The way we communicate with others is so ingrained in our daily lives that we seldom pause to think about its significance. This is especially true when it comes to business communication. After all, organizations aren’t faceless entities — they’re composed of real people working together as a team.
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Effective communication influences every aspect of a company, from processes and efficiency to employee morale and customer satisfaction, which significantly enhances decision-making and problem-solving capabilities.
In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know to establish a robust business communication process that will benefit your company.
Business communication is the process of sharing information between people within the workplace and outside a company.
Effective business communication is how employees and management interact to reach organizational goals. Its purpose is to improve organizational practices and reduce errors. It’s important to work on both your communication skills and communication processes to achieve effective business communication.
The importance of business communication also lies in:
All organized activity in a company relies on the process of business communication and your communication strategy. This could be anything from managerial communication to technical communication with vendors.
And once communication becomes unclear, the company’s core systems risk falling apart. Data shows that 60% of internal communications professionals do not measure internal communications. Potential reasons include not knowing where to start, the next steps, or how to calculate ROI.
Voice solutions like VoIP (Nextiva or other alternatives) will likely result in higher employee engagement. And companies with connected employees in the workplace have seen a spike in productivity of up to 25%.
Companies with an engaged workforce see a 19.2% growth in operating income over a 12-month period. Those with low engagement scores earn 32.7% less.
How much more successful would you be if you had better employee engagement? And how can you create a business communication process that will make it possible?
Let’s first differentiate the four main types of communication in a typical organization:
Business communication typically refers to the act of communicating in your business. On the other hand, business communication services refer to the types of software solutions you could use to help facilitate communication and collaboration across your business.
Business communication services include:
The answer largely depends on the size and preferences of your business. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. But one thing is for sure: You will set yourself up for success by only using the business communication services you actually need.
For example: You want a forum board, so you and your staff spend weeks finding the best solution and setting it up. After a while, you learn that no one is using it because they get their answers faster from their team or documents. An unnecessary solution has cost you valuable time and money.
Or you install a quality video conferencing system, when in reality you only need a reliable business system to run your remote meetings. Every business will use web-based communication.
All the other methods, however, will depend on individual company circumstances. Take the time to mindfully consider the value of each for your unique situation.
Clear and effective business communication is critical for teams, employees, managers, and executives to perform their jobs and fulfill their responsibilities.
Without the right processes and tools in place, the flow of information is interrupted and people are left in the dark. This can lead to serious consequences for the company, from unsatisfied employees and customers to lost profits.
The transparent flow of information is an obvious overarching goal of a business communication process.
Here are some deeper problems that successful business communication solves.
In many workplaces, people are simply overwhelmed by the number of messages they receive in a single day. In his book Message Not Received, Phil Simon said the average person receives 120-150 emails per day.
Because of this, we can easily misplace or completely overlook a crucial piece of information in our inboxes. But with a business communication system in place, companies can reduce digital distractions and create space for ideas and thinking.
Teams and departments don’t always exchange essential information. Sometimes there’s no direct way of reaching out to a department manager when there’s an issue inside a team. These silos form easily and often without anyone noticing but can easily be remedied with a business communication plan in place.
Remote work is here to stay. The State of Remote Work report from Buffer shows that 98% of employees would like to work remotely for at least some of the time:
Among the struggles when it comes to working remotely are collaboration and communication, which indicates the value of the right communication systems in place.
When the best workers from your organization leave, it puts your ability to serve customers at risk. It’s also expensive. Losing an employee can cost the business:
But when companies communicate effectively, they are 50% more likely to report turnover levels below the industry average.
If there’s poor communication in an organization, two things happen when it comes to customer service:
In fact, one study found that employee attitude improvement impacts customer satisfaction, which then results in an increase in revenue.
Non-verbal communication covers so much ground – from your facial expressions to your tone in an . Considering that the vast majority of external business communication happens asynchronously (meaning anything other than a 1-1, face-to-face meeting) via , project management task boards, or chats…almost all of our business communication can be considered non-verbal.
