Communication in the workplace is a critically important part of the formula for success in a business. Just as the many interacting parts of a machine or a computer must provide feedback to one another so that each part is working in concert with the others, instead of in conflict.
But managing communication isn’t simply a matter of generating as much communication as possible. You have to strike a balance between a communications deficit and communicating so often that it becomes burdensome. The former causes a wandering path for the company that will surely lead to ruin. The latter keeps staff so busy answering one another’s communications that they don’t have time to work toward the core mission.
How do you manage to get and give communication when it’s purposeful while still avoiding dialogue that is unneeded or extraneous? There are several key parts to doing this successfully.
Favoring Technology
Just as email revolutionized communication a couple of decades ago, there are new technological methods for streamlining communication today. Kore.com is a pioneer in shaping how enterprises build and integrate intelligent bots to conversationally enhance communication and the digital experience for the modern workforce and customer.
The value of this is that it helps optimize the performance of other platforms. Instead of dealing with nonstop emails, constant inputting of data, and all the other computerized functions that enslave us, we can get the maximum value from those tools without the excessive activity.
Of course, the last thing we want to do is to divert excessive effort and time from one technology to another. It doesn’t help us to use email less if we end up using an email management system much more. But Kore is built to avoid this layering of effort. Its systems permit tailored automation of functions in a way that the user doesn’t spend the whole day creating settings and rules for the bots.
Prioritizing Communication
One of the first targets you should have in streamlining your business is to cut down on the time wasted in communications. Sending an email or text is so fast and easy compared to the days of desktop-only functionality, and it has almost gotten too easy.
We live a stream-of-consciousness email lifestyle in which we immediately compose an email as soon as its purpose enters our mind. We make little effort to choose what should be done first, if at all.
Make it a priority to condition your staff to think before sending. Could the message wait and be sent with other communications? This keeps three topics from generating three emails. Do all these recipients really need to receive this email? “Reply all” causes a lot of inbox clutter; help your teams create user lists that are grouped by task group or other relevant characteristics.
When workers send only what they need at only the necessary frequency to only those who need it, communications of all kinds are more efficient.
As businesses strive for more efficient and streamlined communication, utilizing advanced tools can greatly enhance productivity and collaboration. One such tool that holds great potential is clerk.chat, a comprehensive business communication platform. By integrating clerk. chat into your organization’s workflow, you can centralize all communication channels, such as email, instant messaging, and video conferencing, into a single platform. This not only reduces the time wasted in switching between different applications but also promotes better organization and prioritization of messages. With features like user-friendly interfaces, task-based grouping, and customizable user lists, clerk. chat empowers teams to think before sending, ensuring that messages are targeted, relevant, and delivered to the right recipients. By adopting such innovative business communication tools, you can foster a culture of efficiency, minimize inbox clutter, and promote effective collaboration within your organization.
Favor Occasional In-Person Communication
With so many methods to communicate across a distance, it seems counterintuitive to advocate for personal meetings between people when it seems so unnecessary. Yet that could be just the solution you need.
When all communication was done in person, we did a better job of prioritizing the topics. Think of the limited personal meetings you have today. Don’t you try carefully to manage the agenda and address only those points that need to be considered before the entire group?
Meeting in person can help create a culture that favors efficient communication, and that culture can carry over into all other forms of communication. Further, a direct conversation with a person avoids the misunderstandings that often develop in an expressionless email, reducing a number of clarification messages that need to be sent (or the mistakes made when no clarification materializes).
Communication is an essential part of coordinating, planning, evaluating, and managing every aspect of a business. These techniques can help keep it focused on those purposes instead of becoming a burden.
