Everybody is different. When I visit the office sometimes, I do it to socialize and talk about things not related to work mainly. And then I get back to do the actual work. If I need to communicate with someone, I simply ask them for their time - they can get back to me whenever they are free. This system serves me and my coworkers well but it's obvious there are many people who prefer synchronous in-person communication for most tasks.
I don't prefer the in-person communication personally, but I know it's more productive for me, so I do it and end up preferring it. The same way I prefer clean code; it makes my and the companies life easier. Makes more money. I'm German, and it's painfully obvious.
