Business communications

1.6 Business communications Communications in business  Occur constantly  Are formal and informal  Are written and spoken  Are internal (stay within the business) and external (sent outside the business)  Are essential for business success

1.6 Business communications The importance of internal communications  Operations and sales must agree delivery dates  Finance must know what has been sold  Sales staff must know credit limits  Customer service must know about problems and delays  Human resources must know about training requirements GOOD COMMUNICATIONS ARE ESSENTIAL To achieve business aims, functional areas must support each other, eg

1.6 Business communications The importance of external communications External communications are critical to sales, eg  Customer enquiries must be handled promptly  Product/service information must be accurate/attractive  Customer invoices must be correct  Customer and supplier problems must be resolved quickly

1.6 Business communications Methods of communication  Oral, eg telephone, face-to-face, meetings, telephone conferencing  By video, eg video conferencing and Internet video link  Written, eg letter, memo, financial documents, advertisements, s and attachments  Graphical, eg production drawings, computer graphics

1.6 Business communications Choosing the most appropriate method Depends upon:  The reason (eg important = written)  The recipient (eg internal/external)  The technology available  The urgency of the message (eg fast = courier or ICT)  The complexity of the message (eg very complex = written)  Whether instant feedback needed

1.6 Business communications Use oral if...  You need an instant response  You want to use your tone of voice or body language to show feelings  You want to keep checking the other person’s reaction The telephone is only suitable for straight-forward information.

1.6 Business communications Use video if...  The person is some distance away  Travel costs would be saved  Seeing the person would help the communication  You have the technology

1.6 Business communications Use written if...  It is important there is a permanent record  The information is important  The information is complex If urgent – use or fax If non-urgent – write letter or send memo NOTE: good writing skills are vital!

1.6 Business communications Use graphical if...  It would save words or explanations  It would help understanding  It would provide essential additional information

1.6 Business communications Summary  Urgent communications require a fast response  Type/quality of response very important  Technology increases choice of methods BUT Good communication skills still vital.