Communication is one of the most important parts of running a business. Bad communication can lead to disaster, where mistakes are made and clients are potentially driven away. On the other hand, good communication keeps everyone happy and working together productively. It’s a no-brainer that most businesses aim to improve their communication.
There are many different ways to communicate with colleagues and clients alike. The most obvious one is to simply talk to them face-to-face. Either in the office, in a meeting, or over lunch, many people prefer this approach. However, this isn’t always practical, especially for online businesses.
In this situation, video chat becomes one of your best friends. Here’s why:
Communicate Anywhere
Running an online business means that going international is far more common among even small businesses. When you can connect instantly with someone, why not widen your client or customer base?
One of the major benefits of using the internet to connect with colleagues and clients is that you can talk with them from anywhere. This is a priceless tool if you work with someone who lives in a different country. Simply arrange a time for your meeting and go for it. When talking to someone in a different time zone, make sure to factor that in so that you can find a time appropriate for both of you.
Many online businesses are run by digital nomads, which is someone who works from their laptop while traveling. Digital nomadism is a hugely rewarding experience if you can do it, but it does make it more difficult to meet with clients and team members. When you can video chat, then you can conduct business on the move.
Body Language
Another option to communicate with people online is to use an instant messaging system. Instant messaging is, as you’d expect, instant. It can be used to make contact with a client or customer or to chat with your team on a more convenient basis.
Instant messaging is clearly a useful tool for businesses. However, sometimes it isn’t the most effective way to communicate with another person. When communicating in person, you will use language to put your point across, but you will also use body language.
You naturally use body language to help you to communicate tone and emotion. Your colleague, client, or customer will also display body language which allows you to be able to tell how the conversation is going. Instant messaging makes this impossible. This can lead to miscommunication of your message or intent.
As well as the possibility of miscommunication, instant messaging can sometimes be impersonal and sound brusque. This isn’t always a bad thing. If you want to put a simple idea across or to say something as quickly as possible, you can’t beat instant messaging for brevity.
However, the personal touch is a vital part of building relationships with your team and with potential clients. While video chat isn’t as effective as meeting in person, you can still reach the other individual and convey positive body language. Even a smile can do wonders.
Save Money and Time
Time is money, as the saying goes. Money is also money, which is obvious enough that there isn’t a saying about it. The long and short of it is that a business should earn enough money to sustain itself and the people working there. Even a sole trader working on their passion needs to be able to support themselves.
As more people become involved in a business, communication becomes more important and money becomes more of an issue. Many business owners consider setting up an office to allow team members to work together.
However, if the pandemic showed us anything, it’s that many people can work from home. While there are benefits to a physical office, sometimes these aren’t outweighed by the cost of renting and maintaining a physical space.
Many people prefer working from home as they don’t have to commute to an office. Video chat opens up the ability for teams to work with each other without being physically there.
Also, when meeting with clients who live far away, you will often have to take on some nasty travel costs. You sometimes have to pay for accommodation as well. This means that you’re already out of pocket just to meet a client who could have easily been reached more quickly and cheaply via video. Read more about video chat to find out more about how you can use it in your business.