One of the biggest challenges in running your own business, and keeping up with day-to-day operations, is staying on top of your teams’ communication. As your company grows, so does the number of people you have working for you, and there’s no way to keep up with all the different modes of communication each person prefers. Not only that, it can be difficult to ensure that everyone sees any given information you want them to see in a single communication channel. Managing communication for your frontline teams is an ongoing challenge for any business owner. Here are our ways on the best ways to communicate with your teams in 2023.

Implement a single, unified platform

When it comes to communication, there’s so much room for improvement in the workplace. There are all kinds of different tools and methods out there, but they’re not all created equal. We tend to think that “more” is better when it comes to communication channels, but this isn’t always true. The truth is:

• Having multiple platforms can actually slow down communication—rather than speed it up. When your team has a variety of options for communicating with you, each employee will have their own preference for how to reach you. If there’s not a clear consensus about which method is best for what kind of message, people may waste time deliberating over whether an email or text message is more appropriate given the context of the situation at hand.
• Having one unified platform avoids issues like these by creating a simple and consistent process that everyone understands and uses regularly. A good rule-of-thumb: pick one platform that works well across all devices, like Prospr, instead of two or three separate ones (like iMessage, WhatsApp). This way your team knows exactly how they’ll reach someone on-the-go or at their desk when needed!

Get employees on board with your communication strategy

Let your employees know that if they don’t use the communication tools you provide, they might not get their messages heard. Changing habits is hard but well worth it if your entire team is aligned on what the correct process for reporting should be.

Use the right Channel for the right Message. Business owners cannot expect that their teams are going to monitor every possible form of communication at once. Facilities ticketing, resource libraries, team schedules and the best method of chat and communication should all live in one centralized resource. When you demonstrate the benefits of a centralized communications platform with your team, everyone is more likely to be on board with any changes within your business. Always make sure you are using the right channel for the right message when communicating with your teams./

Why thread form communication is outdated

If you think your team is going to react positively to messages laid out in thread form, think again. Thread form is a nightmare for teams that don’t all work at the same time. Team members are more likely to read a single message if they don’t have to hop between channels or scroll through a bunch of questions that came before it.

Thread form communication is not a reliable way to reach employees. Scrolling through a list of thoughts, questions and concerns, before getting to the most important information, is a huge waste of time for your team. Communication must be immediate, clear and simple to find for it to be effective. If you need to communicate something important to your team, make sure you have something like a digital bulletin board that allows managers and admins to share only the most important information across the entire team at the click of a button.

The best way for the modern manager to communicate with their teams is via an app like Prospr that allows them to post important information for their employees without worrying about context or previous conversations. This streamlines the process of both sending and receiving messages, which means managers will get quicker responses from their staff members who won’t need to spend time trying to decipher thread form conversations.

Only communicate with your teams during their working hours

Only reach out to your team during their working hours. If you need to get in touch with your team outside of their scheduled work hour, limit it to urgent matters that need immediate attention. This ensures that proper compliance concerns are addressed, as well as making sure that when your employees clock on for their shifts, they are committed to the challenges of that work day.

You can also use a group chat features so that other teammates see the message and one of them can take care of it while the rest of the team is off-the-clock. This way, even when you are working or have a deadline, you are not interrupting others’ personal time! Remember: communication should be efficient and effective so make sure every interaction adds value and is worth your time as well as theirs!

Technology is your friend when dealing with large teams across several locations.

To overcome the challenges of communicating with dispersed teams, you must use a variety of communication methods. Text messaging and email are old news. In 2021, only 66% of employees reported using company-wide email—and that number will likely decline as younger generations make up a larger percentage of the workforce.

However, digital communications platforms like Prospr have made communication amongst team members not just more popular than email but arguably more reliable. When your team is spread across multiple locations, jumping into a chat is one of the easiest ways to get a response from someone who might be awake at odd hours or even asleep when you send them a message. Give your managers and employees peace of mind knowing that their concern will not only be seen but also addressed when they next log in.

Taking some actionable steps.

By using emerging technologies to your advantage and implementing a unified communications solution, you can overcome several challenges that are affecting many organizations’ team communications. What’s key is to create a culture of communication within your organization so that everyone understands the best ways to communicate, which channels or platforms to use, and when it is best to contact each other. If you’re interested in learning more about how Prospr can combine all of your team’s communications into one easy-to-use platform, book a demo with us here.