Business communication methods

METHODS OF COMMUNICATION P7 – OUTLINE ELECTRONIC AND NON – ELECTRONIC METHODS FOR COMMUNICATING BUSINESS INFORMATION, USING EXAMPLES FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF AUDIENCES

ELECTRONIC METHODS OF COMMUNICATION • Email communication • SMS text message communication • WWW (world wide web) communication • Video conferencing communication • Fax communication

EMAIL COMMUNICATION • This is electronic mail sent via the web, it is an effective way for businesses to get information across to their customers, employees and business partners. The advantages of using email is that it is cheap, as long as the user has a valid internet connection then they will be able to send an email anywhere across the world. Email communication is also fast as the receiver should get the email within minutes of it being sent, in addition, the email sent can be saved so that it is not easily lost this makes it an effective method of communication. An example of a business using email communication will be; when a job candidate has applied for a job role offered by the organisation the organisation will usually reply via email as it is a professional and formal method of communication. • However, there are a few disadvantages to using email as a method of communication, for example viruses can be easily spread through the use of email, in addition hackers may be able to access victims information and go onto their email, this will give them access to important files that may be stored on their email. Furthermore, receiving emails may take up excessive data storage meaning that some files will need to be deleted in order for the individual to receive another email. • Overall, I would argue that businesses using email as a form of communication is effective as it is reliable, cheap and quick to send, it also provides evidence to anything sent giving the send or person receiving it a valid excuse if something goes wrong between them.

SMS TEXT MESSAGE COMMUNICATION • This form of communication is when a business or induvial sends information via mobile phone text message. The advantages of this is that mobile phones are used and taken everywhere by the vast majority of the population, therefore by sending a text message to someone there will be a high chance of them seeing the message sent immediately. A way in which businesses can use SMS text message as a form of communication will be when they need to notify their employees of shift times. For example, in McDonalds, the store manager may send an employee a text message to remind them of when their shift starts.

• However, the potential disadvantages of using SMS text message as a form of communication is that sending text messages cost money. Also, through text people may not interpret messages sent in the way that you would expect them, therefore the sender should be wary of the words used in the text message. In addition, text messages are more informal methods of communication rather than formal so businesses will need to evaluate when it is appropriate to use.

• In evaluation, using SMS text messages can be effective for businesses when they are trying to contact and employee urgently about a situation. However, if they were to make a business proposition or arrange a meet up with someone then they will need to consider if SMS will be an appropriate method of communication to use.

WWW (WORLD WIDE WEB) COMMUNICATION • The world wide web is commonly used by business as a way of getting information across to their customers and employees. This includes the organisations online website where they will update their customers with new information. For example, the McDonalds official website allows customers to create and account where they will receive email notification of new deals and offers being provided by McDonalds, this is an effective way in which they can communicate with their customers. Advantages of this is that it allows the customer to keep engaged with the organisation if they are receiving regular update via the world wide web.

• However, disadvantages that may occur when organisations use the world wide web is that sensitive information may get hacked or lost, this could have a negative impact on their business resulting to a decrease in the amount of sales made meaning they will generate less revenue and profit.

• Overall I believe that the world wide web is an effective way for businesses to get information across to their customers, however I would not recommend it as a way for businesses to communicate with other businesses about future plan due to the fact that it can be accessed easily by hackers.

VIDEO CONFERENCING COMMUNICATION • This form of communication is when an individual communicates with another person via video camera on a technological device, this is beneficial as the participants can be in different locations but still be able to see each other's body language and hear each other's voice clearly depending on the quality of the internet connection that they have access to. An example of when a business will use video conferencing as a method of communication will be when they want to do a business meeting but circumstances has made it difficult for them to meet up in person, for example; a CEO of McDonalds has to share important information with a number of people from the marketing team but he is un able to meet up with them at the current time, instead he will do a video conference call communicating with everyone at once.

