It may vary from office to office, but in general, snail mail is far far far less effective than phone calls. Perhaps the biggest reason is that it gets there too late. Especially since the added mail-delaying security measures they put in after the anthrax attacks. Another reason is that phone calls directly engage staffers and keep an issue on their minds. A lot of calls on a single issue make an impression. Letters, on the other hand, you can put aside to read when convenient, and block out time in your schedule for it, so the volume is less vivid. Getting 20 calls about the same issue on the same day feels different in a way that getting 20 letters which you can space out reading over the course of the week, doesn't. Especially if the calls keep coming - when a letter arrives, you don't know what it's about.
P.S. You can actually ask questions during a phone call. You can react to what they say, and comment on it. They can hear what you sound like. Two-way communication is another reason why it's more effective.
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2011-12-23 23:17 (UTC)P.S. You can actually ask questions during a phone call. You can react to what they say, and comment on it. They can hear what you sound like. Two-way communication is another reason why it's more effective.