Communication is essential for any business if it wants to survive. But how do businesses communicate effectively and what are the best methods of communication? Most experts agree that messaging platforms and video call software are the best modes of communication for businesses, but there are many more than just them.
If you are a business owner and have found that your business’s internal and external communication is lacking, then it’s time to make some improvements. This article will tell you everything that you need to know about improving your means of communication:
VoIP Services
VoIP (Voice over IP) is an alternative to traditional wired telephone services. Instead of using a telephone that’s connected to the wall, VoIP phones connect directly to the internet. According to the VoIP experts from Global SIP Trunking, VoIP phones allow you to make and take calls from anywhere in the world, which will drastically improve your business’s communication. VoIP systems are more scalable, have more features, are more affordable, are much more flexible, and are easier for technicians to fix, making them a much better option than legacy phone systems. The efficiency of VoIP services will significantly improve your business’s communication.
Video Call
Video calls are also a very effective method of improving your business’s internal and external communication. Video calls work best for internal meetings because they give you the opportunity to look at the faces of your staff – and if they are working remotely – determine whether or not they are actually working or are just sitting around wasting their time. Video calls are also effective for conducting meetings with other businesses with whom you are networking or intend upon doing business. Video calls are a very easy alternative to meeting in person, which is great considering COVID-19 and social distancing restrictions.
Instant Messaging
Instant messaging also works well for internal communication. Instead of having to call your staff individually, you can speak to them all collectively in a team group chat. You can also, of course, message them directly. One of the advantages to instant messaging is that it is usually a feature of many video call programmes, so as long as you have video call software (like MS Teams) being used by your team, they will be able to message you directly, call you, and stay in touch with you. Companies can rent iPhones for their workers and set up a system within the devices that allows employees to communicate with each other through instant messaging. It’s best used for internal matters, however. You can’t expect clients or potential investors to download and use your business’s internal messaging software.
Online Forums
You may also want to use online forums, again for internal matters. An internal forum allows you to post bulletins for all of your staff to check out, as well as notifications, and discussion topics. One of the advantages of forums is that your staff can interact anonymously, without revealing their names. This gives them the opportunity to provide more accurate and truthful feedback, without having to worry about being judged or punished for their opinions. With that said, the website’s owner will of course know who is who, because they will have to verify each staff member’s account. This will ensure that your staff do not deviate from work-related subjects nor do they talk about things that are irrelevant or inappropriate.
Regular Emails
If you want to improve communication within your business then you need to make sure that you send regular emails to your staff. Regular emails are a great way to keep in touch. The best part about emails is that your staff can check them out of hours, which allows them to update you with tasks long after the working day has finished. With that said, you should not encourage your staff to message you after the working day has finished, because it is their private time. They have the option to, which is all that matters. If they do take their work very seriously then you will notice this because they will be in touch after work has finished for the day.
Fast Internet
If you want to use any of the services that have been mentioned in this article, then you need to go out of your way to ensure that you have fast internet services supplying your business. Without fast internet, there is absolutely no way that any of the things previously mentioned can be achieved. If your staff are working from home, then they also need to have fast internet. You can provide this to them by sending them a dongle.
Running a business isn’t easy. The most effective way of running a business is to improve its internal and external communication. Business experts all agree that a business without proper communication skills is a business that’s doomed to fail.