Business communications in 2022 looks a lot different than communications 5 years ago. Lock down has transformed the business world in many ways. The most profound way that business communication has changed is the way that coworkers speak with and work with each other.
2020 forced the business sector to go remote. In fact, remote work is estimated to stabalise around 300% of pre-pandemic levels. World-wide, we have seen that the hybrid work model is becoming popular, so workers can stay remote if they wish. No matter what the world is doing, you need to make a communications plan for your future. Some items that you need to keep in mind when creating a communications plan include your business budget, your business goals, and flexibility for remote, hybrid or in-office work.
Your Communications Plan Committee
Your communications plan needs to cover all communications for your company. This includes both internal and external communication. Creating a small committee to develop your communications plan is a great idea. This committee should include employees such as a manager, a lead sales representative, and an IT or tech person. These people need to have a good insight into how things are currently operating and items that can be improved upon in the future.
Two Audiences for Your Communications Plan
When you begin creating your plan, it is important to separate your communications into two sections, your internal communications plan, and your external communications plan. As you work on understanding the needs of each sector, you can really focus on what would be the best ‘bang for your buck’ to meet these individual needs.
Internal communications plan: A great way to approach creating an internal communications plan is to talk with your team. Understanding their trials and issues can help give you a good idea of where to start.
External communications plan: When creating a communications plan for your customers, it’s important to understand your target audience. As you research your customers, you need to know the industry they work in. That way, you can focus on the aspects of your product that best suit their needs. Once you know their industry, it is easier to know what they want and need and how your products, customer service, and communications can best suit them.
Some key questions for your customers and your business:
- Do they need assistance after hours?
- How do your customers prefer to reach you (text, voice, email, etc.)?
- Do your phone calls get ignored due to your phone number being out of their area code?
Goal Setting for Your Communications
When setting your communication goals, you should start with broad or general goals. Below are some examples for both internal and external communication goals. Once you have general goals, it’s time to give them a timeline and focus on details to make your goals turn into reality.
Internal Goals:
- Cut down on the time it takes to connect with employees.
- Make collaboration easier.
- Have more productive meetings.
External Goals:
- Offer clients several communication avenues.
- Decrease the amount of time spent on hold by customers.
- Decrease the number of calls that go to voicemail.
Communication Solution for Your Communications Plan
A great communications plan and goals can only be achieved if you have the right communications solution. A cloud-based communications solution is going to give you the most options, functions, and features to meet your company’s goals.
While there are many features of a cloud-based phone system that can benefit your business, a few features really stand out. A call center can improve response time for your customers. Automation is available in many aspects of communication including voice calls, email, and messaging. One of the most useful features for a manager or business owner is analytics. The data collected from analytics can help with many business decisions.
Set Your Plan into Motion
Yabbit is here to help you with your communication plan. We offer the best in business communications solutions and would love to discuss these solutions with you. Contact us today and we will work with you to make sure that your communications plan and goals are achieved through a great business communications solution.