Sometimes, business communications can feel like one big game of pass the parcel. A conversation with a client introduces an important piece of information - only the person whose lap it lands in is the wrong one and has to go to someone else.
When a new 'parcel' of information comes through, an employee has to take that information, and 'pass' it to the next person. The receiver of this package then has to then 'unwrap' this conversation, understand it, add whatever information they have before 'passing' it on again. Round and round it goes, wasting time until the conversation is either resolved - or in some unfortunate cases - lost.
Pass the parcel can hardly be considered an efficient communication strategy. Rather than relying on individuals, business phone systems turn internal communications into a collaborative environment. Instead of physically 'handing' information from one person to the next, information is accessible to all. Logged and traced securely, it saves you both time and money.
Ineffective communication can feel like a game for children.
No more unwrapping
The amount of technology at our fingertips can be both a blessing and a curse. Never before have we had so many options when it comes to internal and external communications. However, the end result of an abundance of platforms is that information gets spread across all of them, which must be laboriously gathered together.
This is the big problem with separate communication channels. 'Unwrapping' information as it falls in your lap means you have to spend time (and therefore money) getting up to date before you can do anything with it. It may mean trawling through old records to find the relevant information, which today implies sifting through emails, phone calls, video chats and more to get the full picture.
By getting rid of these 'layers' of communication and putting them in a centralised place, information is brought together automatically. Most importantly, it save you the time of doing it yourself.
There's no need to let productivity take a hit waiting for information.
The ball goes where?
The second largest problem business phone systems solve is the question of what comes after the parcel has been 'unwrapped'. Specifically, who do you pass it to?
In a linear hierarchy, information generally moves between the person directly above and below. This might be a good idea in theory, as it means that information gets to the people who make the decisions. However, in todays hyper-connected and time-starved environment, this can take an unbearably long time as you wait for a response to arrive step by step.
There's no need to let productivity take a hit waiting for information to make it up and down the business chain. Unified communications brings everyone up to the same level, so that information goes to the person who needs it directly. Fonality's Heads Up Display (HUD) is an example of this. HUD helps employees be more effective and efficient by letting workers operate in a single location, transferring calls, responding to chat and more. It makes it easier for the right person to see (and more importantly, respond to) information when and where it comes in.
Effective communication naturally fosters collaboration.Communication is collaboration
The main benefit of an integrated system is that it fosters collaboration. By pooling everyone together in a common place, naturally people will start to work together. If not, the results are less than favourable. A study by Fierce, Inc, found that 86 per cent of employees blame lack of collaboration for failures in the workplace.
Don't let inefficient communication stand in the way of your business. A Fonality phone system can give you the advantage of creating a centralised, collaborative space to conduct business. Get in touch with our team today to find out how.
