A new study demonstrates the increasing preference in offices for email rather than the telephone.

The growing importance of computing in the world of work has been illustrated by the rise of IT helpdesk support and outsourcing, and it now appears that businesses would rather use Microsoft Outlook or other email applications than the traditional telephony medium.

Rob Lopez, the managing director of the firm that conducted the study, Dimension Data, commented: "In today's corporate environment there is a myriad of communications tools available including desktop telephony, mobile telephony and email, among others.

"However, our research indicates that end-users prefer to communicate using electronic media rather than voice services such as telephony."

The report uncovered certain problems with emailing, such as email communication being potentially less secure. However, more than 70 per cent of the end-users polled in the survey said that emailing impacts positively on their productivity. This compared to 53 per cent who said the same about fixed-line telephony, and 52 per cent for mobile phoning.

Meanwhile a study by consulting firm Brockmann & Company found that enabling mobile email at companies could result in 55 per cent higher employee satisfaction and 21 per cent higher customer satisfaction.