Your small business has left the confines of your garage or spare bedroom and has since branched out to its own physical location. You may not have hit the big time yet, but you certainly have proven that you have what it takes to manage a larger and more profitable enterprise.
One of the challenges of any emerging business is handling the changes to its communication needs. That was no problem when everyone that worked for you was in plain sight, but has become a much bigger challenge when your staff is scattered in different rooms as well as on the road, the latter in a bid to drum up new business.
You can manage your growing small business communication needs by keeping in mind the following options:
Employ modern technologies. We live and work in a digital age and it is in that environment where our communication efforts swim or sink. These days, it isn’t enough to keep in contact by traditional phone, rather it is important that other tools are employed to get the job done.
Communication can get expensive and can tether your business to lengthy and rigid contracts that last longer than your needs. Consider that not every person needs a phone at their desk. Instead, a company smart phone may be what they need to stay in touch and to access the Internet. Examine how your staff interacts internally as well as externally with its customers. Look for a flexible solution, one that also ties in your needs including voice mail, email and Internet access.
Schedule those meetings. Technology is no substitute for face to face meetings. Those meetings, however, can be more difficult to hold especially if your workers are scattered across multiple locations and time zones.
Where possible, have your staff convene for a 20-minute weekly meeting at a prescribed location. For staff that is out of town, have them call in for a conference call. Develop an agenda to ensure that each point is covered. Take extraneous matters offline or follow up with a separate phone call with that individual as needed.
Establish clear expectations. As your company grows, your expectations will grow with it. Still, expectations need to be managed, otherwise unrealistic ideas may soon prevail.
Encourage your employees to share, creating an atmosphere of trust and respect to ensure that lines of communication are always kept open. Outline your expectations and modify your plan as needed. Be prepared to listen. Solicit feedback. Ask for advice. Build your employers up and the lines of communication will always remain open.
Looking Ahead
As your business continues to grow, you will need to examine ways to ensure that lines of communication are always kept open. One way to do this is to delegate tasks to your managers, requiring them to keep in communication with their reports. Once a week or on an “as needed” basis, your managers can report to you to identify problems and challenges. Each meeting should be concluded with effective solutions offered and strategies implemented.
Consider as your company grows that your staff will need to engage in team building exercises. The way that this works is that your staff participates in certain activities such a problem-solving through games and group exercise. The idea here is to help your staff improve their listening skills and find ways to keep the lines of communication open and coherent.
Emerging businesses have it difficult enough to work through growing pains without communication issues adding to the problem. You cannot solve every problem yourself. Indeed, you may need to hire a communication professional, an individual that can gauge your staff and customer communication needs, and offer guidance on how to make needed improvements.
Cassie Lummus is an independent writer for Answering Service United. She is an expert in professional customer service.