Does your Digital Communications align with GDPR?
June 19th, 2019 Internal business communications
Every day in digital communications, 205.6 billion emails are sent across the globe, however, only one-third of emails are opened.
With the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation, it’s important that businesses and Network operators ensure their applications are in-line with new compliance policies and that they're using the right technology to leverage effective digital business communications.
Companies today recognize that they need to evolve with digital transformation, however, far too often IT departments introduce a phase of transition in their approach to moving forward but aren't clear why their digital communications are failing. Understanding the challenges of poor digital communications within your company will provide insight into the technology and adaptation that you may employ.
The impact of poor business communications
Efficient business communications prompt stability and predictability but ineffective communications introduce a sense of fear which causes tension and increases costs.
In a report by SHRM, “The Cost of Poor Communications” a survey of 400 companies with 100,000 employees each cited an average loss per company of $62.4 million per year because of inadequate communication to and between employees.
When ineffective communications occur within a business, Voiped Telecom often hears terms from our customers that are generalized as:
- Difficulty staying up-to-date with company news and announcements.
- Disconnected employees and departments.
- Documents go missing or get buried in email.
- No clear or standardized orientation policy for new employees and interns.
- Too much paperwork.
With so much at stake in the business arena today, IT and HR professionals must be skilled communicators. In some cases, a failure to communicate successfully has the potential to land the company in legal trouble, financial deficit, and even mean that the company is unable to recruit and retain key talent; in all cases, it will cost the company money. By contrast, if companies improve their internal communication skills they will in turn automatically increase the company's value.
5 ways to increase business communications productivity
Unified Communications software
Unified Communications enables a business to synthesize business processes with real-time tangible communications such as VoIP, Instant messaging, SIP trunking, voice and video conferencing, presence information, and also non-real-time communications such as email, SMS, integrated voicemail, and fax.
Unifying telecoms and business data in this way allows companies to combine these processes as part of a central network of business applications over a user interface experience that’s compatible with multiple devices and media types.
Currently, many businesses use several independent communications components over single platforms but combining these elements into a more integrated solution saves businesses time, resources, money and improves communications in all areas.
Wireless Communications
Today’s modern business demands fast wireless Internet communications technology that enables agile data sharing at the mobile device level. Flexible and portable Internet connectivity that adapts to the varying needs of transformative change has become essential to business performance.
With just a few taps from your mobile device, you can connect with your employees from and to any location and instantly cascade company announcements to a lot of people at the same time.
M2M portable technology also allows employees to vend and transact business anywhere anytime through real-time data transmission driven by IoT which allows businesses to automate almost any manual process by sharing data between two connected devices.
Having the capacity to securely empower your business with portable communications connectivity whether from the office or a remote location is a prerequisite for successful business productivity.
Video Communications
Video is more powerful at communicating messages than the written word. A Forrester report concluded that “one minute of video is equivalent to 1.8 million words“.
If you're not shaking up your internal communications with video then you’re not alone, according to a recent report by hr zone 43.6% of companies aren’t using internal video communications either.
With every company having its own internal communications strategy, not all video types will be applicable, or even feasible to produce but for things like training, business updates, company announcements, and events, video data is valuable data and enhances learning, reduces training time and cost and can be available anytime, anywhere.
Cloud-Communications
Cloud-powered productivity platforms increase employee and process efficiency by creating a collaborative and connected workplace.
Cloud-powered internal communications provide unprecedented mobility to employees allowing them to scale and modernize their personal IT environment as well as offering enterprises increased data security and device management to meet internal SLA’s.
Apart from offering critical mobility infrastructure and platform components, cloud solutions are custom and designed and deployed on a case-by-case basis with a range of connected devices and location-based solutions.
Remote and field support
Even as a company with an in-house team and/or distributed team, you need to ensure that you’re proactive in keeping internal and external business communications up and running and that your communications connections are secure.
If your internal or external communications fail it's important to have remote and field support that will meet all eventualities of backup and mission-critical solutions, no matter the size, reputation, or industry of your company.
Internal communications and engagement is a key business function that should meet have the same level of priority as your external business communications. Internal communication leads to increased customer satisfaction, increased business profitability, and increased business performance.