Communication tools are slowly becoming an integral part of the modern workplace. Communication tools play a significant role in making communication effective by improving employee engagement. According to the PwC ‘millennials at work report’, “78% of millennials said that access to the technology they like to use makes them more effective at work”.
Without access to the right set of communication tools, your entire workforce would be dabbling with long email threads and get stuck in long and never-ending group chats that demand their attention 24/7. Numerous studies have repeatedly proved that “productivity improves by 20-25% in organizations with connected employees.” Organizations that fail to choose the right communication tools for their employees will face the risk of disengagement, demotivation, high employee turnover, and poor productivity.
In the wake of the pandemic and the subsequent hybrid model that has been widely adopted, communication tools have become the lifeline for organizations to bring together remote and dispersed workforces regardless of location. But for these communication tools, running the day-to-day business operations and maintaining team morale would not be possible.
While ineffective communications can result in workplace failures, productivity can rise as much as 25% when employees use the right online communication tools to collaborate. Corporates are planning to increase their investment in communication and collaboration tools and the market is expected to register a CAGR of 18% from 2021-2026.
As the collaboration needs have tremendously grown in the last 2 years, communication tools for business productivity have grown from email-only tools to audio calling, screen sharing, file sharing, instant private and group messaging, and social networking to create more productive and engaged teams.
To increase productivity and profitability, companies should identify and use the right communication tools for business productivity.
Here are 18 ways communication tools improve productivity.
1. Communication across departments
Since the departments within your organization could be in different locations there will be a natural communication barrier. One of the best ways to boost productivity is to break this communication barrier and improve communication between various departments. Communication tools for business productivity that come with features like audio calling and instant messaging can make inter-departmental communication seamless, fast and efficient.
2. Real-time information
In this era of remote working, employees from diverse locations must communicate and collaborate (share files, images, or data) in real-time to resolve issues and make quick decisions. With the right communication tools in place, your employees will be better prepared to make smart, informed, and timely decisions. When your employees collaborate in real-time, meetings can be scheduled quickly, and files can be shared with ease. Real-time communication enhances a company’s ability to solve problems and foster productivity.
3. Improve the customer experience
Communication tools like live chat or video conferencing allow businesses to provide immediate assistance to customers, which can significantly improve customer satisfaction. By quickly addressing customer concerns or questions, businesses can prevent frustration and avoid customer churn.
Communication tools also enable businesses to tailor their communication to individual customers, which can make the customer feel more valued and appreciated. By using customer data to personalize communication, businesses can offer relevant product suggestions, promotions, or support resources, increasing the likelihood of repeat business.
4. Improve external communication
When your employees use different tools for internal and external communications it increases the chances of miscommunication. The communication tools for business productivity that you are using should allow you to interact with internal and external stakeholders. Using the right tools, you can streamline your communication with your team as well as your customers and suppliers.
5. Increase transparency
Communication tools can increase transparency by allowing employees to easily share information and collaborate on projects. This can improve trust and accountability, leading to increased productivity. According to a study by ClearCompany, 86% of employees and executives cite lack of collaboration or ineffective communication for workplace failures.
6. Break the silos
Many organizations use multiple apps for their team communications. This creates communication silos, and a significant amount of team members’ time is spent searching for information rather than doing productive work. Given the level of information being generated daily, this is highly inefficient. A survey points out that almost 20% of the business time – the equivalent of one day per working week – is wasted by employees searching for information to do their job.
7. Instant messaging
Instant messaging allows employees to chat with one another in real time, providing a massive productivity boost. Instant messaging makes communication faster, reducing constant back-and-forth that is common when emails are used. Sharing content is crucial for collaboration. One of the most crucial functions of instant messaging is to help the team share content. Content sharing helps all the team members to be on the same page, reducing duplicate work.
8. Save travel cost and time
Communication tools for business productivity allow teams to collaborate from multiple locations removing the need for expensive and time-consuming travel, office space, and equipment, leading to significant cost savings. Webinars and online meetings will increase productivity and save money too. According to a study by Microsoft, companies that use collaboration tools can save up to $12,000 per employee per year.
9. Reduce unproductive meetings
Face-to-face team meetings can waste a lot of productive time. According to Harvard Business Review, around 65% of employees believe that “meetings keep them from completing their own work, while 71% said meetings are unproductive and inefficient”. Companies should pay attention to the frequency and duration of meetings to ensure better employee efficiency. Since most of the team communication tools help your teams to interact in real-time from anywhere, the dependency on physical meetings gets reduced drastically.
10. Improved employee engagement
Modern communication tools for business productivity can accomplish much more than mundane emails. Using these tools, your employees can share stories, news, motivational messages, emojis, and stickers. Your employees need not limit themselves to just business interactions, but they can also add a personal touch to the messages by integrating their social media network and making it more interesting. According to a study by Gallup, companies with high employee engagement outperform their competitors by 147%. Better engagement at work results in lower employee turnover and higher productivity.
11. Automation using cutting-edge technologies
Are you wondering how technology can improve workplace communication? modern communication tools for business productivity are equipped with the latest technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, predictive analytics, etc. These technologies can help automate business communication to a great extent and help ease the stress of performing routine and repetitive tasks. This frees employees to focus on other productive duties.
12. Track team performance
With the help of advanced technologies and integrations with other productivity apps, some of the business communication tools allow the team leaders and managers to track the performance of their team members effectively. These tools allow managers to create tasks for their team members, track progress and close the tasks when completed. This brings more transparency to the team, boosts accountability among the employees, and motivates them to perform better.
