It’s hard to deny the obvious benefits that advancements in communication technology provide to businesses. Robust marketing campaigns thrive on it. The ability to send critical documents in mere seconds is a transaction time saver. Digital archives of correspondence can be helpful to settle disputes and track down the root of issues. The list goes on and on. However, with every benefit of digital communication comes the innate potential for disaster.
The ease of typing and sending an email or a short text message has relegated face-to-face and phone interaction to the back seat, which can be a problem on many different levels for businesses.
We live in a mobile text, instant messaging society, especially younger generations The problem for businesses arises when these habits enter the workplace. If you have ever witnessed a cyber conversation that takes a turn in the wrong direction on a discussion forum or social media thread, you know that the situation can get pretty nasty. Friends have become enemies over a simple one line comment.
When these types of communications issues happen on company time, businesses suffer losses. I have personally witnessed an email correspondence between a co-worker and a high-priority customer reach defcon 5 management interventions all due to a sarcastic email comment taken out of context.
Fortunately, the customer relationship was repaired. My co-worker wasn’t so fortunate, and is hopefully revisiting the difference between social chatting and professional workplace communication. That’s what nailed her, but not before it almost cost my company a customer account that was growing year over year and kept at least 15 people employed at our office and operating capital in the bank.
Another loss that businesses accrue due to poor communication habits is time. A simple misunderstood email often leads to hours of additional emails in an attempt to rectify the original correspondence. A simple phone call or a short walk to a coworker’s office would have taken minutes.
Lastly, and far too common, there is an invisible cost to businesses in the form of poor morale. Employee tensions can be heightened due to communication issues stemming from; you guessed it, misconstrued email messages. This issue is particularly dangerous because it spreads so quickly.
The solution to each of the communication issues mentioned above is simple. Pick up a phone or talk face-to-face. For this solution to work, everyone from every level of employment must be on board. Improving one-on-one business communication is a cultural change and must be imbedded into the fabric of the company.
The ease of typing and sending an email or a short text message has relegated face-to-face and phone interaction to the back seat, which can be a problem on many different levels for businesses.
We live in a mobile text, instant messaging society, especially younger generations The problem for businesses arises when these habits enter the workplace. If you have ever witnessed a cyber conversation that takes a turn in the wrong direction on a discussion forum or social media thread, you know that the situation can get pretty nasty. Friends have become enemies over a simple one line comment.
When these types of communications issues happen on company time, businesses suffer losses. I have personally witnessed an email correspondence between a co-worker and a high-priority customer reach defcon 5 management interventions all due to a sarcastic email comment taken out of context.
Fortunately, the customer relationship was repaired. My co-worker wasn’t so fortunate, and is hopefully revisiting the difference between social chatting and professional workplace communication. That’s what nailed her, but not before it almost cost my company a customer account that was growing year over year and kept at least 15 people employed at our office and operating capital in the bank.
Another loss that businesses accrue due to poor communication habits is time. A simple misunderstood email often leads to hours of additional emails in an attempt to rectify the original correspondence. A simple phone call or a short walk to a coworker’s office would have taken minutes.
Lastly, and far too common, there is an invisible cost to businesses in the form of poor morale. Employee tensions can be heightened due to communication issues stemming from; you guessed it, misconstrued email messages. This issue is particularly dangerous because it spreads so quickly.
The solution to each of the communication issues mentioned above is simple. Pick up a phone or talk face-to-face. For this solution to work, everyone from every level of employment must be on board. Improving one-on-one business communication is a cultural change and must be imbedded into the fabric of the company.