Planning Communications

A Communications Strategy is an essential part of a company's overall growth strategy.

Communications systems can often lag behind as companies grow:

Avoid the crisis? When your adding more staff, more agents and external field staff, more locations and widening the customer base without first improving communication systems will inevitably precipitate one crisis after another. A communications strategy, with a network at its heart, needs to be the essential part of your overall business plan.

Part of the strategy: All companies need to consider the marriage of voice and data at the work station. Combined voice data systems save money, sharpen the marketing effort, improve customer service and rationalise support and training costs. Harmonisation of communication means that even systems can become part of the network. Voice, data Internet communications and even video can be merged into one so that when, for example, customers call in, they are automatically ID’d and their details seamlessly presented on-screen. Small firms often use integrated computer/ telephony programs such as messaging to manage their telephone marketing.

Staff Access: Giving e-mail access to staff may seem an extravagance but in today’s Internet-connected world it is almost mandatory. It will also prove a good use of staff time. E-mail increases your availability to suppliers and customers alike and reduces phone, fax and postage costs. It also removes the limitations of time – messages can be sent and received at the sender’s and receiver's convenience.

By integrating IT systems with those of your suppliers, distributors, and other partners, a company can become more powerful, in a sense creating a ‘virtual corporation’