How does ICT (Information Communication Technology) Promote More Effective Business Communication?
As Forbes puts it, “To become a better leader you need to become a better communicator.” While this may seem like common knowledge for some, it doesn’t mean that all businesses are actively implementing it. Luckily, ICT technologies have blown up in the mainstream. These technologies make communication methods a lot simpler and easier to implement. In this article, we’ll break down the benefits of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) for your business and it can how promote more effective business communication with not only your employees but your customers too.
What is ICT?
Before we get into effective business communication and the various tools and techniques to use, it’s important to first understand the meaning of ICT. Information and Communication Technology, or ICT for short, involves technologies that are used to store, process, transmit and exchange data and information. This encompasses a wide range of technologies including computers, the internet, mobile devices, networks, and software. It also involves the numerous ways to communicate business information and online collaboration tools such as instant messaging, email, video conferencing, and social media.
Implementing ICT technologies into your business strategy is an effective way to improve communication, collaboration, decision-making, and data management processes. Failing to implement these technologies may mean your business runs the risk of getting left behind.
What is the importance of effective business communication in the workplace using ICT:
Luckily for us, technology is available at our fingertips. However, the trick is to learn how to use this technology effectively to see positive results for your business. Here are the many benefits of implementing ICT solutions in your company:
1. Improved communication
This is a big one. Lack of communication breaks the cogs in the machine that keeps your business running. Schedules become disorganized, employee morale decreases, and important business relationships fall through. Should we go on? By improving your business communication, you dodge all these potential mishaps.
Another important thing to note is that business communication doesn’t only involve communicating with your staff. It involves your customers and supplies too. Actively communicating with your customers helps you understand their needs, create customer loyalty, help increase your customer retention strategies and improve overall customer satisfaction.
2. Increased productivity
Various ICT solutions can help to automate and streamline your business processes, ultimately improving productivity. You’ll spend less time and money manually imputing information and data, calling up employees and customers, setting up meetings, and aimlessly advertising to your customers. By implementing project management tools and techniques you will be able to effectively manage various projects at once, manage all staff and customer expectations and remain within allocated time and budget boundaries.
To illustrate this point, if you implement a collaborative tool such as Trello, you’ll reduce confusion, prevent backward and forward communication, and have access to all the necessary information you need for a project in one location.
3. Enhanced Customer Service
Marketing Charts suggest that 86% of consumers favour brands that make sure their messaging has a consistent customer experience. This means that you must prioritise delivering a consistent quality of customer service at every touch point of your brand.
To pull this off, ICT technologies have been reinventing the call center and customer support systems of the past. New platforms such as customer management software are automating processes that make it easier for customer service representatives to respond quickly and provide effective solutions to customer problems.
Overall, this is a big win for your business. A happy customer means you have a higher chance of customer retention and building stronger and more meaningful connections with your customers.
How does ICT help with internal communication:
1. Collaborative Tools
How can you use collaboration tools to improve team communication?
Every company, from a small startup to the big guns in corporate can reap the benefits of collaborative tools. But how do online collaboration tools work? These are apps, platforms, and software programmes that streamline creative processes and help employees work together in a more efficient way.
The most common forms of collaboration tools are project management tools, instant messaging apps, remote conferencing platforms, and digital asset management systems. The advantages of these tools are increased creativity, enhanced productivity, and planning out deadlines so everybody knows what they need to do to get a project over the line.
Due to their online capabilities, collaborative tools allow users to access documentation and information no matter where they are located. Now you may be wondering, what is required for using online collaboration tools. These platforms are easy enough to set up and are free unless you’d like to pay for premium features. Common examples of collaborative tools include Trello, Slack, and Zoom.
2. Intranet and internal portals
What is the difference between internet and intranet?
Wait, did you mean the internet? Nope, while the names are similar internet and intranet have their differences. The Internet is known as a public network that is easily accessible to everybody. An intranet on the other hand is a private network owned by an organization, therefore access is limited.
Thus, an intranet is beneficial to businesses as a secure communication method and storage system. Employees can easily communicate with each other across locations and time zones, have access to company announcements and pull information from a knowledge base. To have access to your own intranet you can either build it from scratch and host it or you can hire a cloud-based hosting service to host it for you.
3. Employee feedback platforms
Improving your business communication can start by giving your staff the space they need to feel heard. Employee feedback platforms allow employees to share their feedback, ideas, and suggestions with management. While nobody likes hearing negative feedback, receiving regular input from your staff can foster a company culture of growth and open up more opportunities for effective communication.
Ultimately, you may even find some of your greatest business opportunities are buried away in the minds of your employees. The best way to set up employee feedback platforms is by finding feedback software that suits your business needs. Fortunately, there are many options for you to explore. A few examples of this are Office Vibe, Trakstar, and Motivosity.
4. Video conferencing and Webinars
After Covid-19 you may be well aware of how video conferencing works. For those that don’t share in the trauma, video conferencing is an online ICT technology that allows users in different locations to hold face-to-face meetings via video technology.
Aside from regular business meetings, you can use video conferencing technology for other forms of effective business communication too. You can use it for staff training, guest speakers, and recruitment. By meeting face-to-face online employees build stronger relationships, pick up on verbal and non-verbal cues and begin to build trust all while cutting down on costs. A few of the most popular video conferencing platforms include Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet.