Therefore, it’s incredibly important to work on both verbal (face-to-face conversations, calls) and non-verbal (facial expressions, body language, written) communication.
Top tip? Read something out loud before you hit “send.” This is a good gut check to hear how your message is coming across.
A solid business communication process is essential for the happiness of your employees and customers. Ultimately, this leads to financial stability.
About 29% of employees say their current internal business communication tools do not work effectively. Some of the reasons include lack of transparency, organizational silos, information overload, or the absence of an appropriate communication channel.
And according to Apollo Technical, 86% of employees and executives consider inefficient communication to be the reason behind workplace failures.
It’s clear that we can no longer ignore the importance of improving business communications, both internal and external. Here are five steps you can follow to ensure a successful business communication process.
No matter what stage your company is in, you need a business communication plan in place. However, to ensure effective communication, you need to focus on the areas that require the biggest improvement right now and work your way to other areas later.
For example, these might be some of the reasons your communication needs revisiting:
You might experience more than one of these or a completely different scenario. Identify it and set goals for your business communication process based on it. For example, your goals can include:
Look into the structure of your organization and all the groups involved in its ability to function. Take note of every group that requires information to function. This should include:
From here, evaluate the work they do on an ongoing basis and the results expected of them, and then map out the way they need to communicate in order for their jobs to get done, as well as the appropriate communication tools required.
Depending on your company size, this might be a large task, so give yourself plenty of time. Some of the main questions to ask are:
At a minimum, the answers to these questions should give you an insight into the necessary amount of emails, messages, calls, meetings, and documents required for everything to happen in the designated time frame.
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Next, choose the best methods of effective business communication that align with your goals, as well as the interactions between core groups in your company. Review the list of communication tools and technologies mentioned earlier and make sure to add any unique ones to your company:
Which of these are essential for your organization to reach its goals? What’s optional and might see resistance in adoption? Which ones create the risk of overwhelming employees with too many tools and should be simplified?
Be realistic about your specific needs. For example, a five-person startup where everyone works in the same office will likely focus on:
And a 50-person company that is fully remote will invest more resources into:
A large global enterprise will probably use all of the listed methods of communication and have dedicated teams for many of them.
There’s no handbook that defines which tools are absolutely best for each purpose. Gmail versus Outlook. Google Drive versus Dropbox. Slack versus Nextiva Chat. The battles go on, but your choice is entirely up to the preference of you and your workforce.
Here are some tips when it comes to selecting the right tools:
Finally, take note of everything you do throughout this setup and turn in into a shared document that’s accessible to the entire organization. This way, each employee can refer to an intentionally developed communication plan and decide on the best action for the situation they’re in.
The document will also help newly on-boarded employees easily grasp all the tools and best communication practices.
You can create a recurring calendar reminder for yourself and your team to revisit the document once a quarter. This way, you can make sure the plan is still serving its best purpose and update it if necessary.
Business communication takes place in many forms – verbal or written, in-person or remotely – but it is critical to the happiness and, thus, productivity of your employees in the workplace.
There is no one perfect channel for any particular company; it entirely depends on the context.
Written communication is great for keeping a paper trail of decisions and actions made as well as for putting strategies and plans in place. Verbal interactions enable instantaneous idea generation and a more open flow of thoughts.
Let’s take a look at the best methods of business communication applicable to some or all of the above scenarios.
This includes everyday communication channels like and instant messaging applications (such as Slack, Hangouts, or even Nextiva Chat). The benefits of and messaging lie in the ability to have private conversations in a busy office environment, as well as sharing a message with many people all at once.
conversations remove the location barrier to running productive, fast-moving meetings. It allows for better idea exchange thanks to the non-verbal communication (tone of voice) compared to written communication. Cloud systems can accelerate onboarding and overall team collaboration.
Great video conferencing systems enable people at remote locations to run meetings that feel as close to in-person meetings as possible. They take meetings one step up.
