In modern businesses, managing communications is one of the most difficult daily tasks we face. Less than 30 years ago, there were limited ways to get in touch with a business: phone, email, and snail-mail were the only viable channels. Even phone calls were not necessarily an immediate channel of communication since our phones didn’t go with us everywhere we went.
Today, there are hundreds of channels of communication a company needs to monitor. Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, Telegram, text messages, phone calls, e-mail, Instagram DM, Facebook Messenger, LinkedIn Messenger, and dozens of others all exist as communication streams.
For businesses, having multiple forms of communication can be a benefit but also a challenge. People often expect immediate responses, but as a business, we cannot always be monitoring every channel at once. Yes, we want to communicate with clients, but we also need to complete work for them.
This is one reason why it’s becoming important for businesses to clearly set out expectations regarding communication, and why we are endeavouring to do just that at CVL Engineers.
Setting New Expectations for Communication
Ultimately, in the modern age, messages will be missed. Communication times will be extended. It’s the simple reality of having dozens of communication methods. We are all human, and even with great systems and processes in place, we can’t monitor 10+ channels and always hit “reply” right away.
At CVL Engineers, we have done our best to keep up with the technology that is available. But we also recognize the need to manage and streamline communications. Our solution to the problem of “too many channels” is to reroute communications from all of these new technologies to three main streams: Email, phone, and text messaging.
There are a few reasons for this. First, it ensures better response times and reduces the possibility of communications being missed.
Second, as professionals, it’s important that we track conversations and record what is being discussed and decided. These messages can change the scope or direction of a project, so we need to ensure that we see them come through more formal channels.
Thirdly and finally, it helps us balance our time spent on communications with our time spent on productive work. This benefits everyone. After all, if we were working on your project and constantly being pulled away to reply to everyone else, the quality of work you receive would suffer. That’s not a compromise we are willing to make!
What to Expect from Communications with Our Team
We encourage clients and contacts to reach out to us in whatever way they feel comfortable. However, at some point, we may ask you to call, text, or send us an email. This will help us decrease response times and keep them consistent so that you can expect when you’ll receive a reply.
We always try our best to return emails and text messages within 24 hours, while phone calls will be returned as soon as we can reasonably find the time. Immediate responses can’t be guaranteed, but timely communication through our official channels is a top priority. We typically set aside specific times of the day to review and return messages.
If you have questions about these policies or you want to learn more about how you can communicate with our team effectively, please reach out (preferably by email, text, or phone!).