5. Emailing and Instant Messaging
A no-brainer for some but investing in the right emailing and instant messaging technologies can have a major impact on your business operations. These platforms create person-to-person communication which makes it easier to get a message across quickly and effectively.
With instant messaging software, you can create a chat room with everyone on the team. This creates a space for everyone to receive the same message at the same time. Documents can be shared easily, and you can get quick updates on the progress of a project. Brands you should consider for this are Slack, Google Outlook, and Microsoft Teams.
How does ICT help with external communication:
1. Social Media
Believe it or not, social media can do more for your business than posting pretty pictures on the internet. In fact, studies have found that 66% of marketers generate leads from social media after spending only six hours per week on social marketing. But why? Your customers, like the rest of the world, are likely to engage with at least one social media platform daily. These networking platforms are a great way to communicate your values, offer your services and showcase your discounts to potential customers.
There are plenty of content techniques you can implement to get more eyeballs on your services. You can post relevant video content, behind the scenes of your business, and information relevant to your product or service. The platform you choose to use depends on what you are trying to sell and to whom. Examples of popular platforms include Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
2. Websites
Making your website your top priority is essential for the growth of your brand. When customers are looking for a company to invest in, they’ll usually turn to a Google search for answers. Websites communicate to your customers what your brand does, what it stands for, and why you’re different from your competitors.
Additionally, it makes it easier for customers to get in touch with you, find your location, and ask relevant questions. By having information easily accessible to your customers you’ll heighten customer satisfaction and build long-lasting relationships. To develop your own suitable website, you can either build one with your own marketing team or you can outsource an agency to develop one.
3. Email Marketing
Another day another marketing email from a company in your inbox. While this may seem annoying, email marketing is an effective tool to communicate with your target audience. In fact, 46% of smartphone users prefer to receive communications from businesses via email.
Ultimately, email marketing can help you reach a larger audience, directly send information to your customers, drive more conversions, and have a higher return on investment. If you’re still feeling stressed about spamming your customers with information, Get Response found that marketing emails have a higher click rate if you don’t send more than 5 emails a week.
4. Customer Relationship Management Tools (CRM)
Another important communication method, CRM, uses strategies and technologies to analyse and manage customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. The main goal is to improve customer service relationships and increase customer retention.
CRM does this by compiling customer data across multiple channels or touch points such as their website, social media channels, email marketing efforts, and telephone. An example of this in action is if customer services representatives have easy access to information such as a customer’s past purchases and interaction history they can provide better and quicker customer service support.
When choosing which CRM system to use, the front runners in business trust brands such as Microsoft, Salesforce, Oracle and SAP. There are plenty of other options out there, however, these are the tried and tested giants in the industry currently.
How to implement ICT solutions into your organisation for improving effective business communication:
Now that you know more about the importance of ICT technologies for effective business communication, you may feel ready to implement some of these strategies into your own business. However, this can feel like no easy feat. Luckily, we’ve outlined the key steps you need to take to effectively implement ICT solutions into your business.
1. Assess your needs
This first step is crucial. The list of ICT options is vast, meaning it could take a while before you successfully implement multiple ICT strategies into your business.
We suggest taking inventory of which ICT technology could benefit you first. Then you can build up on the other technologies over time. Each business is different so take note of the various effective business communication technologies that would work well for your specific company.
2. Create a plan
This one may seem simple enough but as the saying goes, “failing to plan is planning to fail.” By having a comprehensive plan you can avoid wasting unnecessary time, resources, and money.
Your plan should outline your goals, objectives, timelines, and budgets for the implementation of your chosen ICT technologies. You should also add details on the software and hardware that you need as well as additional resources such as training or support.
3. Train your employees
Now what? With your ICT solution selected and your plan in place, it’s important not to exclude your employees from your process. Taking on new technologies can be overwhelming for anyone, no matter their technological skill level. Setting up training on how to use your chosen ICT technologies can get everyone on the same page. This will cut down on delays, any decreases in productivity, and other factors that may affect company time.
Luckily, Edge ICT, a proud division of Edge Training offers a variety of qualifications that can give your staff everything they need to take on new ICT technologies. We offer an End User Computing Qualification, suitable for understanding the ins and outs of the computer and computer software. Additionally, we have an Interactive Media Qualification that will help your staff develop effective knowledge about social media, website design, and general marketing.
For those that are already skilled in ICT technology, the prospect of change could still hinder your road to success. That’s why we’ve developed a Change Management Workshop suitable for developing a change management plan and preparing your staff for what’s to come. Overall, the business world is constantly changing, it’s important to learn how to change with it.
4. Monitor and evaluate your results
Last but not least, it’s important to take inventory of how your new ICT technologies are impacting the progression of your business. This helps you determine which technologies are working for you, when it’s time to move on to something else, and when to quit a communication strategy altogether.
However, it’s important to note that these processes may take some time to show results. This is because employees may still be getting used to using the software or customers are still getting to know you through your new communication tactics.
Next Steps:
Now that you know a little bit more about ICT technologies, you may be ready to take the leap to improve the internal and external communications of your business. We recommend investing in your staff with ICT qualifications from Edge ICT, a division of Edge Training. Edge ICT has a wide range of MICT SETA accredited qualifications from End User Computing Qualifications to Interactive Media Qualifications. If you’d like to learn more about the ins and outs of ICT, visit the Edge ICT blog to learn more. We wish you all the best on your journey in ICT technologies.