When we speak of business, the concept of communication and communications often differ, but they both serve to achieve the same end goal of ensuring a business is running smoothly and efficiently. When we speak of communications, we speak of the methods in which staff communicate rather than the act itself. But communications are undoubtedly the most crucial aspect of any business that wants to succeed.
Take the Voice, Data And Mobile Services By Gamma that allows for effective communications in all areas of the business, from ensuring constant connectivity to the internet to cloud-based contact centres – it’s almost frightening what we can do with our communications systems these days.
What is communication in business?
Effectively, business communication concerns a constant flow of information within and outside of the company. Information very much serves as a catch-all term, with anything from sales figures to workflows to the sales themselves – all of it can be deemed information, and all of it is crucial to ensuring successful communication channels are in operation.
After all, we want to reduce errors and keep employees in the loop on every aspect relevant to them and their particular roles. One missed call or memo can have a butterfly effect elsewhere in the business if you are not careful about your communication channels.
The most vital aspect of any communicative set-up is ensuring it is goal-oriented. With effective communication methods, the likelihood of employees being on the same page increases significantly.
Is professional communication changing?
Traditionally considered a buttoned-up process, a new generation of workers may be helping change the face of professional communication. Where before, a shared lexicon of business speak helped bridge those generational divides, we’re in the midst of recruiting the first genuine employees who only know the digital landscape as it currently is.
The major divide between generations is the sense of misinterpretation between them. Younger employees may come across as casual or rude, whereas more senior employees may also come across as rude but for different reasons, with professional speech perhaps sounding cold to younger ears.
It’s rather sad and alarming that most employees still feel disconnected from their companies. Whether or not there is any correlation between the generational divides that seem to be growing further is unclear, but they certainly provide a significant challenge for businesses over the coming years and decades.
Beyond the office: resonating with the customer
Often how much we get from our technology hinges on whether or not it’s all working on any given day, as technology has advanced us professionally to unprecedented levels of efficiency. That said, when it fails, we often fail with it.
Measuring the effectiveness of communication is integral to any business process, and contrary to popular belief, this doesn’t just have to be about bombarding others with information. The focus must be on resonating above all else.
So while communication is a huge part of the process, it mustn’t be the only factor in the equation. Where one user may prefer to communicate by email, another may be happier doing so by phone call for instance. Finding that bespoke balance is key.