Effective communication skills are one of the most overlooked aspects of management and leadership. Many managers don’t realize how effective communication can play a critical role in the success or failure of a project. Not only is communication important for making your team understand what they are expected to do, but it is also integral to creating a good company culture, increasing employee motivation and satisfaction, and retaining employees.
While there is no replacement for one-on-one communication, there are now several digital tools that can help you improve your company’s communication.
Social Intranet
This is an excellent in-house connecting tool that allows employees to communicate, collaborate, and share information and knowledge with each other. In order to use this tool efficiently, it must be customized according to the needs of an organization and its team design and dynamics. But if used properly, social intranet has great potential to improve internal communication. Companies can implement intranets with providers such as Simpplr, a modern employee intranet that helps companies connect and align their workforce.
Work-Management Tools
This is another very effective tool for internal communication that has the potential to organize and manage work-related tasks at a micro level. Applications like Asana, for example, are gaining increasing popularity as they can really facilitate team-based work management, especially in today’s modern workplace where organizations work with freelancers and virtual employees who are dispersed geographically and can still be in the loop for all major tasks through such digital applications. Most work-management tools allow project members to upload files, assign deadlines, and share tasks with multiple people.
Internal Chat/Messaging
Instant messaging is already a critical communication tool for people in their everyday lives. But this medium can also be very useful for employees, team members, and managers who are working from different geographical locations and in different time zones. For example, many companies use Skype for instant messaging and/or audio and video calls. There are other companies that develop their own in-house instant messaging solutions that are specifically designed for their teams and their use. In any case, instant messaging is a great way to connect instantly, resolve issues, and discuss projects.
Tracking Software
This is an excellent digital communication tool that helps company employees to submit queries or tickets if they face a technical issue or if they require support. This tool can also be used to deal with customer queries or issues. Tracking and case resolution tools can help resolve issues quickly, whether they are internal issues or customer-related issues, and can enable companies to be more responsive and prompt when a problem occurs.
These and many other digital tools are becoming increasingly common in today’s workplace. Some companies also have internal blogs which are only accessible for company employees; there are other companies that have discussion forums while some others conduct internal surveys to get feedback from employees and managers. The important thing to understand is that effective communication is very important and with so much advancement in technology, companies have many options at their disposal that they can customize and use to maximize productivity and improve communication.
Ingrid Maldine is a business writer, editor and management consultant with extensive experience writing and consulting for both start-ups and long established companies. She has ten years management and leadership experience gained at BSkyB in London and Viva Travel Guides in Quito, Ecuador, giving her a depth of insight into innovation in international business. With an MBA from the University of Hull and many years of experience running her own business consultancy, Ingrid’s background allows her to connect with a diverse range of clients, including cutting edge technology and web-based start-ups but also multinationals in need of assistance. Ingrid has played a defining role in shaping organizational strategy for a wide range of different organizations, including for-profit, NGOs and charities. Ingrid has also served on the Board of Directors for the South American Explorers Club in Quito, Ecuador.