In-person meetings can help a business move forward with ideas quickly. Research shows that face-to-face meetings generate 15-20% more ideas than virtual meetings.
However, having a rock-solid meeting agenda is essential for effective meetings because 46% of employees rarely leave a meeting knowing what they’re supposed to do next:
Documenting activities that impact other people and departments is a crucial part of a well-oiled business communication system. The ability to refer to a written document at any moment reduces the chance for confusion or disagreement and provides extra clarity in communication.
Presentations supported by reports and PowerPoint slide decks are often how meetings with larger groups are conducted. These are great for sharing new ideas in a visual way that creates space for questions and any clarifications.
Having an internal area for employees to refer to frequently asked questions on various departmental topics and ask new ones will make them more productive and up-to-date on any matters they deal with regularly.
Both internal and customer surveys are ideal ways to gather feedback and ratings on important topics. Surveys facilitate a healthy cycle of feedback-supported improvements and open a communication channel between all levels inside an organization.
This can include any customer relations activity, such as live chat support, customer relationship management (CRM) systems, customer onboarding processes, and customer reviews.
Poor communication in business carries too many risks to be overlooked.
Great communication, however, brings an opportunity for outstanding employee and customer engagement. It creates clarity, more significant outputs, and growth in revenue and profit.
Whether you have a business communication system in place or are yet to establish one, remember to:
As a result, you’ll see happy, productive people excited to work on projects and create meaningful results for the benefit of everyone involved.
Nextiva’s business communications platform organizes your team’s communication by bringing it all into a single platform. No more shuffling around to find what you need, no more frustration flipping between screens. It’s all here in a single platform. This tool makes your work life more efficient and helps bring all your business communication into one simple view.
Talk to an expert today to see how we can help simplify your business communication.
Data analytics is the process of storing, organizing, and analyzing raw data to answer questions or gain important insights. Data analytics is integral to business because it allows leadership to create evidence-based strategy, understand customers to better target marketing initiatives, and increase overall productivity. Companies that take advantage of data analytics reap a competitive advantage because they are able to make faster changes that increase revenue, lower costs, and spur innovation.
In today’s digital world, the ability to make data-driven decisions and create strategy informed by analysis is central to successful leadership in any industry. The Certificate in Data Analytics at Penn LPS Online was created to help you enhance your data literacy and increase your professional opportunities. This Ivy League certificate is not designed to train you to become a data scientist but rather to provide a strong foundation in data analysis techniques that may be utilized in a variety of career paths. Possibilities include business analyst, policy analyst, market researcher, digital marketer, and quality assurance professional.
Read on to explore five key benefits of making data analytics a priority in business.
When businesses have access to the digital footprints of their customers they can learn invaluable knowledge about their preferences, their needs, and their browsing and purchasing behavior. Analyzing data collected from targeted markets can also help companies more swiftly identify trends and patterns and then customize products or services to meet these needs. The more an organization knows about who its customers are and what they want, the better it will be able to grow the customers’ loyalty, ensure they are happy, and boost sales. If leaders don’t take notice, they run the risk of losing their consumer base to a competitor who does.
Whether you’re seeking an entry-level or leadership role, it’s increasingly apparent that to be successful in today’s job market, it is critical that you are able to analyze data and communicate the findings in a way that is easily understood. DATA : Introduction to Data Analytics at Penn LPS Online introduces you to important concepts in data analytics across a wide range of applications using the programming language R. You’ll complete this course with a clear understanding of how to use quantitative data to identify problems in real-time, make decisions, and create solutions.
Data analytics also gives companies the power to make faster, better-informed business decisions—and avoid spending money on ineffective strategies, inefficient operations, misguided marketing campaigns, or unproven concepts for new products and services. By using a data-driven decision-making model, leaders also set up their organizations to be more proactive in identifying opportunities because they can be guided by the validity of data rather than simple intuition or industry experience. However, it is also important that decision-makers understand that although data may show a certain pattern or suggest an outcome, a flaw in the analysis or collection process could potentially render it inaccurate or misleading.
