How Improving Communications Improves Your Business

If you were to search Google for “the most important thing for a company to be successful,” there appears to be a wide range of answers - from team management, to sales skills, to relationship building, to decision making. However, among the vast majority of the results, there was one common thread: the ability to communicate. That’s why we’re exploring how to best communicate with people associated with your business.

Employees

Without the proper communication with your team, you will be sacrificing many business benefits that would otherwise lead to its growth. The reason for this is simple:

First off, history has shown that the best business ideas can come from those at the bottom of the organizational flow chart - the ones who are hands-on and experiencing what works well and what doesn’t for themselves. Giving them a voice not only means you can benefit from their insights, it also motivates them to stick around longer - input is a hard thing to give up. 

Another reason to make sure you are communicating effectively with your employees is just as simple: it helps to make sure your expectations are met. If your view of success is clearly defined, your employees will understand the benchmarks that must be met. Don’t be afraid to have frequent one-on-one meetings with the members of your staff to work on their individual goals.

Clients and Customers

This is probably the most obvious piece of the puzzle - but communicating with them requires more than just publicizing your service offering and the seasonal deal you happen to be running. Your patrons can serve as a useful source of information, as they can be considered experts in a variety of business concerns, such as how your services could be improved. By collecting and reacting appropriately to this feedback, you can build their trust in you, demonstrating that you value their input. A trusting client is more likely to come back to you, and less likely to leave.

Of course, you don’t need to only collect this information through formal processes. Remember how your employees have that front-line insight? Maybe they’ve noticed some trends in the behavior of your audience, or that many are surprised to learn about a particular offering. Use these observations to your advantage!

You

Yes, you. In order to be able to really improve your business, you need to take the time and see how well you are aligning your business management to your business goals. While this kind of self-evaluation shouldn’t be easy, it is necessary to do on occasion. Were the goals you set for your business realistic? Was there anything you could have done differently to help accomplish them more effectively? 

Once you have done so, it helps to collect feedback from those around you and see if their honest observations mesh with the conclusions you came to. By supplementing your own observations with this input, you can help narrow down the most impactful issues, as well as hold yourself accountable for your operations.

Directive can help you by providing the tools to encourage these communications - as well as see to a number of other technological concerns and needs. To learn more, reach out to us at 607.433.2200.