Did you know that emailing is only 7% as effective as talking? The benefits of technology to our ability to develop ideas, products, and companies have shown limitless bounds, but when it comes to being in the loop in business it’s not just about email and IM, it’s about talking more, in a personal sense, and here is why.
You Will Have Happier Customers
A lot of businesses are taking the trend of using instant messenger programs to communicate with customers so they can cut down on call waiting times, and physically have less staff in their business. This, unfortunately, has a detrimental effect on your customers because they want to resolve an issue quickly and with a person rather than a “machine.” And although someone is typing a response, there is no personality behind the conversation, and, in all honesty, it would be quicker to resolve an issue by speaking to the right person only because we can speak faster than we can type. You don’t have to completely do away with technology, it works really well in some respects with startups, such as the eReceptionist app which is a cheaper way of having people answer the phone for your business when you cannot afford a real receptionist. The key is about marrying technology to the personable approach, and that is where communication will really take off between the customer and the business.
Rapport Is Developed Across The Board
Personal communication in an office environment is being touted as secondary to remote working, and this is primarily because the cost of having people work remotely is cheaper and more personally viable. Everybody requires flexible working circumstances on occasion. But if you want a team to work together and develop that relationship which will manifest itself in a more fluid company with a higher rate of productivity and a happy work culture, you need to implement a more personal means of how your staff communicate with each other. And this comes from you and you alone. The best way to create this type of culture is to lead by example.
You Will Set Yourself Apart From Your Peers
A business that relies on technology alone to get ahead of the curve is missing one vital ingredient, personality. Put simply, it’s hard to deduce tone of voice in emails. So it’s important if you are keen on developing relationships with customers, clients, and staff that you need to find ways to communicate more personally. If you have clients that are on the other side of the world, you need to work harder to stand out against the slew of emails that your competitors are also sending to them. So make sure that if you have to use technology, find a way to enhance your own personality through this, which could mean responding quickly to emails or by opting for Skype meetings or other “face to face” approaches. It’s harder to achieve an identity via email communication alone so by developing an all-round personality when it comes to your methods of communication it will help you and your contacts.