Calamities arrive in different forms. As perpetuated by, the “landmark event,” the COVID-19 pandemic, has altered the world order in a matter of months and has induced great anxiety and uncertainty in the minds of leaders across the globe. The impact in the corporate world is also quite evident with the industries adopting remote working and remote communication. This article talks about how certain instances impact team productivity and the role of communication at work in enhancing team productivity.
In times like these, when information is inconsistent and comes in short supply, business leaders have done well to avoid the maelstrom of miscommunication practices by introducing various methods to collaborate with peers and colleagues virtually.
As recent data suggests, businesses have already propelled themselves five years forward in the adoption of e-communication in a matter of eight weeks. According to Statista, there has been at least a 25% increase in the use of video calling or video conferencing services to attend work meetings.
Industries have transitioned accordingly to introduce and prompt digital change to keep up with the times. With the levels of remote working having skyrocketed during lockdowns, as many as 26% of businesses have equipped their workforce with greater access to digital communication technology during the times of COVID-19.
As per a study, 18% of American workers have lost their jobs in this pandemic but still, this has proven to be a vital time for businesses such as SaaS to take up a notch.
As the economy looks to lurch back, business leaders have another task of keeping the flow of information in perennial flux. What has helped them and what they can take solace from, though, is the fact that the fundamental practices and tools of effective digital communication still work.
Here, we will take a look at how, through effective communication at work, leaders can call upon a wealth of experience and precedent to carve organizational resilience through uncertainty and mold it into a driver for positive change.
1. Clarity in Communication at Work Leads to Better Accountability
Efficient communication at work is crucial to organizational success. For business leaders whose aim is to create a culture of accountability, then the first thing they should hope and endeavor to drive is the practice of effective communication.
The clarity in communication at work helps employees understand and delineate their goals. Once employees are aware of the expectations the organization harbors from them, they can set measurable goals under the superintendence of managers that align with their role. This prioritization of communication also helps managers measure how everyone’s contributions impact the overall achievements of the business.
These conversations also provide a way for employers and managers to create an evolving developmental path, a yardstick to measure individual employee performance from, and subsequently offer them opportunities to learn, improve, and grow.
2. Empower Your Team with the Right Client Communication Tools
In the on-demand economy of today, AI-powered programs like live chat and co-browsing are revolutionizing the business and operational landscape by streamlining immensely administrative business processes. According to a report, 56% of businesses claim that chatbots are driving disruption in their industry.
These AI-powered tools are remarkably equipped. A major advantage of theirs is that they help businesses automate a host of consumer-facing tasks. Live chat, for instance, is so popular among customers that 75% of people prefer it over asking for help on the phone.
Couple that with collaborative browsing, aka co-browsing, where you can interact with and see the customer’s screen instantly, and you have a powerful combo that eliminates room for miscommunication. This removes the need for back-and-forth and guesswork and frees up valuable time, and boosts collaboration and productivity inordinately.
3. Keeping Track of Performance Is Necessary
While the importance of communication has already been stressed above, it can be a hard task at times. This is where communication at granular levels gets tough to monitor. When communication is affected, performance issues can crop up.
Fortunately, there exists a host of work management software, such as actiTIME, that integrates workflow tracking and timekeeping as a way to establish effective work processes.
Managers can track employee activity, monitor isolated with selective control, incorporate periodic planning sessions to aid themselves in communicating expectations, and much more.
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4. Internal Team Communication Tools and Transparency
According to a study, companies that have extremely efficient communication practices courtesy of using team communication tools experience 47% higher returns when compared to organizations that don’t employ such tools.
Internal communication tools such as Slack or Skype not only impact your relationship with shareholders but also improve employee collaboration and engagement, create better teams, and raise the overall competitiveness level of your business.
Efficient internal communication through the right tools aids you in increasing total productivity, improving transparency levels, removing friction between teams, and building a better workplace.
This helps you, the leadership, establish a two-way flow of communication between you and the workforce. Since the workforce of today prioritizes transparency in general, this establishes the groundwork for a culture where communication assumes the most importance.
5. A Bit of Tracking Efficiency Always Helps
Telework, or remote work, has become mandatory in the times of COVID-19. As businesses look to regroup and get back on track, they are realizing how remote work can assume a vital role in supporting both the global and national economies.
Remote work doesn’t come without its challenges, however. Especially for the managers, it can become tough to monitor remote teams while ensuring that productivity levels are at their peak and workflow processes are optimized.
This is where they can avail the help of time tracking software to ensure the proper distribution of workloads so that employees can perform their tasks effectively. These tools also help managers put their point forward and educate employees on how to work productively by promoting performance transparency.
Conclusion
The uncertainty of the COVID-19 has prompted leaders worldwide to draw on their experience in effective communicating practices to make strategic moves.
These communicators will take relief in the fact that relying on basic communication practices will enable team members to stay updated at all times, boosting productivity as a consequence and helping the business through the choppy waters of the pandemic with a renewed sense of trust and strength.
This article was written for us by Jay Purohit – a CX enthusiast, expert marketer and Community Manager at Acquire.
