Businesses use communication channels to send information and receive feedback from one person or group to another. Businesses use text messages, radio, video, phone calls, and social media to reach their consumers.
These channels also ensure the efficient flow of information between employees, improving the decision-making process and productivity. A breakdown in these channels can cause disruption in the affairs of the company and misinformation among customers or employees.
Types of Communication
1. Formal Communication
Formal communication is the official exchange of information and involves engaging formal communication channels in the workplace. It follows a procedure and is passed from the top hierarchy to the different departments and other staff. Cross team communication can also be achieved through the use of dedicated tools, like ERP and MRP software.
The flow is deliberate and controlled to avoid any hindrance from reaching its destination. Formal communication may include team meetings and quarterly or annual meetings requested by the management. Other examples are zoom calls, video conferencing, and emails. Companies can also make an app for workplace communication, as with mobile apps, employees can instantly communicate with each other and exchange work-related information with one click.
Messages may be communicated orally, such as daily work, while issues like policy matters are documented. A presentation containing new policies and procedures from the human resources department is an example of formal communication. In addition, formal communication in the workplace may also involve the use of PowerPoint templates to create visually appealing and organized presentations for conveying important information to employees or stakeholders.
2. Informal Communication
Informal communication is an unofficial exchange amongst employees in a workplace. It may include discussing last night's game or asking questions during lunch breaks. It is casual and doesn't require the usual hierarchy associated with the formal type.
Workplaces must have communication like this as it boosts employee morale and is ideal for resolving disputes between staff and management.
It helps to build good working relationships amongst colleagues and encourages the feeling of association. There is no structure required for passing information in this setting.
3. Unofficial Communication
This communication is not usually work-related; employees can crack jokes, jest about politics or movies, and hang out after working hours. Getting together in this fashion helps them understand their colleagues outside of the workplace, helping them foster relationships and collaborate at work.
Types of communication channels for Businesses
4. Face-to-Face Communication
Businesses adapted to the pandemic's challenge by using tools that enable face-to-face communication. These tools allow people from around the globe to participate in meetings. Hundreds of people can be part of a meeting without being physically present.
In industries such as healthcare, professionals use it to attend to patients and offer treatment remotely. You can use face-to-face communication to hold teammates' discussions and convey information on strategic decisions taken.
Tools for Face-to-face Communication
a. Zoom
b. Microsoft teams
c. Bluejeans
Communication Tools
1. Phone Calls
You can use phone calls to send urgent messages and get immediate replies. It is very convenient, especially when the communication does not require visuals.
People can leave voice messages if they do not get a response at the other end. With large carriers retiring traditional copper wire systems systems, having a reliable and affordable phone service can be challenging for businesses.
Suggested Tool: Community Phone, the best wireless business landline service provider, is the answer to the predicament that faces businesses.
2. Text Messages
You can send SMSes to communicate urgent messages to your employees or loved ones without using the internet. There's also no need to log into an app or open a browser to check the message.
You can also retain a record of such messages for reference purposes and accountability. While text messages do not distract recipients, they are personal and should only be used during urgent circumstances.
Business SMSes may be sent to teammates away from their desks or to check in on the level a project has reached and to send in last-minute demands.
Suggested Tool: Community Phone with its landline texting feature, where you can text any number from your business landline.
3. Emails
Email is one of the most popular channels of written communication for businesses. They can quickly be composed with the use of ready made email marketing templates and leave a trail that can always be referred to.
Employees are flooded with numerous emails every day, so it's easy for urgent messages to get lost without being replied to. Emails are ideal for sending confidential messages or keeping a record of communications. If you choose to use emails, there are some additional steps to take such as getting a DMARC checker to ensure proper email delivery and authentication.
Essential documents, as well as images and large files, can be sent and retrieved at times when emails are used, making it the best option to send confidential files to employees simultaneously.
4. Social Media
If you have customers on social media, you should explore social media channels such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, and others to attract customers to your business online.
