When people discuss business communications skills, the conversation usually focuses on writing clearly, speaking professionally and listening effectively. Those skills remain important, but modern business communication involves another ability as well: knowing which communication method to use and when. An email, instant message, telephone call and video meeting can all communicate the same information, but choosing the wrong channel can make a simple conversation unnecessarily difficult.
Good communicators understand the strengths of each channel. Email works well for information that needs to be retained and referred back to. Instant messaging is useful for quick questions between colleagues. Voice calls can resolve conversations that would otherwise become lengthy email chains, while video meetings are valuable when a distributed team needs a more interactive discussion. Platforms such as Microsoft 365 can help bring these different ways of working together so that communication becomes part of a consistent workflow rather than a collection of unrelated applications.
Professional telephone communication is another important business communications skill. Customers should be able to reach a business through a recognisable business number, and employees should know how calls are answered, transferred and followed up. Modern VoIP business telephone systems make it easier to build that professional experience without requiring a traditional telephone system. They can also make business calling more practical for employees who are not permanently sitting beside the same office telephone.
Responsiveness matters too, but that does not mean employees should be permanently online. The objective is to give staff reliable access to the communications tools they need when they are working. Combining cloud-based email and collaboration with business mobile services means employees can remain connected when working remotely, visiting customers or travelling between locations. A reliable business broadband connection is equally important in the office, particularly when calls, meetings and cloud applications all depend on internet connectivity.
Ultimately, strong business communications skills are a combination of people, processes and technology. Businesses need clear expectations about how staff communicate, but they also need systems that make those expectations easy to follow. At 21st Webb, we provide communications solutions including Microsoft services, business mobile connectivity, broadband and VoIP, helping small businesses build the technical foundation behind better communication. The technology cannot write the perfect email or hold a difficult conversation for you, but the right platform can make communicating clearly and consistently considerably easier.