Email as a form
of internal communications CAN be useful. But with so many unnecessary ccs,
round-robins and spam emails many emails go unread and serve only to clog up inboxes.
In recent years
it has become increasingly popular for companies to forgo internal emails
entirely. In many workplaces, sitting down to read a stream of long emails and replying
to them, can be time consuming and often unnecessary. Some believe it
has made office workers less productive, adding unnecessary steps to day-to-day
work. Bottomline: While email is undoubtedly great for file sharing and is still the most popular
method of internal communications in most offices, it might not be the most efficient.
With many alternatives now available - from the latest software to a return to basics - cutting out email altogether is
now a viable option for many businesses. These methods enable faster,
briefer communication.
Are you ready to
bite the bullet and get rid of office emails for one of these alternatives?
Asana
Rather than a
messaging service per se, Asana is a project
management tool, which counts Dropbox, Pinterest and Uber among its clients.
Asana allows users to track projects from start to finish, with the
functionality to create and allocate tasks, monitor progress, send messages and
share files. The website claims to have “re-imagined team communication from
the ground up” and acts as a one-stop shop for project management and communication.
Confluence
The people at Confluence have
developed a popular alternative to email that, like Asana, also focuses on the
teamwork element of business. Some of its most well-known clients are Facebook, Microsoft and Netflix. Offering a free trial, Confluence has both
cloud and server options available and bills itself as one “place to share,
find and collaborate on information." The software aims to centralize everything an individual needs to complete a
task into one place, making everything easier to find and use. The messenger function
enables users to interact, while there is also functionality to create and
share documents.
Desktop messaging
Desktop
messaging allows instant communication between 2 or more individuals. The
snappy method enables quick responses to questions, sharing of links, etc.
without reading through a chain or clogging up your inbox. The immediacy of
instant messenger programs is particularly useful for time-sensitive issues and
communicating with a number of people at the same time. There are a range
of services available, like Microsoft
Lync and Openfire.
HipChat
HipChat combines the simplicity of Instant
Messaging services with administrative controls and can be accessed from any
device. Like some of the other services out there, HipChat is built
specifically with businesses in mind and uses Twitter’s @mention functionality to contact people. All messages are kept in an easy to read and easy
to access format. The software also enables video calling, screen sharing and
file sharing, and is fully integrated with a whole range of other tools, such
as Twitter, Wordpress and the previously mentioned Asana.
Newsletter
A company or
department-wide newsletter sent out weekly or monthly can be sufficient to
provide employees with important memos. Many internal emails offer tidbits of
information, whereas regulated newsletters can condense all the necessary
information employees need into one place. The newsletter can then be uploaded
to the company intranet or SharePoint for employees to access.
Telephone
Returning to the
old-school method of using the telephone to call colleagues can be a more
efficient method of communication than email. Although this route doesn’t
afford the opportunity to keep a complete record of what is said, it is
undoubtedly more direct and immediate. And it helps to get rid of
unnecessary communication that often occurs with email, because most people would be
reluctant to call others unless they have a specific question to ask or message
to relay.
Twitter
More and more
businesses are turning to Twitter as a
method of communication both internally and externally. The 140 character limit
means messages must be concise and, as such, are much quicker to read than
emails. The direct message function of Twitter also allows for messages to be
sent privately. The Twitter app is something many people will have on their
mobile phone or tablet, meaning it is often easier for messages to be picked up
via Twitter rather than email, particularly when on the go. The @mention
function enables communication with several people and there is functionality
to create lists to group together people you follow to access their tweets more
easily.
Unison
When All Western
Mortgage decided to get rid of inter-office email, they turned to Unison to provide the solution. The
collaboration software sees itself as a faster alternative to group email, with
functionality for instant messaging, file sharing, and voice and video chat.
The software can be used on any device and its ‘rooms’ allow individuals to
work collaboratively and on the go, and while the premium package will set you
back $15 per user per month, some say it’s totally worth it.
Video Conferencing
Using video
conferencing as an alternative to email isn’t new, but using it as the sole
method of communication with colleagues that are based elsewhere might be.
Video conferencing has many positives, such as allowing you to see the other
person and therefore read their body language, permitting ‘meetings’ over long
distances and enabling all participants to share and view documents.
Communicating via Skype, or other programs, reduces the chance of
information getting ‘lost’, which can often be the case in long emails. It also
enables participants to ask questions more freely, rather than going
back-and-forth via email.
Yammer
Launched in
2008, and now owned by Microsoft, Yammer
is a freemium enterprising social networking service. With free and paid
options available, the service enables individuals in the same organisation to
contact one another, share information and organise projects. The tool
professes to help businesses cut back on meetings and emails, whilst using its
group functions to work collaboratively with other team members. The
Facebook-style layout means the site is easy to use and allows users to share
ideas, documents and updates, and like HipChat, it employs Twitter’s @mention message
function.
This article was written by e-junkie Guest Blogger Will Bridges, HR Consultant at Unum.
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