• The advantages of video conferencing communication are that it avoids participants having to spend money to travel in order to meet up with each other, it also allows the participants to hear each other's tone of voice and see their body language making the method of communication effective as the participants will be able to interpret the message correctly.

• However, disadvantages of video conferencing as a form of communication will be that the call may lag if the internet connection cis not of a high standard, in addition, if the business is willing to purchase a high-quality video conferencing system it will be expensive.

• In evaluation, I would say that using video conferencing as a form of communication is effective for businesses as it could be used in a formal way as well as an informal way this makes it flexible depending on how the user wants to use this method of communication. It allows important meeting to take place without the participants being face to face but helps make the communication as effective as if they were physically there.

FAX COMMUNICATION • Fax machines are used to scan a piece of information as send it to a user worldwide who can then print an exact copy of the information sent to them. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cTdfvczaZk ) Ways in which businesses will use fax machines as a method of communication is if they were to send important files across to precipitants. For example, a person working in a stock exchange firm will need to send all the financial records which have been printed on a piece of paper, they will scan it through the fax machine and then send it to the person who need to receive the information, once send the precipitant will be able to print an exact copy via their own fax machine.

• The advantages of using fax machines as a method of communication will be that they are reliable to use, in addition they have much higher security levels than that of email as fax machines are rarely hacked, on top of that no harmful software will be able to damage the files that have been sent by the fax machine. This makes it a secure method of communication for businesses to use.

• However, disadvantages of fax machines are that because they are old there will be a higher chance of the technology failing, also they required paper and ink which costs money, fax machines also cannot be used if the person does not have a landline phone number.

• In evaluation, fax machines are a more secure method of communication for businesses to use rather than email, however, they are not common anymore due to the changer in society, in addition it is easier to for businesses to communicate via email as all the people that receive emails will have access to email.

NON – ELECTRONIC METHODS OF COMMUNICATION • Letter communication • Memorandum communication • Publicity material • Invoice communication • Telephone call communication

LETTER COMMUNICATION • This is a form of written communication that will be used by organisations in order to get messages and information across, a letter consists of words and Is most used for formal communication purposes. An example of a business using letters as a form of communication will be; if a student attending Barnet and Southgate college fails to go into lesson then a letter will be sent to their home to inform their parents.

• Advantages of businesses using letter as a form of communication is that by sending a letter this will enable a written record of the message to be kept, in addition the message being sent will be communicated in a professional manner, this makes it suitable for businesses to use. Letters can also be sent all over the world and provides visual information as well as written information, the number of pages within a letter can vary.

• However, when using letters as a form of communication it may result to disadvantage such as the precipitant interpreting the messages incorrectly, also the letter may get lost or take time for the individual to receive it. There is also no confirmation that the person the letter was intended to be sent to have received the letter personally, as someone else could have intercepted the letter and gain access to the information stored within it.

• To conclude, I believe that using letters as a form of communication for businesses would be effective to a certain extent due to the fact that the format of which letters are written are usually in a formal way, this makes it good for businesses to use as it is more professional. However, letters as a form of communication will be slower than that of an email meaning it can delay the process of passing information on.

MEMORANDUM COMMUNICATION • This form of communication is when someone records a voice note through a voice recorder in order to send information to another person.

An example of when a business will use a memorandum form of communication is when; the CEO of the company wants to leave an important voice message to the employees working in the firm, he will record the message and they will be able to listen to it over and over again even though the CEO is not present at the time of which they are listening to the recording.

• The advantages of using memorandum communication is that it is less disruptive than phones calls, for example if a manager wanted to get their message across they would do it in one recording this will save them time and the message will get straight to the point that they will be trying to get across. In addition, it is easy to use and can go from department to department allowing a large number of employees to hear the voice memo.

• Disadvantages of using memorandum communication will be that it is a one-way form of communication means the person receiving the information cannot question it if they are unsure what was being meant, this can lead to confusion. The employees will not know the tone of the memo meaning the way the message may be interpreted will be wrong.