13. Increased Innovation
Communication tools make it easy to share knowledge and information, allowing team members to learn from each other and stay up to date with the latest trends and developments in their field. This can lead to more innovative solutions, as team members can draw on a wider range of expertise and ideas. Communication tools allow team members to collaborate more effectively, regardless of their physical location. They can share ideas, feedback, and expertise in real-time, which can lead to more innovative solutions. Collaboration also allows for the integration of different perspectives and experiences, leading to more diverse and creative ideas.
14. Improved Decision Making
Clariti’s subject-chat feature can help improve decision making by providing context and organization to conversations. When teams are discussing a particular project or topic, it’s common for the conversation to jump around and cover multiple subtopics. This can make it difficult to keep track of what’s been discussed and what decisions have been made.
Clariti’s subject-chat feature solves this problem by allowing users to organize conversations by topic or subject. When a new topic comes up, users can create a new subject and all related messages can be grouped under that subject. This helps to keep conversations focused and organized, making it easier to find information and make decisions.
15. Streamlined Communication
Communication tools such as email and messaging apps allow employees to quickly and efficiently communicate with each other, reducing the need for long and confusing email threads. According to a study by McKinsey, employees spend up to 28% of their time reading and responding to emails.
16. Increased Flexibility
With communication tools, employees can work from anywhere, at any time. This flexibility has been shown to increase productivity, with 91% of remote workers saying they feel more productive working from home, according to a survey by Buffer.
17. Enhanced Collaboration
Communication tools such as video conferencing and instant messaging can bring employees together in real-time, making it easier to collaborate and complete projects faster. According to a study by Wainhouse Research, 94% of businesses said that video conferencing improves productivity and efficiency.
18. Improved Time Management
With communication tools like instant messaging and email, team members can quickly and easily communicate with each other without having to waste time scheduling meetings or phone calls. This can save a lot of time and help team members stay on track with their work. Communication tools can help ensure that messages are clear and concise, reducing the need for back-and-forth communication and saving time. They can also help prevent miscommunication, which can lead to mistakes and wasted time.
How does Clariti’s subject-based chat improve business productivity
First, Subject-based chat helps organize conversations around specific topics, projects, or tasks, reducing the need for lengthy email threads or searching through different chat threads to find relevant information. This can save time and increase efficiency, as team members can easily access relevant information without having to search through multiple channels.
Second, Subject-based chat provides a centralized platform for team communication, allowing team members to collaborate and share files in real-time. This can improve collaboration and increase productivity, as team members can work together more effectively and share information more efficiently.
Third, Subject-based chat allows team members to customize their chat views based on their preferences, making it easier to focus on the most important conversations and reduce distractions. This can help increase focus and reduce the risk of important messages getting lost in a sea of notifications.
Overall, Clariti’s Subject-based chat feature can help businesses improve communication, increase collaboration, and boost productivity by providing a centralized platform for team communication and organizing conversations around specific topics or projects. By adopting Clariti as a communication tool, businesses can streamline communication and improve overall performance.
Conclusion
Effective communication is a key driver of productivity in any business. With the advent of modern communication tools, organizations have access to an array of tools that can facilitate better communication and collaboration among team members, regardless of their physical locations.
By leveraging tools such as instant messaging, voice calling, scree sharing, and email, businesses can streamline their communication processes, reduce misunderstandings, and improve the speed and efficiency of their operations. In addition, these tools can help to enhance transparency and accountability, which are critical components of any successful organization.
However, it is important to note that the mere availability of communication tools is not enough to guarantee success. Organizations must also ensure that they have a culture of effective communication, where all team members feel comfortable sharing ideas and feedback. With the right combination of communication tools and culture, businesses can improve their productivity, strengthen their relationships with customers, and ultimately achieve their goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can communication tools improve performance?
Communication tools can improve performance in an organization by providing real-time communication, enabling remote collaboration, enhancing transparency and accountability, and facilitating better decision-making. Real-time communication tools like instant messaging and video conferencing can provide instant feedback and enhance productivity.
Remote collaboration tools like project management software and file-sharing platforms can enable teams to work together effectively from anywhere in the world. Transparency and accountability can be improved by communication tools that allow for the tracking of progress and the sharing of information. Finally, better decision-making can be facilitated by communication tools that enable the collection and analysis of data.
How can technology improve workplace communication?
Technology can improve workplace communication in several ways. Firstly, it can enable faster and more efficient communication through instant messaging platforms and email. This allows for quick and easy information sharing, reducing the need for time-consuming meetings or phone calls.
Secondly, video conferencing technology allows remote workers to join meetings and collaborate in real-time, which promotes teamwork and inclusivity. Thirdly, project management software and cloud-based storage systems facilitate collaboration and ensure that everyone involved in a project has access to the latest information and updates.
Lastly, social media platforms and internal communication tools such as Clariti can promote a more informal and collaborative work culture, encouraging greater openness and transparency within teams.
How communication tools improve productivity?
Communication tools can improve productivity in various ways. Firstly, they enable faster and more efficient communication, reducing the need for time-consuming face-to-face or phone conversations. This can free up more time for employees to focus on their core tasks and responsibilities.
Secondly, communication tools can facilitate collaboration and knowledge sharing among team members, leading to faster and better decision-making.
Thirdly, communication tools can provide a more flexible and agile working environment, allowing employees to work remotely and from different locations. This can increase productivity by reducing the need for time-consuming travel and enabling employees to work at times that suit their personal schedules.
Lastly, communication tools can help reduce misunderstandings and errors by providing a clear and easily accessible record of communication and decision-making.
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