With the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses had to change their modes of communication rapidly. Routine staff meetings got replaced by Zoom calls, office work turned into a remote job straight from the bed, and the important files came to life in shared drives or work folders.
The time of pandemic proved that one of the biggest strengths of any business is its flexibility and ability to quickly adapt to changing circumstances. Moreover, the situation also showed that, if planned right, successful business communication can do any small business a fast developing and growing one.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that in 2021 many companies decided to improve their business communication, in order to be prepared for the unexpected and provide high-quality services keeping up with the times. If you, too, are wondering how to improve your business communication in 2021, follow our guide:
Find the Right Software
The easiest way to improve business communication both with staff and customers is to establish a sound platform or app. The business communication apps such as Weave will help you keep track of the work hours of your staff, ensure storage of important information in one place, and allow you flexible payment options. Furthermore, you will be able to identify the working place of your employees in real-time and manage this information to reduce costs. Here are the three things you should look for in communication software:
- Security: Your business communication platform should be safe so that your customers can be confident in your brand. Luckily, business communication apps are encrypted through the latest technology.
- Complete suite: Make sure you get nothing less than a complete set of features for your communication experience. Some of the important features to look out for include safety systems, cloud storage, and communication tools.
- Cost-effectiveness: The right business communication app will help you cut costs when it comes to maintenance of several systems and ensuring the information is safe and secure.
Adjust Norms and Rules
As a CEO, you should develop new management strategies and tools focused on keeping your staff engaged and productive during a new mode of work. The new policies have to fit the new environment of work, whether it’s a platform, social media, or interactive courses. A new platform usually needs new policies, practices, and strategies to ensure a successful long-term operation.
Your employees will need adequate training in order to cope with the ever-changing conditions of the work environment. The nature of training must be flexible enough to meet the needs of high-skilled workers, low-skilled workers, freelancers, and contractors.
In the case of high-skilled workers and freelancers alike, informal learning should be prioritized over formal training to avoid distracting them from their tasks. On the other hand, low skilled workers might require additional training to help them gain some skills that allow them to transition to high-skilled positions or contract work. In addition to this, there should be continuous monitoring of their performances by the company.
Stay Flexible
Improving business communication of your company goes hand in hand with improving your own communication strategies. Every change in the firm should start from you, so try being a good example and work on your empathy, understanding, and your own flexibility. In 2021 it’s more important than ever for customers to be heard and supported.
As the CEO, you should be the first to listen and identify trends, as this will help you better understand your customers and improve the communication methods. This will also make your clients more loyal, prepared to pay more for the product and services you have to offer.
Being able to adapt to drastic changes is a huge asset to the business. If you’re willing to add value to your customers and employees, they will stay loyal, and in the near future, well-loved companies will flourish.
Consider your own communication. Do you want to stick to the long, proud tradition of plain text emails, or are you willing to experiment with more colorful ways of engaging with your workers and clients? Blend your daily life with technology and open new channels of contact with people from all over the world to change the traditional way of workplace communication.
Final Thoughts
Revitalizing your business communication methods in the post-pandemic world is absolutely crucial for the future success of your company. Although it is looking increasingly likely that humanity will weather the storm and come out on the other side of this crisis stronger than ever, some practices that we’ve adopted during the COVID-19 era are here to stay.
Things like remote work and various software implementations are not going anywhere, and you need to be ready to adapt to them. Keep in mind, though, that while these new digital means of communication are great and can help bridge many gaps, it’s important not to lose the “human touch” in day-to-day business interactions. As with everything else in life, maintaining the right balance is incredibly important.
