One of the crucial lessons good business owners and managers figure out early is the importance of communication. Without good communication, employees can misunderstand everything from instructions for tasks to the company vision. Poor communication can also leave employees feeling disconnected from the company, its culture, and its mission.
That can drive low employee engagement, which is a precursor to employees leaving for other opportunities. Of course, face-to-face communication isn’t practical all the time. That means your business needs good communication solutions.
If you want to keep your communication top-shelf, keep reading for the top five communication solutions you need.
1. Phone System
Phone communication is one of the beating hearts of business. You likely do everything from set up lunches and give basic instruction to formulate business deals over the phone. At a bare minimum, you need a business phone system in place.
Of course, modern technology makes that much easier courtesy of VoIP services, which can often take the place of a PBX installation.
2. Video Calling
With so many people still working remotely, conference calls are somewhat passé. You need modern digital communication solution that helps replicate the face-to-face communication experience. Video call service options include:
Zoom
Microsoft Teams
Google Meet
GoToMeeting
These systems let you run video conferences that can stand in for in-person meetings.
3. Chat Software
Not every piece of communication requires verbal communication. Stopping work to make a call or go to someone’s office for a question that doesn’t need an immediate answer is bad for productivity.
Chat software lets your employees engage in asynchronous communication that limits the disruption to their work. Popular options include Slack, Cisco Webex, and Google Chat.
You should look for some buy-in from the people in your company. If half your employees already use something like Slack informally, pushing for an alternative can create lead to unwanted pushback.
4. Grammar Checker
Nothing makes people roll their eyes over written communication like typos and grammar errors. While it’s less of a big deal for internal emails, company-wide communication and external written communication should go out as error-free as possible. You should employ a good grammar checker, such as Grammarly, Hemingway App, or Pro Writing Aid.
5. File Sharing
File sharing makes communication easier if you need input from multiple parties on, for example, a document. You should have a file-sharing tool in place, such as Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox.
Communication Solutions for Your Business
When it comes to communication solutions for your business, always focus on your most immediate needs. If you don’t have people working remotely, video conferencing software is a secondary concern. If you have people constantly leaving their desks for non-time-critical questions, chat software should become a priority.
Phone systems are non-negotiable, though. They play too important a role in both internal and external communications. You need something in place as soon as possible.
Looking for more tips on managing your business tech and communications? Check out some of the other posts over in our Business and Technology sections. You’ll learn more about topics such as cyber security and IGA. All of which you can’t afford to be ignorant of.