Once you’ve completed the introductory course in data analytics, the next logical step is to enroll in DATA : Intermediate Data Analytics. In this course, you will learn two fundamental skills: survey and experimental research. You’ll be trained in every step of the survey research process, including how to design good survey questionnaires, draw samples, weigh data, and evaluate the responses. By the end of this flexible online class, you’ll understand how to develop and analyze a randomized experiment and build upon your skills in R programming.
Businesses can also use data to inform their strategies and drive targeted marketing campaigns to help ensure promotions engage the right audiences. By analyzing customer trends, monitoring online shopping, and evaluating point-of-sale transactional data, marketers can create customized advertising to reach new or evolving consumer segments and increase the efficiency of overall marketing efforts. And by taking advantage of these insights on consumer behavior and desires in customer-oriented marketing, businesses can meet and exceed expectations, boost brand loyalty, and encourage growth.
If you are interested in developing targeted marketing or advertising campaigns, it’s critical you understand the process by which quantitative social science and data science research is conducted. And that’s where DATA : Introduction to Statistical Methods at Penn LPS Online comes in. This course comprises three complementary tracks. In the first, you’ll learn the basic tools necessary to perform social science research including descriptive statistics, sampling, probability, and statistical theory. In the second, you’ll discover how to implement these basic tools using R. And in the third, you’ll study the fundamentals of research design, including independent and dependent variables, producing testable hypotheses, and issues in causality.
Another major benefit to data analytics is the ability to use insights to increase operational efficiencies. By collecting large amounts of customer data and feedback, businesses can deduce meaningful patterns to optimize their products and services. Data analytics can also help organizations identify opportunities to streamline operations, reduce costs, or maximize profits. Companies can use insights from data analytics to quickly determine which operations lead to the best results—and which areas are underperforming. This allows decision-makers to adjust their strategies accordingly and proactively anticipate problems, manage risks, and make improvements.
Predictive modeling of data is one of the most sought-after skills in data science because it can help companies strategize future investments, nonprofits organize fundraising drives, or political candidates decide where to focus their canvassing efforts. DATA : Advanced Topics in Data Analytics at Penn LPS Online starts with a comprehensive discussion on basic regression analysis and progresses to more advanced topics in R, such as mapping, textual analysis, web scraping, and working with string variables. You will also learn about more advanced data visualization skills in the class, including how to create interactive data visualizations in an R tool called Shiny.
When it comes to innovation, data analytics allows businesses to understand their current target audience, anticipate and identify product or service gaps, and develop new offerings to meet these needs. Not only can companies use data to track customer feedback and product performance in real-time, they can also track what rivals are doing so they can remain more competitive. Insights from data analytics can also allow organizations to update their existing products or services to reflect changing consumer demands, tweak marketing techniques, and optimize customer services. The enhanced adaptability afforded by big data can mean the difference between thriving or failing as a business.
"The Certificate in Data Analytics taught me how to clean, organize, and analyze data in R with just a few lines of code, which is so much faster than the processes I had been using in Excel. The course content is really well done, and the instructors are excellent. The weekly synchronous sessions kept me on track and helped me master new material and reinforce concepts from previous weeks. These skills will save me a lot of time in my job, and now I feel equipped to keep learning about these topics independently."
- Susan Hassett, Enrollment Systems Analyst, College of Liberal and Professional Studies, University of Pennsylvania
The Certificate in Data Analytics at Penn LPS Online is a 4-course program designed to provide you with a point of entry to gain expertise in the field of data analytics. With flexible scheduling options and no required commute, you can develop your data literacy skills without sacrificing time dedicated to personal and professional responsibilities. The data analytics courses are taught by experienced practitioners, including members of the faculty from the Penn Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies. And the only prerequisites to succeeding in this credential are basic math skills, familiarity with using a computer, and an eagerness to expand your knowledge.
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