What is the best communications channel for your business?

Having the right channels of communication is vital for any business because it facilitates teamwork, which drives everything your workforce does. Communication lies at the heart of your operation no matter what industry you're in. Whether it's employee motivation, meetings, appraisals, training, reporting or day-to-day operations, having the right avenues for communication is non negotiable.

In this post, we take an in-depth look at the benefits of different types of communication channels and offer advice about how to choose the right ones for your company.

Types of business communication

There are a number of channels of communication, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Read on to find out about the most prominent examples of communication channels.

Voice

Phone calls are immediate and convenient, but traditional calls are impractical and costly when it comes to international communications. Still, if you need to get answers quickly or organize a simple task, nothing can compare to a voice call.

Voice is the preferred method of contact for certain demographics. Cloud-based call systems can remove the extortionate costs traditionally associated with phone calls and streamline team messaging, video conferencing and voice calling in one place.

Video

Video conferencing makes it possible for teams to connect from anywhere in the world and have meaningful, engaging meetings. It's particularly useful for making major announcements and holding strategic discussions.

What's more, video is one of the primary means of communication for younger people. If you have a young workforce, offering this capability could inspire loyalty and engagement among your team.

Email

There are few better options for communicating traceable information than email. Provided you encourage the team to use proper inbox organization practices, it's a fast and effective way to handle daily comms.

Instant Messaging

Messaging is one of the best tools to deploy with regard to teamwork. Instead of spending time picking up the phone or going over to someone's desk, IM lets employees connect instantly and resolve minor issues with minimal fuss.

How to choose the right channels of communication for your company

Now that you're familiar with the main business communication examples, let's take a look at how to choose which one is the best for your organization:

  • The first step is to assess your team dynamics and decide which tools work best with their preferences and skill sets.
  • Next, consider how formal or informal your message is. In general, email, voice and video are more official channels, while text message and IM are less formal.
  • Think about whether the information needs to be easily trackable or used at a later date.
  • If there's a visual element to your communications, video is best.
  • Finally, consider the budget. The cost of having separate phone, messaging, email and video conferencing tools can quickly mount up.

In most instances, businesses do best when employees have access to multiple avenues for communication. Luckily, you can streamline all communication channels into one easy-to-manage, cloud-based contact center solution.

Improve employee experience today

It's widely understood that customer experience is the key to long-term success, but it's impossible to offer exceptional CX if you're not providing an excellent employee experience. One of the best ways to enhance employee experience is by ensuring there are ample communication channels you can use to engage the workforce.

A unified communication solution from 8x8 could be exactly what you need to take your business to the next level.