Collaborative post – may contain affiliate links

This is the 21st century and with technology, business and commerce moving at such a blistering pace, it can feel a little intimidating to neophytic entrepreneurs. Nonetheless, like it or not, a fast paced and occasionally frantic business climate is the reality of modern entrepreneurship. This means that you must be as time and resource efficient as possible to stay agile while adapting in new technologies that can make your processes and practices more efficient as and when you encounter them. Whatever the nature or industry of your business, there’s a good chance that communication plays a big part in your daily operations.

Communication, after all, is the key to success in any business. If we don’t communicate the principles and standards of our brand to our employees, we can expect to see them lapse and our brand compromised. If we don’t communicate the value in what we offer to our clients or customers, they’ll head across the road to our competitors. If we don’t communicate clearly and persuasively to our shareholders, they’ll withdraw the support upon which our ongoing growth depends. No matter what your business does, where it operates or what your role in it may

be, it’s never a bad idea to think carefully about your communications processes…

How well do you communicate personally?

Remember that everything you do is an act of communication. And if you’re the CEO of your own business, all eyes are on you as the figurehead of your brand. Everything from your tone of voice from what you wear communicates something to your customers and employees. How well do you embody the core values upon which you built your business within your day to day communications?

Are you able to communicate with brevity; conveying potentially complex processes and ideas in quick and easy to understand terms? This can play a huge part in the ethos of efficient communication in your business.

Are you an active listener? Do you show customers that you’re attuned to their needs while showing your employees that you value their ideas and input? Your personal communication sets a standard for everyone involved in your business

Is the problem your platform?

Many of us struggle with using the right platforms, software and digital apps to help us manage our business in the most time and cost efficient way possible. This applies to your communications platforms too.

Is email really the best way for you to communicate with your team? Emails are rarely responded to quickly, even when they’re red flagged. Likewise communication over landline telephones tethers you to your desk and could potentially have an adverse effect on your productivity. Try a business text platform like TextBetter instead. Texting has an immediacy which your employees and subcontractors are more likely to respond to promptly.

What is your business saying to the world?

Your business exists in a vacuum and in the digital age we rely on content marketing and social media to communicate what our business does and what it stands for to the outside world. Just make sure you stay abreast of what your business is saying. If your website is shoddily designed or if your content is clearly outsourced to a cheap overseas third party provider, you’re probably not communicating the values of your business as efficiently as you should.