Improved communications allow your team to better share information and make more informed business decisions.
The modern business is agile in operations and strategy, often using a distributed network of consultants and freelancers to provide project-specific services. This flexible workforce is invaluable for keeping operating costs low, boosting productivity and preventing resource wastage – but it is also the source of frustration for businesses that do not have a robust, communications platform in place.
This was one area to think about for the people behind Office 365 for Business.
Breaking silos involves more than just data
The beginning of this decade was marked by concerted efforts to dismantle internal silos that would allow for improved access to corporate data by internal stakeholders. Even small businesses with a few hundred employees will have seen benefits from linking systems and sharing data between departments to support strategic decision-making and service development.
Changes in working practices, such as a rise in remote workers, require new communications tools to keep everyone in the loop. Otherwise you risk creating communications silos, channels that limit data sharing across channels. Every time employees are unable to communicate across channels, there will be a delay that slows down operations, or leads to outdated information being used.
The ability to provide transparent communications across channels is also increasingly important for multi-channel customers. Increasingly, technology savvy customers use a range of channels in their personal and professional lives – and they expect to reach your business using the channel and device of their choice.
Just how serious is the need for transparent communications?
In the interests of cost control smaller businesses may feel that the risk of a slight delay in communications is an acceptable risk. But the reality is that saving money on a unified communications platform costs a lot more in the long term.
One report that provides some background for the development of platforms such as Office 365 for Business found that an SME with 100 employees could be losing more than £398,000 every year as a direct result of communications barriers and latency. The fact that employees spend an average of 3.7 hours per week – nearly half a day – coordinating communications between team members simply underlines just how serious the problem really is. This situation is further exacerbated by workers wasting a further 3.5 hours waiting for their colleagues to supply information – even though they have tried to reach them using a range of communications channels.
The implication is stark – your employees waste nearly one day every week chasing down information due to poor communications. Which is an immediate 20% dent in your annual productivity.
The importance of reaching the right person at the right time
Customers and colleagues alike need to be able to have their queries addressed quickly and effectively – which means connecting with the most qualified person first time, every time. Modern phone systems are more than capable of routing calls internally and externally as required – but a telephone call may not be the most appropriate channel for the recipient.
The same Greenbook report found that low-priority calls and voicemail were a serious business pain experienced by workers in smaller organisations. By their own estimates, another 2+ hours are wasted every week dealing with unwanted communications that disrupt their workflow.
These low-level communications may be annoying, but they are still important to keeping projects and tasks on track. Rather than defaulting to the telephone, the message may be better relayed over a different channel – like email, instant message or private social network. This way the recipient can deal with low priority tasks at a more appropriate time and your team gains an audit trail of communications to ensure that messages are being relayed and acted upon.
Simplifying meetings
Another area to focus on is meetings which have always been a major drain on resources – particularly if remote workers are expected to attend. Moving to a unified communications platform that supports multi-point call and video conferencing, means that arranging and attending meetings is greatly simplified.
More importantly still, this simplicity further empowers data sharing, ensuring that all of your stakeholders are ‘on the same page’. Working from the same information, no one need ever piece together key details from some hastily scribbled meeting minutes again.
A non-negotiable business investment
Free-flowing communications across your business is absolutely vital to reducing waste, improving customer experience and protecting profit margins. Transparency and availability through tools such as Office 365 Yammer will also provide your team with the real-time information and opportunities to collaborate and make more informed strategic decisions.
You may even save up to £398,000 every year when equipped with a suitable unified communications platform.
Takeaways
- Poor communications can cost SMEs up to £400,000 each year.
- Employers are losing 20% of potential productivity because of communications problems.
- Prioritising communications ensures the right person deals with the right query at the most appropriate time.
- Unified communications make meetings easier to arrange and more effective.
