What innovative communication strategies can startups take

TruTrip
Kongsi siaran pada

In today’s ever-evolving business landscape, companies of all sizes must find ways to stay competitive and up-to-date, which requires utilizing innovative strategies to increase performance and ensure survival. Approaching new communication strategies and outreach can go a long way in helping businesses remain relevant.

If we take for example a startup, it has become incrementally demanding for them to secure the investments needed for growth, with the technology industry being so competitive and tightening venture capital. 

If you run a startup and want to ensure the survival of your business or expand internationally, moving your entire team to remote may be the best option.

As the team starts to work remotely, how can you, a founding member of your company:

  • create a communication strategy that fosters an innovative, customer-centric culture in your company
  • ensure that the communication between the team members is clear and concise
  • encourage the team to work together seamlessly and achieve their goals while maintaining a healthy work-life balance

Communication among employees is essential for any business to thrive. Although lack of communication can sometimes be the reason for failure, surveys by the Society for Human Resource Management have suggested that inadequate communication in a workplace can lead to an annual loss of around $62.4 million.

Let us find out how you can improve communication in your team, while still allowing them to work remotely.

Establish a cloud-based communication system

Screenshot 2023 04 17 084327

Startups move quickly but require an organized and intentional communication system to reach a bigger audience effectively. This includes incorporating employees, leaders, support personnel, and customers into the communication network. 

A comprehensive communication system enables access to all stakeholders within your company. When you shift your business model to cloud-based communication tools, you must carefully select a communication stack that best suits your needs.

Let me explain the differences between these two types of cloud communication stacks and how they can benefit your business.

CPaaS or Communications Platform as a Service is a cloud-based platform allowing companies to seamlessly incorporate communication features into their existing applications. 

By utilizing modules and APIs, CPaaS enables developers to create custom solutions that expand and evolve the capabilities of an application in real-time, without having to create new back-end infrastructure.

 The main communication channels of CPaaS are:

  • VoIP calling
  • Text messaging
  • Conference calls
  • Social media messaging

UCaaS or Unified Communications as a Service is an all-encompassing collaboration tool that allows teams to communicate with one another and their customers quickly, regardless of location.

It gives users access to team messaging, video conferencing, and cloud phone features within a single cloud-based platform, eliminating the need for additional infrastructure investments or complex setup processes. All that is necessary is internet access.

The main communication channels of UCaaS are:

  • VoIP calling
  • Text messaging
  • Video conferencing
  • Team chat messaging
  • Social media messaging
  • Email

If you are looking for an innovative way to communicate, it is substantial to consider the choices available. UCaaS and CPaaS are both options that can tailor to specific business needs.

UCaaS provides businesses with an overhauled communications solution without having to build their integrations, while CPaaS will allow companies to keep their existing workflow but integrate proprietary features. 

Those with security or scalability needs should favour CPaaS, if not, growing startups should opt for UCaaS solutions that offer a great deal of customization.

The cloud communication platform adoption is growing across manufacturing, education, travel and hospitality, retail, government, telecommunication, healthcare, BFSI, and others. 

According to a comprehensive research laporan by Market Research Future (MRF), the global cloud communication platform market is likely to garner USD 51.37B by 2030, growing at a 19.82% CAGR throughout the assessment period of 2020-2030. 

Apart from investing in communication systems, startups shouldn’t miss out on the impact of balancing the benefits of remote work with the power of in-person meetings. HR leaders and managers can benefit from having a travel management system in place as well. This helps by streamlining travel, employee-traveller tracking, and keeping everyone on the same page with policies. By integrating it with cloud-based communication tools, startups can ensure that their entire team stays connected and informed, regardless of their location or travel schedule.

Omnichannel strategy

omni 2198013053 760

An omnichannel communication system unites different mediums, such as phone, email, live chat, and social media channels, into one unified platform. With all customer inquiries presented on a single platform, this strategy seeks to bridge the gap between channels and increase team productivity. 

It provides customers with the flexibility of engaging through their preferred channel and allows businesses to craft unique customer experiences resulting in increased revenue. 

Convergence lies at the heart of an effective omnichannel communication system.

An omnichannel solution can directly elevate the customer experience by:

  • Creating consistent experiences across every channel
  • Intelligently routing customer inquiries to the right experts and ensuring first-time resolution
  • Reducing customer wait time through predictive analysis
  • Providing 24/7 accessibility by automating common inquiries using an AI-powered Chatbot

Likewise, it augments team experience by:

  • Automating repetitive tasks, leaving more time for employees to focus on core competencies
  • Drawing on expertise from different teams to solve complex problems through internal chatrooms
  • Saving time and energy by integrating multiple business tools and apps into one system
  • Improving the team’s performance by applying learned patterns to recommend the subsequent best actions
  • Giving a 360-degree perspective of customer intent, behaviour, and sentiment

From Gartner’s research on the future of sales in 2025, it is predicted that the shift of customer preferences from in-person to digital interactions will lead to the rise of a new generation of sales leaders who are comfortable with technology, data-driven decision-making, and building relationships based on trust with customers.

Communicate beyond boundaries

Screenshot 2023 04 17 084111

Beyond an innovative idea, having grit and persistence are imperative for startups to succeed to the next level. As a growing company, you may struggle with communication and collaboration issues. 

You are not alone — businesses of all sizes face similar challenges when integrating disparate teams into a unified whole.

Virtual numbers can help expand a borderless business experience. They are telephone numbers powered by cloud infrastructure that is independent of the user’s location, meaning the user does not need to physically be present or have a physical office in the associated area. 

For example, having a virtual phone number in San Francisco will route incoming calls to any landline, mobile number, or VoIP phone no matter where your business is. Callers will think they are talking with a local business when dialling your virtual number.

Despite various signs of progress in communication technology, making phone calls is still the preferred form of communication for many people and businesses. 

From banking to healthcare to logistics, phone calls trump other methodologies like texting, emailing, video conferencing, and chatbots. 

With close to 5 billion internet users across the globe, it is no surprise that making a phone call remains one of the most popular forms of communication today.

Importance of innovative communications in startups

Communication among employees and between teams is critical for the success of any business, specifically when it comes to startups. Establishing good communication can help bridge team gaps, impress investors, and market products or services more effectively. 

On the other hand, a lack of communication may result in conflicting objectives, miscommunications, and disputes.

With limited funds and the need to maintain a positive cash flow, startups must rely on innovative communication to attain success. To remain agile and respond to customer feedback, entrepreneurs must have access to customer data and be able to quickly pivot their offerings. 

However, when teams use different applications for their own needs, they can create data silos that prevent them from having a holistic view of the customer journey. To bridge this gap, innovative communication methods are needed to understand customer behaviours and build great experiences.

Clear communication is essential for any startup’s success. It should be one of the top priorities during the early stages of business development. When this is exercised, progress can be made on multiple fronts between the various stakeholders involved in your venture. This helps solidify relationships and encourages productive collaboration in all aspects of operations.

This article is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the key elements involved in effective communication. It will also offer some guidance on how you can use this knowledge to improve your startup’s communication practices and achieve better results.

Supercharge your remote team’s potential with cutting-edge communication 

Reach out to our experts today and discover how we can help you leverage technology to optimize your communication strategy and improve your team’s performance.


About the author: Gunalan R. is a Strategy Marketing Lead at CINNOX, an all-in-one solution that cultivates a customer-centric digital ecosystem to empower next-gen businesses.