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What is Business Communication? Complete Guide & Best Practices

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Table Of Contents:

1. What is Business Communication?

2. The importance of business communication

3. Types of Business Communication

4. Methods of Business Communication

5. Why Business Communication Is Essential For business Success

1. What is Business Communication?

  • Communication is a major part of any business, and it's something that needs to be taken seriously. Organizations and teams are made up of people who need to communicate with each other in order to do their jobs. It allows us to connect with our partners, employees, customers, and others. Business communication is the way in which we share ideas and messages with both internal and external audiences. Communication can be formal or informal (face-to-face or telephone conversations, team meetings, etc.).

2. The importance of business communication

  • Communication is key to any successful business relationship. It's especially important in the business world where communication between clients, employees, and partnerships can be developed or blown away in an instant.
  • Many business owners and scholars agree that being able to communicate well is the most important skill in any profession. Just think back to when you first started at your company. Would you have gotten that job if you didn't have professional communication skills?
  • As globalization continues to have impacts across every industry, communication skills are becoming more and more important. This not only helps streamline workflows and avoid overworking employees, but it also helps them maintain better sleeping habits and make sound decisions. A rested employee is a productive worker!

3. Types of Business Communication

  • First, let's take a closer look at common types of business communication.
Upward Communication
  • Internal communication is the form of communication that moves up the chain. This might be employees giving feedback to their team leaders, peer reviews, or employee engagement surveys; it's all about showing how well your business is supporting them. With the right communication processes, you can gain insight into how projects and strategies are progressing.
Downward Communication
  • A company's communication methods are extensive, but downward communication is just as important. It can be used to inform people about new procedures or processes or to communicate the outcome of managerial decision-making meetings that affect employees. With downward communication, everyone on your team will know what's going on and know what they're working toward.
Lateral Communication
  • One of the most common forms of internal business communications is lateral communication - the flow of information between team members and departments. This type of channel facilitates a company's ability to create an open work environment, where everyone who needs to know what is happening in your business can see it. Internal communication allows marketing, sales, and public relations teams to be informed about each other's activities so that they don't operate as isolated departments.
External Communication
  • External communication is a significant part of business communication when engaging with customers or clients. This type of communication isn't bound by the usual business process or held to a set deadline. You can do it in line with your timeframe and needs—sometimes in person or online. When you maintain these lines of communication, it'll benefit your business.
4. Methods of Business Communication
  • The web-based communication channel, which uses apps and software like email and instant messaging, is facilitated by tools like Slack. These send messages from one computer to any number of people through team messaging without interrupting their workflow or that of those around them. The web-based communication channel doesn't rely on being in the same physical space, making it ideal for connecting with remote workers or clients.
VoIP Phone System
Telephone Meetings
  • If you need to have a conversation with someone, but you're not able to meet up in person, phone calls are a great solution. VoIP services can create a secure connection that will hold up under signal interruptions, so you can get right to the point regardless of what happens. Phone conversations work well for short interactions with individual team members, and they can be recorded if necessary.
Video Connections
  • Video conferencing has become a common type of business communication with remote workers and clients. They provide an alternative to face-to-face meetings when that isn't possible and allow participants to connect from multiple locations or time zones. Unfortunately, the flow of conversation is still limited without social cues. However, setting out video conferencing etiquette rules before hosting any video meetings will help the communiqué process.
Reports and Documents
  • Poor record keeping can lead to inconsistent communication. With a system for tracking and storing your documents, you can remain compliant with regulations, share important information with all team members, and remain efficient.
5. Why Superior Business Communication is Essential For Your Company's Success
Boost your employee engagement
  • When employees involve themselves in redundant conversations and struggle to figure out the answer to a question on their own, the frustration begins to set in. Good communication skills can help circumvent this issue. Clear communication structures are important for fostering relationships between employees and maintaining a sense of teamwork within the company.
Improves Interdepartmental Communications
  • Lateral communication can be difficult without the right processes in place to facilitate it. However, when you want your business to work well together, interdepartmental communication is essential. Using forums, reports, and web-based communications can create common sources of knowledge and prevent silos from building up. That's why this type of communication is necessary for any successful and cohesive company.
Increase Employee Productivity
  • Effective communication makes it easy for employees to find what they need quickly and hold productive meetings, rather than wasting time engaging in unnecessary admin. It also enables employees to get help quickly with questions, by asking the right questions to the right people through their channels. This means more time is freed up for projects and campaigns that deserve attention, which in turn means less annoying admin can be done.
Improves Communication With Remote Workers
  • According to the Society for Human Resource Management, about three in ten employees (or 38% of them) have telecommunicating via cloud telephony over the past two decades. For businesses to effectively communicate with employees who work remotely, they should implement effective communication channels. These channels will help ensure that remote employees can contribute to problem-solving even if they don't go into an office everyday of the week.
Enhances customer service
  • Communication is an important aspect of any business. When there's bad communication, employees in customer-facing roles may not have the information they need. This can create a frustrating experience for the customer. As one study demonstrated, improving employee attitudes can translate to customer satisfaction and an increase in revenue.
  • TeleCMI’s cloud-based business phone system software organizes your team’s communication, making it easier for everyone to stay in touch. Your employees can chat with each other or use our built-in VoIP phone system, which will be right at their fingertips on devices like smartphones, tablets, and laptops. It presents all of your communication options in one place so you don't need to get frustrated flipping between screens. This tool will make life at work easier and help bring all your communication into a single view.
  • Talk to us today, and our specialists will show you how we can simplify the way you communicate with your customers.

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