Communication is key to any successful business. But it’s important to not only communicate with your customers but also within the company. It is no secret that internal communication can be hard to master, however, there are things that you can do to improve it.
When you communicate properly you create a sense of teamwork, which is great news for any business. You will also be able to share your vision and knowledge across the business, which will bring everyone together, no matter which department they work in.
So, how do you do it? How do you improve internal communication within your company?
Send out anonymous surveys for your employees to complete
There is a good chance that your employees will have some opinions (whether positive or negative) on how the company is performing and which processes could use improvement. However, they may not feel comfortable in sharing those thoughts with you face to face. A great way to gather information on ways that you could improve your business, as well as find out the things that you are doing right, is to send out anonymous surveys. As the staff won’t be identified, they are going to feel comfortable saying what they really feel, which means that you will actually get an accurate representation of your company’s performance.
Be available for feedback with an open door policy
An open door policy is when you are welcome to people coming to talk to you throughout the working day. When you have an open door policy, your staff are going to feel much more able to come to you to discuss any issues, thoughts, or suggestions that they may have which relate to their business. Of course, you might not always be available, but the idea is, if you do have some time to spare, that you will listen to them and take on board what they have to say.
Implement an employee app for frictionless communication
Employee apps like Blink are becoming more and more popular of late, and for good reason. The idea behind these new apps is that they are mobile first rather than a static intranet format so they are easy to access on the go. A great use for an employee app is to encourage internal communication. Not only does it make communication easier through messaging features, but it also makes it convenient too, so you can reach people on their own terms on their own devices. Employee apps are great for two-way feedback too. Which means that as well as sending out any information or feedback to your employees, but also welcoming it back too.
Involve your employees in any business decisions that could affect them
Business change and grow all the time, which means that there are likely to be frequent decisions that need to be made. Of course, there are some decisions that need to be made by the higher-level staff, but, equally, there are some decisions that can benefit from all staff being involved. This is particularly true if the business decision has some impact on their role. Being involved in an important decision is not only a great way to deliver a boost to your staff, making them feel that you value their opinion, but it also helps to communicate any things that are going on in the business. That way, your staff isn’t just engaged but informed too. All Hands meetings are a popular format for accomplishing this goal.
Remember that praise goes a long way
As people we are simple creatures and we tend to perform even better when we are told that we are doing a good job. Unfortunately, in business, praising those staff members that are doing well isn’t always something that we do often enough. You need to take the time to praise those who are doing their very best for your business. Think about how you can recognise and reward top performers. Not only are they going to feel pretty great about being named, but they will also act as somewhat of an inspiration and example to other employees. Helping them to not only perform better, but also to ensure that they communicate with that particular staff member to learn more about how they approach their role.
Internal communication is incredibly important, no matter whether your business has 5 staff or 500 staff. So, think about the ways that you can make the most of how you communicate, both with your staff and how they communicate to one another too.
Want the ideal way to encourage internal communication in your business? Why not install an employee app like Blink? Not only does an employee app help you to ask your employees to feedback on how they think things are doing within your business, but it also allows you to share key information that affects their job roles.
