As 2021 comes to a close, it’s time to look to the future of your business communications. A great communications plan not only takes the financial budget into account but also the needs of both your employees and customers. The rise of remote and hybrid work models has given us all the need to pause and really examine what we need for the future of our business communications. In this article, we will go over what it takes to build a perfect communications plan for your business.
2022 Communications Plan: Build Your Team
In order to create a communications plan that best fits your company’s needs, it is important to consult several members of your staff and build a team to find the best communications solution for your business.
Head of IT or person who will be working closely with the communications system, office manager, lead sales agent, and any other stakeholders that know the ins and outs of your communications solution make the ideal team to discuss such matters.
2022 Communications Plan: For Your Business
As your committee creates the new communications plan, it is important to reflect on what works and what does not work with your current setup. Some questions to consider include are all your communications connected on the same platform? Is it easy to connect and collaborate with coworkers? Is communication between coworkers done in real-time?
As you answer these questions and build a communications plan, you need to set realistic but very broad goals. An example of a goal could be to increase the effectiveness of communications for collaboration. Once you have general goals, you can work on finding solutions that meet most, if not all your goals.
2022 Communications Plan: Industry-Specific Considerations
These general guidelines are great for every industry. However, if you are part of the school, hospital, or car dealership industries, some special considerations should be made.
Schools
Some special considerations for the school setting include the idea that you do not have sales representatives or customers. However, you can think of your staff as your sales representatives and your student’s families as your customers.
Your communications plan committee should be made up of your technology lead, a member of the office staff, and a few teachers ranging in age and experience. The diversity of this committee should be able to narrow down your strengths, weaknesses, and areas of growth for your communications.
Hospitals
Hospitals are a unique industry, in that there are a lot of moving pieces. With doctors, nurses, staff, and patients all working toward a common goal of making the patient feel better, communications are not always at the top of the priority list. However, patient care can increase when a good communications solution is installed in the hospital setting.
Car Dealerships
Another unique industry is the car dealership industry. These facilities are often spread to several different departments and buildings. This is exaggerated even more when a dealership has several locations. Mobility and flexibility should be top priorities for a car dealership’s communications plan.
2022 Communications Plan: For Your Customers
Next, you need to consider what your customers’ needs and wants are. How is your current communication with your customers? Do they have many options to connect with you? How could your customer experience increase by offering more communication options?
Some options that you might not offer now include SMS messaging, online chatbots, and phone line auto attendants. All three of these options empower your customers and clients. They can find answers to simple questions easily without the need to interact directly with staff members, freeing your employees to focus on other, more serious job duties.
Your Communications Plan Starts Today
If you need any help with your communications plan, HighComm is here for you. Our professionals would love to work with you to figure out which communications solution is best for you and your business. We can answer questions on features, functions, and costs to help you get started with your ideal communications solution today. Contact us, and you can be up and running for 2022!