• In evaluation, using memorandum communication can be effective when trying to get information across to a number of employees within the business in a way in which they can all be able to understand.

PUBLICITY MATERIAL • This is when an organisation passes information onto the media in order to generate publicity, one of the most common examples of publicity material would be press conferences. For example, the leader of a large organisation such as Apple inc will have a press conference with news reporters and journalists, during the press conference they will answer questions asked and provide information that they want to become public, this will enable them to get information across to a range of people on a large scale as well as benefit their organisation by making any issues clearer.

• The advantages of organisations using publicity material will be that it allows them to get information across to a large scale of people using voice communication as they will be speaking. Body language will also be important for the member of the organisation giving out information as people will be able to interpret the mood in which they are talking helping them to understand if what is being said is true and meaningful.Another advantage of a business using publicity material is that it is usually free allowing the company to save themselves money.

• However, the disadvantages of using publicity material as a way of getting information across would be that people may pick out negative if a press conference was used. For example, if a question about the specific company was asked and the interviewee was unable to provide an answer to the question then it could reflect badly on the company affect the number of sales made.

• In conclusion, Publicity material can be an effective way for an organisation to get information across as it targets a large number of people, in addition, it also allows the employee promoting the company to communicate through speech which makes it more understandable for the target audience. Also, the use of publicity material is mostly free therefore the organisation will be saving themselves money. However, if they do not publicise their organisation appropriately it could cause a negative light to be shed on them resulting to a decrease in sales.

INVOICE COMMUNICATION • Invoice communication is a detailed bill given by the seller to the buyer, the bill may include the quantity of each item, prices, service description and contact details and address of the seller. An invoice is used as a legal document as evidence of an incurred debt. For example, if a small business selling furniture allows the customer to pay slowly they will make an invoice allowing them to keep track with the customers payments and allowing the customer to know how much they have left to pay before the product can be delivered to them.

• Advantages of using invoice as a form of communication will be that by using invoicing it helps to meet the customers' needs because if they can't fully pay for the product it allows them to pay slowly meaning they will be more liable to purchase the product or service being offered. In addition, it will help to increase the organisations cash flow which will be beneficial for their business.

• However, using invoices will not work for every organisation, a disadvantage of using this method will be that it only helps the organisation to solve one problem, which is customer cash flow problems any other problems will require the organisation to adopt a different method which may cost them a lot more money.

• To conclude using invoices are a good way for businesses to communicate with the customer about payments being made, this makes it effective to be used by orgasnisations as a way to communicate, however using invoices will not work for every organisation as effective so they will need to consider whether it will be suitable for them depending on the type of market they operate in.

TELEPHONE CALL COMMUNICATION •

Telephone communication is the transition of information, over significant distances using a phone, this type of communication whose most basic function is to allow two or more people separated by large distances to talk to each other freely. An example of a business using telephone phone calls as a form of communication will be if they are employing an individual. For example, McDonalds will contact the applicant via telephone call as pass information through to them about their job application.

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The advantages of businesses using telephone call as a form of communication will be that it allows the individual to have a normal conversation via speaking with another person which could be someone applying for a job role, the employee or a customer enquiring about somethings. In addition, it is fairly cheap to use telephone communications, it also allows the two people communicating with each other to be located in different locations which makes it beneficial for businesses to use.

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However, by using telephone calls as a form of communication the users will not be able to see the body language of the other person meaning that the conversation may not always be authentic. In addition, there may sometimes be problems with the service in that area that the user is in meaning that the phone call may be distrusted or not allow the users to hear each other clearly. Another issue that may occur could be that the phone may die half way through the conversation due to having low battery meaning the conversation will not have been finished.

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In evaluation, telephone communication is an effective way for businesses to communicate with a range of different people as it allows them to have a conversation without having to be located near to each other. It will allow them to provide all sorts of different information and deals with enquiries from customers. Many businesses provide their telephone number if you want to get into contact with them, I believe this is the most efficient way to pass information through to customers without being in the same location.

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