One of the smartest things a small business can do in 2020, is aim to improve both internal and external communication. Improving communication throughout the entire business can mean happier employees, a happier consumer base, and many more benefits. Here, you’ll find some pointers that could be perfect for your business.

Try Team Building Exercises

Team building exercises and even workshops can be a huge help when it comes to getting your team to understand one another better and bond. Team building encourages trust, effective communication, and getting to know one another on a more personal level. In turn, everybody is able to work together better and provide a better service to the customer. It’s a no brainer!

Bear in mind that team building does not mean your entire team will become best friends. That’s not the point. At the very least, they will understand better how to work with one another through mutual understanding.

Encourage Active Listening

Communication is not just about speaking clearly and concisely. It’s about active listening. Being able to listen is one of the key elements in communication. This way, you can figure out what a person really wants, and read between the lines. Your team should know that they should not simply be waiting for their turn to speak.

Use Texts to Customers

2020 is a brand new decade, and this usually means a brand new way of communicating. While emails are certainly not dead yet, you can incorporate texting. This doesn’t mean texting clients informally, of course – but you can use a professional service like Textbetter.com to quickly and effectively get messages to clients. Let them know if something needs to be discussed or reviewed, or if they have an appointment coming up. As people are never too far from their phones, there’s every chance that they will see a text before any other sort of communication.

Use Collaboration Tools

Collaboration tools are an expense that each business should invest in. This ensures that miscommunication is minimized and that everybody can work to the best of their abilities with peace of mind. Overall, it helps your business to run so much more smoothly.

Ask for and Use Feedback

Ask for feedback from both your team and your customers. Then, make the effort to use what you have learned. Feedback is extremely valuable, but you are unlikely to get it unless you ask for it. The fact is, if a customer is unhappy with the level of service they have received, they will simply make a mental note never to work with you again rather than tell you so you can rectify your mistake. Find appropriate ways to ask for feedback and advice and then put what you’ve learned to use.

Have you found a way that you need to improve your small business communication in 2020? Perhaps you have an idea that could help other small businesses – leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below. Come back soon!