5 Communication Tools That Will Boost Employee Productivity
Poor communication and a lack of employee productivity can have a negative impact on a business. Each year, employers are losing thousands of dollars due to issues involving a breakdown in communication and efficiency.
When communication is unclear, there is a loss of credibility, productivity suffers and business is disrupted. Improving communication can lead to more effective dialogue between employees, supervisors, and customers.
Read on for 5 communication tools that will boost productivity among your employees.
Communication Tools To Boost Employee Productivity
Improving communication not only will benefit employee productivity, but it also improves the credibility of an organization. It helps boost morale, reduce stress, and decrease unmet expectations.
1. Intranet Software
A central portal that includes important documents, communication, and contracts keeps people on the same page. It can also reduce IT costs, and naturally, internal communication through Intranet software is private. It also centralized access to pertinent information and allows for platforms to be tailored to meet the unique requirements of your organization. Effective use of intranet software can eliminate bottlenecks and promote transparency.
2. Group Messaging and Chat Tools
70% of people work remotely at least one day a week. Remote employees need tools to communicate with managers and colleagues that go beyond the constraints of email. Giving them the tools to communicate quickly and effectively is important for productivity. Using online communication tools, such as Slack, Google Hangouts, and other instant messaging programs allows your employees to communicate with each other from wherever they are. These tools also assist with collaboration, often they integrate with other tools and productivity solutions like Trello, Google Drive and GitHub etc.
When picking a communication tool, just make sure it will work on all devices, most will have a mobile app to support this.
3. Issue Tracking and Ticketing Software
Issue tracking software is an option for both customers and employees. When a customer has an issue, they can file a ticket that goes to the right employee who can address the issue. Employees can send tickets to HR or payroll with any issues they have. Tracking these issues also allows companies to improve future processes. In larger organizations, this can help avoid issues slipping through the cracks and snowballing into larger grievances.
4. Internal Blogs and Videos
We process visual information much quicker than text-heavy documents, in fact, visuals are processed 60,000x faster than text and 65% of the population are visual learners. Presenting information to employees in a medium they can quickly digest and retain is critical. Repurposing existing training material into videos, infographics, and slides can have a dramatic impact on your team's performance.
5. Discussion Forums
Discussion boards allow employees to share information with new members of the organization. It’s easy to answer questions and streamline information sharing, utilizing these channels can eliminate departments or teams working in silos. There are also alternatives to traditional discussion forums, companies can set up a dedicated Slack channel to open up the sharing of ideas. Giving employees the opportunity to share information informally is appreciated and efficient.
Mistakes Happen & Productivity Suffers
Even when armed with the best communication tools mistakes are bound to happen, messaging mishaps can be embarrassing at best or carry more serious consequences. At On Second Thought we believe that all employees deserve the chance to take back a message sent in poor judgment or that contained an error. Productivity benefits when employees aren’t spending time trying to figure out how to explain or make up for a communication misstep.
Want to know more?
Take On Second Thought Undo for a test drive, we can implement it on your platform with a 60-day free trial. Contact maci@onsecondthought.co to get started!
