Startups and Communication Channels: Getting It Figured Out at the Outset

Communication is one of the most vital elements of a successful business. There is no faster way to completely destroy a business than to have poor communication. Employees will grow frustrated and quit, while customers will take their business elsewhere. In short, if you want to guarantee that your business will fail, don’t pay attention at all to your communication.

When it comes to proper communication, the first thing to do is to realize that communications need to be clear both internally and externally. Both of these types of communication are distinct, and there needs to be set channels for communication along these lines. For external communication, review the following considerations:

Identify Customer Channel Preferences: How do your customers talk with you? For much of the twentieth century, calling was the primary channel. As the 90s progressed, email became a new method. In the 2000s, texting arose, and as the 2010s and 2020s have progressed, other forms have emerged. Different generations tend to favor different modes of communication. Therefore, once you have identified your customer base, be prepared to identify how they like to communicate.

Identify Your Channels: Once you have identified how your customers communicate, the next step is to determine which channels you will use. This could be a very crucial point, since it might pinpoint which CRM’s would be best for your customers. Additionally, keep in mind that the more channels that you have, the more you will need to monitor things.

Set Clear Boundaries: When will you monitor communications with your customers? Unless your company operates 24/7, I would strongly encourage you to keep all correspondence during business hours. That way, you stop working at home, and you do not elevate customer expectations to being on demand.

Review As Necessary: Since you are new to this, there is a chance that you might have guessed wrong. Review and adjust, but it is important to realize that we need to take time to allow things to happen. Don’t adjust on the first day or even week. Stick to the plan until you have a large body of evidence.

Maintain Consistency: Do not allow any exceptions to the boundaries or anything else. If you want everything to be efficient, you need to make sure that everything is completely consistent across the board.

Internal communications have some similarities but notable differences. Here are those considerations:

Identify most Effective Means: Consider something like slack for your office workers. Texting could be very unobtrusive, especially if customers are on the phone with someone else. Calls might be necessary (especially in a factory setting.) However, what is important is that you choose a channel and try to keep it to that. Multiple channels of communication gets confusing very fast.

Identify Emergency Means: There will undoubtedly be emergencies that will arise. These can be special modes, but what is important is that emergencies must be narrowly defined. 

Set Clear Boundaries: Not only what constitutes an emergency, but also how will you interact with your employees? I would strongly advocate only on company issues devices during operating hours (or during an employee's shift).

Review As Required: Since new policies and procedures tend to be guesswork, be prepared to revisit and adjust. Unlike with external communications, this needs to be adjusted as soon as any potential issues emerge. This is because you will be using these channels nonstop during business hours, and making sure everything moves smoothly is crucial.

Maintain Consistency: Do not make any exceptions. Once you have set things and agree to them, stick to the plan. If it doesn't work, adjust it, but then stick to that plan.

Communication is never easy, and there is a good chance that, even on the best days, there will be issues. The goal then, when it comes to setting up clear communication channels, needs to be one of making sure that all potential obstructions are removed.