As time is money, just about everything in the business is an expense. But there’s more than time wasted by inefficient communication methods. Communication, both internal and external, is vital in any business. But without thinking about how exactly you communicate, you could be spending more money on processes you could easily get for free. Here are just a few ways you can immediately reduce those comms costs and make the business just that little bit more efficient.

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Start From the Top

Who controls your company? You do, of course, but do you have active stake and shareholders as well? The communication from this top-down area needs to be just as efficient as the internal comms between you and your employees. Look into Board Governance if you’re struggling with this issue. After all, if you don’t have that core foundation of communication, you’ll be unable to set an example to incentivize your team. Make sure this quality flows throughout your whole organization for the best results. 

Digital is better

Online is fast becoming the way that many companies handle a large portion of both internal communication and getting in touch with clients and partners outside the business. Email, instant messaging, and free videoconferencing software cost very little. But you can expand your digital communications to something as simple as making a phone call, as well. VoIP solutions for your business help you manage a whole network of phones through your internet connection instead of relying on the traditional phone lines. Not only can this save the money that the business, especially a growing one, would save on phone calls. It also tends to create a much clearer, higher quality line.

Get your head in the Cloud

It’s also worth considering the ways that inefficient communication methods distract and interrupt colleagues. It can be a real blow to productivity which translates to a real blow to the potential profitability of the business. Encouraging more independent methods of getting the information you need in the business, such as using Cloud computing services, can make a real difference. Instead of having to stop someone’s work in its tracks to ask them for a particular document, you can make all the important files available to anyone at any time. For companies with large data needs, this also cuts the costs of storing and maintaining your own large data centers. When investing in a cloud system for your business, you can opt for a public or private cloud system, or for a more cost-efficient and flexible option, a multi cloud networking system. Just make sure to research all the options thoroughly before deciding on one, and once it is installed, ensure that all your most important data is backed-up on a physical device as well.

Don’t pay for all that marketing

Your marketing efforts are going to comprise most of the communication you’ll be doing with your customers and potential customers. It also happens to be the most expensive form of communication if you’re not finding the right balance between the methods available. Direct marketing such as pay-per-click advertising, video marketing, and so on are effective, especially when you’re looking to get a big push in conversions and revenue in the short-term. However, if you’re looking to market to build brand awareness, increase interest, and keep your conversions on a slow upwards trajectory, then organic methods like email marketing, search engine optimization, and content marketing can be much more effective. If you do them yourself, they also come with next-to-no costs.

If you want your best possible chance of being profitable in business, you have to look for every opportunity to cut costs without cutting effectiveness. The three points above address communications, but take a closer look at each and every process and resource you’re investing in. If you haven’t looked at the alternatives, there’s a good chance it’s all costing you more than it should.