Business communication - Essay Example

Communications have become a critical success factor in the corporate world. Businesses need to utilize effective communications between the firm andthe stakeholder groups. Some important stakeholder groups that rely on good communications with business entities include lenders, suppliers, employees, customers, government, and investors (Brown, 2009). The company employees are the group that rely the most on business communications. The managers of an organization are responsible for the work performance of the staff (Lloyd, 2012).

In order to maintain the staff motivated and producing at a high level of performance it is imperative for the executive managerial staff to keep the lines of communication open. Business communication plays an important role in my day to day activities at work. Everyday my supervisor provides me with a written list of the things that I am supposed to do during my shift. The supervisor when he provides me with the list verbally speaks to me for about five minutes. The first couple of minutes are usually composed of informal information, but the rest of the time he communicates precisely what tasks I am supposed to perform during the day.

Another form of communication which I have to closely monitor is electronic information. The growth in electronic communication in the 21st century is staggering (Johns, 2005). All company memos are sent to the employees via email. Each employee has their own corporate email account. Each week there is a staff meeting between the managers and all the employees of the company. The meetings are recorded by video for documentation and quality control purposes. Each employee has a phone in their desk with a specific extension.

The company encourages the employees to talk through the phone with other colleagues about business matters instead of walking to their desk. The phone is also used for business communication between the employees and any customer that calls the firm. An alternative form of communication that is also used by the company to maintain communication with the firm’s customers is an online forum. The forum is used to answer customer questions and inquiries. This forum also has the capability to communicate with customers through a live chat.

“The truth is that the most important part of customer care is effective communication and all the things that go with that” (Dalecarnegie, 2010). The different forms of communication devices and techniques utilized by my firm help me in my daily activities because it facilitates my work. I obtain clear instructions from my boss about the things I am expected to do during a work day. The communication between me and my colleagues is facilitated by everyone having a phone line. A lot of time is saved by the employees being able to communicate instantly via phone.

The staff meetings are an effective way for the managers to receive valuable insight from the employees of the firm. The fact that business communications are so effective at my workplace creates a work environment of trust and honesty. One of the newest trends in communication that I have seen in my workplace is providing managers, engineers, accountants, and sales personnel with smartphones. In 2010 vendors shipped 302.6 million smartphones worldwide (Idc, 2011). The corporate smartphones have unlimited internet and data capabilities.

The company encourages these employees to send business data and emails using these phones. The organization claims that communication among these key employees works faster by using a smartphone because the employee will know instantly when an email or data file arrived at their smartphones. Any email or business data file that an employee receives to their smartphone must be forwarded to the corporate email of the employee for documentation purposes. A second hot communication trend at my workplace is the utilization of telecommuting arrangements with certain employees.

Approximately 5% of the workers of the company have become telecommuters. “Telecommuting and telework are synonyms for the use of telecommunication to work outside the traditional office or workplace, usually at home (SOHO) or in a mobile station (Techtarget, 2012). For a telecommuting arrangement to work companies have to invest in technology communication devices such as computers, fax machines, telephones, smartphones, and the internet. This is a hot trend in the workplace that should continue to grow as we move forward in the 21st century.

ReferencesBrown, J. (2009). Who is the most important stakeholder group? Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://www.pmworldtoday.net/viewpoints/2009/feb/Who_is_the_Most_Important_Stakeholder_Group-Brown-2-09.htm Dalecarnegie.edu (2010). Importance of Effective Communications With Customers. Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://blog.dalecarnegie.com/customerservice/importance-of-effective-communication-with-your-customers/ Idc.com (2011). Android Rises, Symbian3 and Windows 7 Launch as Worldwide Smartphone Shipments Increase 87.

2% Year Over Year, According to IDC. Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS22689111 Johns, P. (2005). The perils of electronic communication: results of a financial services industry survey. Journal of Investment Compliance, 6(2). p48-52.Techtarget.com (2012). Telecommuting. Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://searchmobilecomputing.techtarget.com/definition/telecommuting Lloyd, J. (2012). Are Managers Responsible for Motivating Employees? Retrieved February 24, 2012 from http://www.jobdig.com/articles/465/Are_Managers_Responsible_to_Motivate_Their_Employees%3F.html