5 Tools And 4 Techniques To Improve Internal Communications

Communication is crucial for your business to thrive. It’s even better when there’s effective communication among your team members. It ensures the team is in sync and working toward a common objective.

Furthermore, your team members can feel part of a family, thus boosting their morale. However, you may need help with how you can best achieve this. That’s where current technologies come in handy. They provide various platforms and tools to enhance your internal communication. Most of them are free of charge. But you may need to pay for others. 

Your information technology (IT) service provider may host several communication tools on subscription-based model. As such, you can check its managed IT services pricing guide and choose the ones ideal for your business. Depending on your business model and workplace, the communications tools below, among others, can be significantly beneficial: 

1. Collaboration Tools

Collaboration software provides your team members with an effective platform to connect. In so doing, your staff can share knowledge and ideas even when working remotely. Besides, collaboration tools are also helpful in linking various departments. Thus, you can have multiple departments working cohesively together. 

In addition, collaboration tools help track task progress. As a result, you can achieve better project management. Notably, collaboration tools help reduce unnecessary emails and encourage interactive sessions, increasing productivity, motivation, and efficiency. 

Having Orion Networks or other trusted IT service providers as your collaborative partner can ensure a seamless integration of these tools into your business operations. Whether you are a small business or a large enterprise, they can cater to your specific needs and provide customized solutions for effective internal communication.

2. Instant Messaging Tools

Say you have a vital message you want to pass across to your team members. In the past, you may have called everyone for a quick office meeting to do so. However, the current tech world allows you to create chat groups where you can instantly send links, texts, videos, and photos. As such, you don’t have to find an ideal time to pass your message across. 

Besides, most instant messaging (IM) tools are mobile responsive. Therefore, your team can access them anytime, anywhere. These tools also improve two-way communication. Thus, you can get feedback more quickly. 

Furthermore, you can also create water cooler forums on IM tools to enhance personal bonding among your staff. Thus, it can help bring the team together and improve morale and teamwork. 

3. Videos

Various tools provide video recording for multiple purposes. For instance, you can record videos for training or internal marketing. In addition, the human resources department can have video recordings for onboarding new members. 

These video tools allow you to share through other communication channels like emails and instant messaging. Furthermore, your team members can leave comments and reactions on various parts of your video recording. Such functionalities help show the team’s feedback, and you can use them to make necessary improvements. 

4. Organization Newsletters

You can have digital company newsletters that allow you to share the organization’s information and other vital data. For instance, the newsletter can highlight weekly achievements, new hires, monthly celebrations, and other benefits. You can also share past and upcoming company events, allowing your team to stay in touch with the company’s current affairs.

Most newsletter tools allow you to share, track, and manage your newsletter on different operating systems. Thus, your team can also view it on their mobile devices. 

5. Survey Tools

Staff feedback can be vital to improving workflow and project management. Additionally, it can help assess the goals and objectives of each team member, providing a platform to set individual and group key performance indicators (KPIs). 

Digital or SMS survey tools play an essential role in such an exercise. Moreover, you can also provide an anonymous option for the surveys. Hence, you may get more open-minded feedback from your team.

Techniques To Help Improve Internal Communication

Using internal communication tools can be helpful. However, it’s essential to follow a few techniques for them to be more effective. You can use these tips as a guideline. 

• Streamline Your Communication Channels – Having internal communication tools is excellent. However, they can be cumbersome if you have too many of them. Therefore, have tools vital to your business objectives and team productivity. In addition, ensure the tools don’t create duplicity. Streamlining the tools reduces the time wasted by your team toggling from one tool to another.
• Always Be Clear, Concise, and Consistent – When relaying a message, be precise and avoid excessive jargon. Additionally, be engaging in your communication to create room for feedback. You should also consistently provide regular updates, check-ins, and announcements through the relevant tools. This can help the team stay updated and know they have sessions for interaction and feedback.
• Create Open Interaction – You may have the best communication tools. However, they may be less valuable if the team can’t fully utilize them. Therefore, lead the way by creating an environment where interaction is healthy among the team members. For instance, you can have a forum that encourages the exchange of ideas. This can help even the silent team members to share more, expanding everyone’s reach.
• Mix Your Communication Strategy – Find different ways of conveying your message. You can use a video tool with visuals if an email may seem long. Thus, you can capture your audience’s attention and be more effective.

Final Thoughts

Effective internal communication can significantly boost your business’ growth. However, you may need to encourage formal, informal, horizontal, and vertical communications as above to achieve it. Fortunately, you have several communication tools you can use as well. With a good strategy, these tools can help bring your team together and improve collaboration, productivity, and morale.