time, politely telling someone you’re busy, it’s not a good time, etc was also acceptable and normal.
The issue is imposing yourself on somebody else's attention.
Most people that I know only use calls for time sensitive/urgent needs. Most other things, aside from chatting with family etc, are really best handled with a text. For whatever reason the culture around phones has shifted to "don't force people to drop whatever they're doing and respond to a call unless it is actually necessary".
If you call me, I'll probably hear the phone ring, and can either answer it or check for a message, whereas if you send me a text, there's a decent chance I won't even notice its existence for some hours. Better hope that "urgent communication need" isn't too urgent...
Seems to work out well and fairly straightforward, I'd imagine I'm not the only one that follows this flow.
Anyone feel like businesses small and large aren’t getting this? If I need a plumber or want to apply for a mortgage the first step is always a phone call. I don’t get it.
I’ve tried texting local businesses but it only occasionally works.
At first it was only small businesses like the nearby cafeteria sending the lunch menu, then it was fast food deliveries, some banks. Last year some state institutions made the switch.
I'm not sure about a mortgage, since that requires more paperwork. But most of a car insurance, car loan, personal loan, new internet phone line, can be done via WhatsApp.
The local digital signature law still doesn't work though, so at certain point of the process, the company sends an official or someone from a private post company to get the real signatures on paper and confirm that the ID card matches the application.