The role of communication is no longer a mystery in any way. Still, we don’t get to manage it the right way to achieve our objectives. Whether it is the role of communication in business or in our personal lives. In my opinion, it is because we don’t give due importance to the role of communication. We assume things and usually listen to respond back. It is totally against the spirit of effective communication.
The problem of communication doesn’t remain limited to the personal level. Rather, it extends to business communication in the same way and impacts the parties doing the business. In order to get the most benefit, both in the personal and business environment, you need to incorporate effective communication in your routine.
Let’s discuss business communication, its importance and some of the strategies and tools that you can apply to generate the maximum benefit.
A. Role of communication in business:
You might have read a number of books about business communication up till now (assuming you have your degree somewhat related to business management. Even if you haven’t read the books, you would have come across different forms of content highlighting the importance of communication in general and business communication, in particular. So, I won’t get into the theoretical aspects and only discuss a few points to indicate the role of communication in business:
1. Exchanging information:
Communication is important to exchange information between two or more parties. Whether it is your client or your supplier and employees, you’ll need to share information with them to keep them updated. It is not essential for information purposes only. R
Imagine a scenario where you need an ABC product of a particular quality. You communicated the message to the supplier to provide you with ABC product but did not mention the quality required. In that case, there is a high probability that you won’t get the required item. So, it would result in wastage of time and your financial resources too.
2. Goal Achievement:
If you are working with a group of people or anyone other than you, you’ll need to share your opinion and goals to ensure that everyone else is on the same page. Without synchronization of your goals, you cannot expect results to go in your favor. Doubt this statement? Let’s create a scenario to have a better understanding.
Have you set increasing the revenues by 5% as your business goal? But you haven’t communicated the goal itself or the strategy that you wish to pursue with the other members of the team, then the chances are that each of the members would have a different goal and strategy in mind. Such a chaos would not help in the achievement of your goals. You’ll have to communicate it in a way that you take others on board. Only then you can expect to achieve goals.
3. Decision Making:
The decision-making regarding the business is dependent on information that you would collect regarding the particular aspect of the business. How do you expect to collect this information and formulate strategy? You’ll have to communicate with someone to collect information or discuss it for making strategies. Even if you think you can manage the process up till here on your own, you’ll still need to communicate your decision to the others for implementation. So, there is no way out without realizing the role of communication in business.
4. Marketing businesses:
Either you are selling a B2B product or a B2C product, you’ll need to tell your customers about these products or services. This, in simple terms, is “marketing”. It involves the communication of the right kind of message to the right audience. Without this communication, you cannot expect to sell your products or reach your audience in an effective manner. Branding is another important aspect and you can know more about it through this article.
There are numerous other aspects that would highlight the importance of communication. But I suppose you would have got the glimpse of the importance.
B. Business Communication Tools:
Now, let’s turn to some of the tools that can actually help you in maintaining effective communication with the other stakeholders.
1. Hangouts:
One of the important chatting applications appropriate for business needs is Hangouts. Hangouts allow you to share your ideas, files, pictures and all form of media. You can create social groups related to work. Moreover, this application is available on desktop and mobiles, both. Thus ensuring easy coordinating. You can even go for audio or voice chats. Thus, it is an effective tool to play
2. Skype:
Another important tool is Skype. You can easily use it with your customers or teammates for discussions. Additionally, Messaging, audio, video chatting, screen sharing, group conversations and the facility of sharing all form of media make it the appropriate tool. You can simply get all these benefits by using the free version. Moreover, you can easily get in touch with local and international clients. So, there are no issues of any sort while using this tool. A premium version is also available for Skype. But you won’t require it unless you reach the status of a large company. Isn’t it great?
3. Team Viewer:
The other application that can allow you to have remote access to the other computers is Team Viewer. You can share the screen just by code sharing. Additionally, you can work together, exchange files and send messages through it. It is one of the prominent tools when it comes to managing virtual teams. All these features are free for the users.
All these tools provide you only the medium for sharing. In the end, it is you who is going to use these forums. And ensure that the information sharing process comes in the category of effective communication. Make sure to use them wisely in order to get the best results. I hope you would try to do so.
I hope this article would help you in knowing the role of business communication. If you are a startup business, these simple tools can help you in achieving your objectives with great ease. Although, there are a number of other tools present. But the reason for sharing these tools was that these tools are simple and easily available. Even for the medium scale business, you can continue using these tools. However, once your business will become a large enterprise, you’ll need custom software for communication. So, there is no hindrance in effective communication.