The face of small business communication is constantly changing, thanks to evolving technology. This means that new tools of communication are always being introduced in the market, with the main aim of making it easier for employers to communicate with their employees and clients. Since good communication is the cornerstone of building effective interpersonal relationships, it is important for you to embrace more effective tools of communication. Here are some of the top communication tools you can use in your small business.
Text messages
SMS is no longer just for teenagers. You can use text messaging to get feedback among employees. Since it is cheap and most people read their text messages, this is a great way to get heard and ensure that your employees also have a voice. You can also use it as an emergency backup tool for those times when calls are not going through. When employees feel that their point of view is being taken into consideration in the business, their morale and productivity will go up.
SMS is a fast method of communication that gives employees the freedom to respond to messages whenever they want. It can also be used as a point of reference afterwards.
Meet online
It is not always possible for you to be physically present with all your employees at the same time, especially when you are in different countries and in different time zones. When you can’t meet in person, organize for an international conference call. There are different service providers who offer this service. A good audio conferencing providing will support clear voice communication. This is a secure, reliable and affordable way to stay in touch with your employees.
Collaborative working space
Groups working on projects together will need a collaborative workspace with messaging and chat service enabled. This makes it possible for everyone involved in the project to keep tabs about what is going on. Teams will be more effective and can easily provide project updates to team managers. This will especially come in handy when team members are spread across wide geographical regions.
It will also be possible for team members to share files and to find old conversations that they might want to refer to.
Mobile Apps
Mobile apps can be used to provide quick access to company information. This can be easily accessed by employees when they are working remotely or even when they are away on a business trip. Being able to access important data whenever they need it will boost the efficiency of employees.
Employees will be able to access the information using different devices. This enhances communication with employees and increases job satisfaction.
Company blog, audios and videos
Exciting content has a way of gaining people’s attention. You will be able to gain traction and get engagement from your employees. You can post infographics, so as to explain how different processes in the company work. You can also post tutorials, behind the scenes videos from management and audio messages from management. These are great ways to communicate easily to other people.
An internal blog that is only accessible to employees is also a great way for employees to share ideas and experiences in an informal manner. This helps to promote open sharing and collaboration among employees. Some workers will be much freer to speak in a virtual environment than in a face to face setting.
Intranets
An intranet is a social space that can only be accessed by authorized users. It’s majorly used for internal communication within the company. This is a great way to keep everyone updated about what is going on in the company.