Phone Numbers Made Easy – Strategies for Effortless Recall
Most people can hold a few digits in their short-term memory for a few minutes. That’s enough time to write the number down or repeat it to another person.
Chunk it
When trying to memorize phone numbers, you can break them down into smaller chunks that are easier to recall. Chunking is a method of organizing information based on commonalities and can be done through mnemonics, acronyms, acrostics, or whatever other strategies work best for you.
For example, if you’re shopping for ingredients to make cookies, you might create a word out of the first letters of each item to help you remember them (e.g., BENT). You could also use a picture or a memorable sound to jog your memory.
This method of organizing information can be used for all sorts of things – from remembering your grocery list to tackling the many tasks on your to-do list. By taking all the tasks you need to accomplish and putting them into ideal-sized groups that your mind can easily handle, chunking helps you achieve success in the long run.
Visualize it
You might think that choosing and ensuring that phone number formats are consistent throughout your CRM database is a minor issue. However, this type of data is used across departments and platforms in your company — it can be difficult to work with when it’s not formatted consistently.
The good news is that several ways to write a phone number exist. Choosing a format that meets your business needs and considers usability is best.
Other things to remember when deciding on a format include whether or not it supports international numbers and how you display them on your website. It is also important to speak with your teams and understand their workflows, daily processes, and challenges with a non-standardized format. This will help you make a sense decision for the entire organization.
Recite it
It’s not uncommon for businesses to have multiple phone numbers to represent different departments or services, allowing potential and current customers to reach the right team. However, having several phone numbers can make it difficult to manage them effectively.
Formatting your phone numbers correctly is vital to ensuring that you can collect and utilize them properly. This is why international phone number formatting standards like E.164 were created—so the software can recognize the international calling prefix, area code, and subscriber number in each country.
To help your children remember their phone number, suggest they recite it to themselves repeatedly. The repetition will help them commit it to memory. You can encourage them to turn the digits into a jingle or melody. This will make recalling easier because you can group the jingles like we do with family members’ phone numbers. It’s much easier to remember a single melody than small snippets of disconnected melodies.
Utilize Technology
In this digital age, leverage technology to aid in memorization. Save the business phone numbers in your contacts list, create voice recordings of the numbers, or use mnemonic apps that help you practice memorization techniques. Technology can be a handy tool to support your efforts to retain important contact information.
