It’s tough to believe that yelling across an office or waiting for a response to an email is the most efficient way to communicate at work. Technology is constantly evolving to make our lives easier, so keeping in touch with your colleagues is now instant, and more effective than ever. After all, you can use mobile apps to efficiently manage your business, so why not use other apps to improve workplace communication. Today, web and smartphone apps can supercharge your company’s internal communications, helping streamline your efforts to improve efficiency, productivity, and ultimately, your bottom line. Here are just a few suggestions to get you started.
Instant Messaging apps
Most social media sites have an instant messaging function, but using these to communicate in the workplace can be distracting. Instead, use software such as Slack, Hipchat, or Campfire to instantly pass work updates to your colleagues. You can use each of these programmes to share files, start conversations for group projects, and automate tasks. They have none of the distractions of a social media, and they are far quicker than writing an email and waiting for a response.
Apps to bridge gaps
Open door policies are a well-meaning way to stay informed about an employee’s projects or difficulties, but they’re no good if they are rarely enforced. Apps such as Basecamp can help bridge the gap between department heads and employees. It’s designed to make it easy for people in different departments within a company to share files and collaborate on projects. It can also make it easier for employees to learn who to look to when they have a problem. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use organizational charts, but it provides your employees another frame of reference.
Video conferencing apps
When most of your office memos come in the form of emails or alerts, you can quickly scan them but soon forget the information you have read. The endless bombardment of information isn’t easy to absorb. At the end of the day in particular, this could result in bouts of forgetfulness. Sometimes you can’t beat face to face contact, and video apps such as Skype are the closest you can get if you all work remotely. A video conference commands the full attention of your colleagues, and you can gently remind them of some important information that may have gotten lost in the sea of emails.
Monitoring apps
Keeping track of every employee and making sure they’re all pulling their weight is a monumental task. This is not the case with technology. A reliable employee task monitoring app, such as Redbooth, enables you not only to track the progress of every worker but also check what have been done already and what requires your immediate attention. With these apps, you can track progress on projects, delegate tasks to people with a lighter workload, and send out reminders about deadlines. Time is money, after all, so it’s good to know that everyone is productively working towards the same goal.
