The Ultimate Guide to Communication Software for Business in 2021

As the world is adopting digitisation at a rapid pace, cybersecurity risks are increasing, with large enterprises being at the highest risk. Since 30% of security breaches occur because of internal actions, businesses need to secure their internal communication. Finding the right communication software for business can help.

Here’s a comprehensive guide to enhancing the security of your business communication with the best communication tools.

What Do You Need from Business Communication?

Streamlined and secure communication is the backbone of any business. It increases employee engagement and improves planning and management. Optimum communication ensures all departments, teams, and employees are on the same page, resulting in higher employee productivity and organisational efficiency.

Let’s look at the benefits of business communication.

Online Collaboration with Team Members

About 75% of employees consider collaboration “very important” to achieve the desired performance results. Effective business communication facilitates internal communication and promotes collaboration among employees. Collaboration improves employee engagement and enables them to perform better.

Collaboration also plays a crucial role in engaging remote teams. A large share of the global workforce works remotely, presenting the need for a robust communication system.

Event and Project Planning

Strong communication is a key aspect of successful project planning and management. It unites managers, stakeholders, and team members, ensuring that they agree on the project’s strategy, budget, and objectives. When the communication is clear, everyone understands their role, making employees more focused and increasing the chances of completing the project successfully.

Task Management

Managers need to assign and delegate tasks every day. An effective communication system allows seamless delegation of tasks without any inconsistencies. It improves management at all levels and improves operational efficiency.

What Kinds of Business Communication Platforms Are There?

Companies have different communication requirements. Some companies may need a secure messaging app, whereas others need full-fledged collaboration and virtual meeting tools. You can choose the platform that suits your requirements. Business communication tools are available in two categories: internal communication tools and external communication tools.

Internal Communication Tools

Internal communication tools help employees, teams, and departments communicate with each other. The purpose of these tools is to set clear goals, increase employee performance, and ensure that all members of the organisation are in complete accord.

Some internal communication tools used by businesses are:

Document Collaboration and File Sharing Tools

Sharing files and documents is a regular activity in all organisations. Many companies are moving from physical documents to digital documents to reduce paper costs and improve sharing and collaboration. Document collaboration tools enable seamless sharing of documents within the organisation. Team members can set edit permissions, make comments, and give suggestions.

Video Calls and Instant Messaging

Virtual meetings have replaced in-person meetings to a large extent. Over 70% of working professionals use video communication for 1:1 meetings, team meetings, standup meetings, and large group meetings. This increased use of video conferencing has given rise to the demand for video calling and instant-messaging tools.

Team Communication Tools

Using team communication tools isn’t new, and their usage will only increase in the upcoming months. These tools serve one major purpose: unified communication. Companies usually have various departments and teams communicating on different channels. This can cause a communication gap, leading to errors. A team communication tool provides a single platform for all internal communications.

Employee Engagement

Employee engagement tools help managers and HR teams increase employee job satisfaction and retain talented employees. These tools allow employees to interact with the HR manager and discuss any issues.

External Business Communication Tools

External business communication tools enable companies to distribute information to the public. This information can be in any medium, such as text, audio, image, or video. Two common types of external business communication tools are:

Chat Tools and Group Messaging

Messaging tools help companies share text, image, and audio messages with the public. These tools include text messaging apps, email responder tools, websites, advertisements, newspapers, magazines, and other solutions and platforms that help you reach a broader audience.

Video Web Conference

Businesses can use video conferencing tools for outreach. Social media channels like Instagram and Facebook offer live video functionality, a helpful feature for businesses to interact with their audience via video.

How Should You Evaluate Your Business Communication Tools?

The right communication tools can add immense value to your business. They can make your employees more productive and help you plan and manage your tasks better. However, if your current communication tools don’t support your objectives, they can increase your costs without adding value to your business.

Here is how you can evaluate your business communication tools.

How Is the Ease of Use for Team Members and Employee Engagement?

The ultimate goal of investing in communication tools is to make the life of your employees easier. If the tool is difficult to use and has a long learning curve, you’ll not be able to achieve the desired return on investment (ROI). It’s essential to have a communication tool that is easy to use for every employee in your t~~ime~~eam. Of course, it takes some time to get used to new software, but in general, the tool should be easy to use.

Do They Contribute to Project Management?

Many project management tools come with built-in communication and collaboration features. If your primary objective is project management, you could opt for a full-fledged project management solution (PMS). If you have a standalone communication tool, it should contribute to your project management efforts by integrating with your PMS.

Do They Work on Mobile Devices?

84% of remote workers check their mobile phone in bed, and 72% admit checking it on the toilet. With remote work being the new normal and mobile usage among working professionals increasing, businesses need tools that work on iOS and Android devices. Hence, support for mobile devices should be another key focus area when evaluating your communication tool.

Can They Handle Video Conferencing and Online Meetings?

Another prominent trend, along with remote work, is virtual meetings. Almost every company that relies on remote work conducts virtual meetings. Therefore, your communication tool should have built-in videoconferencing and video meeting functionalities.

Security is the Most Important Criteria for Your Communication Tool

When selecting communication tools, businesses limit their focus to features, usability, and pricing. Another essential component every communication tool should have is security.

Let’s discuss why security is the most crucial ingredient of business communication.

This is How Much a Data Breach Costs Businesses

If you’re a small business, data breaches and security issues can adversely affect your business. The Cost of a Data Breach Report 2021 by IBM shows that £2.7-3 million is the average yearly data breach cost. Apart from financial loss, security issues can ruin your business’ reputation, and you can risk losing your customers.

Basic Communication Tools Lack Security

Despite the rising costs of security breaches, basic communication tools lack essential security features. Over 60% of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are concerned about security risks. Companies need to prioritise security and upgrade their communication systems accordingly.

Secure Internal Communications Are a Necessity for Enterprise Level Companies

Secure communication infrastructure isn’t optional; it’s a necessity, especially for enterprise-level companies. When cyber attackers hacked LinkedIn’s database and posted the data of 700 million users on the dark web, everyone realised even the most prominent enterprises aren’t safe from cyberattacks. Therefore, enterprises and large companies need to take proactive measures to enhance the security of their internal communications.

Here is Why Messagenius is the Best Solution

You don’t need to spend endless hours searching for the best business communication tool. With end-to-end encryption, complete data ownership, and seamless integrations, Messagenius is the best choice for your enterprise.

Here’s why Messagenius is the best business communication tool for you.

Built for Secure Business Communications

Messagenius is one of the few tools that offers instant messaging with complete data security and ownership. Available in on-premise, private server, and cloud installation, Messagenius is a 100% GDPR-compliant tool that takes your communication security to another level. Some security features of the tool are:

Encryption keys accessible by a single admin only
Black Hole disappearing messages and Black Box modes
No involvement of third parties to store or access your data

Extra Features for Effective Business Communication

Cutting-edge security is not the only reason you should use Messagenius. The tool comes with various features that help you create a robust communication environment for everyone.

Key features of Messagenius are:

Send broadcast blast messages to multiple recipients at once
Track message delivery and proof-of-receipt
Send restricted messages accessible by biometric authentication or face ID.
Send priority messages and pin them for increased visibility

Integrates into Any Workplace Environment

Messagenius is ideal for both private and public workplace environments. The solution comes with numerous outside-the-box integrations, allowing you to customise the tool as per your requirements. Here are the main integrations supported by Messagenius:

Enterprise database sync
Intranet and custom internal systems
Conversational agents, chatbots, and AI tools

Contact Messagenius for a Free Consultation

Are you looking for secure, end-to-end encrypted, and feature-rich software for business communication? Your search ends with Messagenius.