From the colleague at the next desk to a department head at an overseas office, communication needs to be effective, and a good experience for all involved.
Lack of communication or inadequate communication is a key factor in workplace failures. Surveys of US workers by The Economist Intelligence Unit show that 60% of employees believe that cross-department communications in their workplace are inadequate and result in a range of adverse consequences such as lowered morale, loss of sales, delayed projects, and missed performance goals.
Miscommunication or a lack of communication is frustrating and can take many forms. Workers cite a lack of effective communication of instructions and a failure of collaborative methods as major factors in reducing productivity.
So, how do you boost internal communications within your business? How do you ensure that all your employees are communicating effectively? From the colleague at the next desk to a department head at an overseas office, communication needs to be thorough, effective, and a good experience for all involved. Here are some suggestions…
Ensure accessibility – avoid the silo phenomenon
While we do live in a world where it’s easy to communicate with people located all over the world, the most effective communication happens when people are in close proximity. Take a look at your working environment and a closer look at the teams working within that environment. How easy is it to collaborate? Are there pleasant mutual spaces to gather? Or is the team located across several disparate cubicles, making even a short chat uncomfortable and inconvenient? A simple redesign of the office space can hugely improve collaborative communication.
Proactively encourage team interactions
By encouraging both work and social interaction, you create a bond between employees. When people know each other, communication flows more easily. Organise team lunches and out-of-hours social events. Encourage remote team members to use video chat methods, so they can see as well as hear the other members of their team. Be sure to promote face-to-face meetings as a way to encourage positive communication.
Make sure the whole is greater than the sum of its parts
In essence, put forward the concept of the goals of the company, the goals that each department is aiming towards. While department-level goals and achievements are important, it is the overall company goals that everyone, regardless of team or department, is moving towards. Feeling a sense of belonging to the greater overall system can help individual departments feel they are working together with purpose.
Be sure to use good communication and sharing tools
There’s a wealth of software out there that can really help teams to work well together. From file sharing and project management tools, to video conferencing options. Regularly assess the products used, make sure employees are fully trained to get the most out of the tools used, and most importantly, ensure they are happy using them. Communication is never going to go well if your staff dislike the communication software they’ve been told to use.
Implement powerful collaboration software
Keeping everyone on the same page, with ease of communication, can often be hugely helped by implementing a great collaborative suite of software such as the popular, award-winning CRM Slack Connect part of the Salesforce solution. Slack connects people, automation and apps in one space for faster and more flexible work, empowering everyone in your organization to see and act on customer insights.
NetU is a long term top Salesforce partner and can provide all businesses with the perfect solution, smoothly implemented. For more information regarding Slack and Salesforce and how it could benefit your business, our expert team of consultants is ready and waiting to guide you through the process and answer all your questions. Just contact us or find out more via our website.