For a lay person, communication means talking to one another, but when we talk about communication at corporate level, it entails a whole plethora of other stuff. At the corporate level, it refers to entire spoken and written interactions, internal and external. Today, in the digital age, any wrong communication can have an adverse effect on a business. Hence, it is imperative that the communication is effective.
Talking in terms of Internal Communication, it is vital that the communication is transparent. This helps the employees to understand the company better, builds a sense of trust, and encourages the employees to actively participate in the company’s matters.
Similarly, when we talk in terms of External Communication, transparency helps in building trust with clients. Many people are interested in knowing what a company stands for, its values, and not only what it delivers/produces. It is a fact that clients are more likely to stay loyal to a company that communicates openly and transparently.
An effective communication keeps everyone on the same page. When people, who work together, know how to communicate clearly and respectfully, they can accomplish things more efficiently. They work together as a unit, rather than as individuals with different information and no clear game plan. This helps in building a great team work.
On the contrary, when an organisation’s internal communication is unclear and distorted, the chances of miscommunication are high. This results in increased mistakes and reduced productivity. Now this is something that needs to be avoided by a clearly streamlined communication.
Employees work effectively when they are supplied with accurate and timely information. In the absence of the latter, that information may not make it to everyone who needs it. This leads to an employee making extra efforts, which could have been avoided had the communication been sent out to everyone, to get the missing information that results in hindering his work. Employees might also make mistakes due to lack of information. In such a case, the information going out to the clients may also suffer negatively because it is incorrect or unavailable.
Having said that, corporate communication is much more than employees communication. It also involves the communication between an organisation and its clients. Corporate public relations has a significant role in affecting a company’s success. More so in today’s digital era where a single offensive social media post can generate lots of negative buzz around the organisation.
However, it is not incorrect to say that positive, effective external communication begins internally. When the company clearly communicates the values and goals of the organisation, employees are able to better reflect those qualities as they represent the organisation. The employees must also be clearly communicated about the social media etiquettes of the organisation and employees must be instructed to adhere to those only.
The communication that an organisation has with the public helps build the brand. Negative communication or messages that contradict the organisation’s mission and vision, can affect the reputation of the business. All external communication must be done in a consistent voice which helps build the reputation and the branding, ultimately leading to the organisation’s success.
A very important aspect of external corporate communication is providing the best client service. The employees who interact with clients must have impeccable communication skills, and it is the organisation’s responsibility to have them trained. In the absence of this, the clients may feel like they aren’t receiving the best service possible. This results in loss of business as well as image.
Corporate Communication is a very vital part of any organisation and does play a very big role in building or damaging an organisation’s corporate perception.
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