You can get feedback and build a vast customer base through this medium. Employees can chat and send updates easily and communicate with each other, inquire about your product, exposing your business to people outside your location.
You can also have millions of followers and fans on this channel. Their likes and comments help to promote your business and expand your influence. By using an Instagram follower tracker, you can easily monitor your audience growth and engagement patterns to fine-tune your marketing strategy.
5. Written Communication
A clear, concise, and well-written message enhances information flow and improves work efficiency. When your company's memo is easy to understand, achieving aims and goals becomes easier. So, a well-written message helps you convey your message and make communication easier.
Best Communication Tools for Businesses
1. Community Phone
Community Phone is a reliable, simple, tested, and trusted landline phone service provider that does not need internet or copper connections to work.
They offer a wide range of services for both home and business owners. Community phone is trusted by more than 5000+ homes and business brands like KFC, Wells, Dunklin Donuts, Fargo, Starbucks, and many more.
They provide easy-to-operate landline phone services, which enable you to reach people and create connections with family and friends. Staying in touch with loved ones or customers helps to build solid and long-lasting relationships.
Community Phone Features
a) Call Routing
Ensure you don't miss customer calls with Community Phone's call routing feature. Have multiple phones in your business ring at once to allow any available representative. Or, program your phone to ring a second number if the first one is busy or doesn't answer.
b) Call Forwarding
If you are a startup and manage customer communication, you can take advantage of the Community Phone call-forwarding feature. You don't have to invest in a landline base, but opt for a call forward or transfer option and get a number from Community Phone.
Community Phone will transfer calls to a cell number you already have, or you can buy a cell phone number from them.
c) Custom Dial Menu
You can program the Community Phone multilevel auto-attendant, available with the Community Phone custom-dial menu, to route calls, share important information, offers, and discounts, or route to voicemail to ensure you do not miss a single customer's call.
d) Voicemail-to-email
Voicemail-to-email is a feature that delivers voicemail audio files directly to your email. A new voicemail message will trigger an email notification showing the audio file in a .wav format. You can also forward the voicemail messages from your email to the appropriate person to ensure an apt response.
Why Should You Choose Community Phone for Your Business?
1. Unlimited Text
Bank on the successful open rate of text messages - 99% to send offers, discounts, promotions, or launch marketing campaigns with the Community Phone landline-texting feature.
This unique feature understands the importance of personalized communication over bulk impersonal messages and allows you to personalize your messages to your customers.
2. Unlimited Nationwide Calls
Contact customers, collect feedback, and measure the pulse and effectiveness of your marketing campaigns through unlimited minutes from Community Phone.
Embrace remote or hybrid culture with the various calling features from Community Phone and collaborate with employees working from home.
3. No Internet Required
Community Phone combines the best of the landline, wireless, and VoIP worlds with its wireless landline service. The landline base connects your business phone to cell towers in your area, rendering internet and copper connections useless.
4. Easy Installation
Installing the DIY landline base takes under 30-seconds. Connect the landline base to a power outlet, and hook your phone to the landline base and you are all set!
5. Excellent Customer Support
You can contact the 24/7 reliable Community Phone customer care to speak to a real rep, not a bot, and have your questions and concerns addressed.
2. Slack
Slack is an app used for messaging and sharing information. It is a fast and well-organized tool that helps the team to communicate and work together to achieve a common goal. It is used to boost the way organizations relate and communicate.
Features
1. Unlimited Messages: You can reach out to your team via slack's unlimited messaging.
2. Voice and Video Calls: You can call and make video calls with your team using the slack app.
3. Set reminders: With the set reminder icon, you get notifications about scheduled meetings and a to-do list.
4. Makes Work Easier: You can build a strong team with effective communication.
Free Version Available
1. Access to the last 90-days' searchable messages.
2. Create public or private channels for your team
3. You can connect with other apps
4. Get unlimited access to the message history
5. Collaboration with other teams within slack.
3. Microsoft Teams
With Microsoft teams, businesses meet, collaborate, and chat from any location. It is an app that boosts team communication through live video or voice calls. Once a meeting is scheduled, team members can join from wherever they are.
