[dropcap]M[/dropcap]anagement of a company should always be looking for ways to improve processes like that of communication. The balance between thorough communication and wasting time needs to be created. Time wasting can occur with staff if they are sent materials irrelevant to their job role. A small thing that can be done is to have a department email that notifies each employee’s email involved in a particular type of job. Emails can distract many employees if it seems like it has an important subject line. Distribute information to those that need it. Do not send it to everyone as over-communicating can lead to a drop in production. The following will delve into the different tactics that management can implement in order to improve internal communication at a company.
No Option but to Use a CRM Platform to Communicate Internally
Quality internal communication when it comes to clients needs to be the focus of the client management team. Covering a subject or topic that another client manager spoke about with the client can make them not feel valued. Remembering each conversation due to what was discussed by simply noting it in the CRM platform can provide important assistance. The communications for a new client manager replacing a former employee will allow for a smooth transition if there are detailed notes.
But there are several other benefits of CRMs, too. In addition to building better, deeper relationships, you’re also able to improve productivity within the organization. Internal productivity is so important because low productivity and engagement end up costing your business in the long run. You can also spearhead your marketing efforts. For example, let’s say you wanted to create an email campaign for clients that are in a particular stage of your buyer journey. You can easily pull the reports for the clients in that stage to target that group. With segmentation, your emails are even more likely to convert.
Skype Can be a Perfect Platform to Communicate for Staff
Skype or other instant messaging platforms can be a great quick way for staff to communicate. The one aspect to beware of is that of staff chatting about subjects completely unrelated to their jobs. Taking a look at chat logs for those performing poorly could clarify the reason as the employee could be distracted chatting. The ability to put up statuses can also allow staff to see why their managers might not have answered an email. Encourage staff to set statuses when they do not want to be bothered with a message. Email in these situations can be viewed after the staff member completes the task at hand. Set policies about usage of Skype if abuse of the communication platform becomes too rampant.
Other communication tools like Slack are also great for internal communication. With Slack, you can create “rooms” for different departments, integration applications like GitHub, HubSpot, and Mailchimp. This way, your employees will be able to quickly see updates across a variety of platforms and communication is streamlined. Test out various communication tools to see what works for you.
Contractors/Freelancers Need to be Directed Clearly
Freelancers can be incredibly helpful for a company to help scale projects of all kinds. Communication with these freelancers should be done as clearly as possible. Video sharing platforms can allow for direct face to face questions. Screen sharing can allow for detailed walkthroughs of processes. The right project management platform can consolidate all freelancer communication with the company. With platforms like Google Docs, it can be quite easy to collaborate on documents like spreadsheets or to edit written work. While these people are not technically considered staff, they play an integral role in the production of work at the company. The communication between freelancers and companies needs to be a high priority. Quality communication allows a company to reap the true potential benefits of using these contractors.
Recap Emails After Meetings
Employees that fail to take notes during a meeting could have a far different takeaway then those diligently listening. Sending recap emails after meetings is a great way to improve communication and make the meaning of a meeting clear. These emails can also be quite useful for those employees that might be out sick or are taking vacation days. Questions being answered can also be valuable as management might see that a point hadn’t been made clear. If there is a presentation available then sending this out can also be a huge help. Notes that were printed up for the presentation being sent out will also be important for staff that missed the presentation.
Email Communication Training
The ability to make sure everyone understands what an email requires of them is imperative. The spacing in the email and directing the section to someone by saying @Karen can make a huge difference. Staff will not have to wonder what they have to do in regards to the email. For those managing large teams or projects, there is a need to communicate clearly. Deadlines can be missed due to miscommunication on a single email if a project management platform is not being utilized. A training once a month for an hour to help improve this can make a large difference in the quality of communication via email.
Make Collaboration Easy
An entire group of employees being able to work on a spreadsheet at one time can allow for the fast completion of a task. Assigning out work is far easier this way with the entire team able to see the progress of others on the team. Utilize the cloud to allow everyone to work on one document or project at once. Being able to leave notes here can also provide more clarity in real-time.
Improving communication internally can improve the quality of service/product clients receive. Taking a look at the overall communication system when incorporated into workflow is important. Tweaking one aspect at a time can allow for the perfect communication system to be established. Watch collaboration and production hit incredible numbers in comparison to the past!