Features
1. You can have unlimited group meetings -lectures or presentations, for up to 30 hours.
2. Up to 300 participants can attend the meeting.
3. 10GB storage for one person
4. Web and phone support.
4. Zoom
An online video conferencing app allows you to view the face of team members via virtual meetings. You can also view and download virtual meeting videos for future purposes.
Features
1. Can take more than 300 participants
2. Group Chat and File Sharing are allowed.
3. Unlimited Whiteboard
4. 5GB cloud storage available.
5. You get access to the meeting with 100 participants, 3 whiteboards, and teamwork with the free version.
5. Trello
Trello is a project management platform. It is a visual tool that empowers your team to manage information, increase efficiency and track task development.
Features
1. Unlimited Cards: This helps your team to get work done easier.
2. Mobile Device Management: You can integrate tasks through automation.
3. Unlimited Boards: You can view your project from different angles using boards
4. Trello Templates: Use your favorite tools to enhance your team's productivity.
6. Asana
Asana is a project management platform that helps you build plans, organize tasks, and meet deadlines. You can use it in marketing, operations, leadership, and product management.
Features
1. Timeline: You can build a well-detailed chart in a few minutes
2. View projects: You can access and view your tasks using boards
3. Boards: this helps you to pin, track and integrate your projects
4. App Synchronization: You can sync your desktop and mobile apps with the platform.
5. Free access to unlimited messages and calls, storage up to 100Mb/file, and working with about 15 team members.
7. Krisp.ai
Krisp.ai is an online meeting platform that allows you to meet with your team without distractions. It eliminates background noise making it easy to hear the voice notes.
Features
1. Noise Cancellation: It cancels any form of noise that interferes with your video calls
2. Echo Cancellation: Echo that is produced by the network or environment is eliminated
3. Background Voice Cancellation: you do not have to worry about a noisy environment.
4. You can access noise cancellation, Echo canceling, Battery saver, and HD Voice.
5. You can access the following - Unlimited user management, Central billing - Two devices for one user.
8. Jive
This communication portal helps your team collaborate and interact as they carry out your day-to-day operations. It synchronizes various activities to meet business goals.
Features
1. Cooperation among team members: It makes collaboration and teamwork easy
2. Communicate and connect with your team to ensure maximum productivity.
3. 100+ users can use it
4. Custom pricing available
5. A free trial is available (No Credit Card required)
9. Bluejeans
Bluejeans by Verizon is a cloud-based video communication platform that helps to boost communication and connectivity among team members. It provides mobility built to serve business needs with 5G and effective data management.
Features
1. Quick Access: You need not download the app before working with it. An internet connection will do.
2. Schedule with One Click: You can enjoy unlimited service and quick response with just a click.
3. 5G innovations: It has a 5G wideband, allowing you to connect to the internet faster than ever before.
4. You can use a Verizon smartphone or your device.
5. Gives you access to 5+ lines
10. Bloomfire
Bloomfire is a knowledge management platform that helps to grow collective intelligence. It makes knowledge about your company accessible to the employees in shared files, desktops, and email inboxes. It helps unveil hidden potential in team members for the organization's benefit.
Features
1. Shared drives: it stores documents, files, memos, contracts, and other information on the drive, which can be accessed by team members anytime.
2. Shared emails: Grants access to email inboxes with important information for collective organization growth.
3. Easy access to the proper knowledge: You can quickly access the right knowledge without the stress of looking for paper file documents.
4. Integrate knowledge for team use: it curates the organization's collective information for team use.
5. Flexible pricing: There's no custom price. It depends on your needs.
Conclusion
Using the best communication channels can ensure seamless communication in a business. Switch to Community Phone to enable clear communication and to enjoy VoIP-like features, the reliability of a landline, and freedom of wireless access in one.