How Business Connectivity Solves Disconnected Teams and Inefficient Processes

Discovering how to connect employees has become a significant business concept. Connectivity has become essential for businesses as the percentage of deskless workers and unconventional work arrangements has increased.

Indeed, according to Forbes, 60% of executives are positive that connected technology will be a key component of their organization’s digital plan and directly influence their capacity to build relationships with employees.

This blog explores a detailed roadmap to amplify the efficiency of disconnected teams with business connectivity.

What is Business Connectivity?

Business connectivity refers to the different techniques and tools that allow a company to communicate and share information both online and within its facilities. It is the foundation of any successful company collaboration.

In addition to determining how employees work, connectivity also affects how fast they complete tasks and how well they cooperate.

However, business connectivity is not a one-dimensional approach. It also connotes how employees interact with company goals and understand its values.

Benefits of Business Connectivity

Let’s understand the manifold benefits of business connectivity along with some examples.

1. A Neatly Structured Workflow

An efficient method of labor mobilization is required for businesses dispersed over a large geographical area or field operations. Employees can collaborate efficiently using an interactive workforce platform, which integrates workflow and mobile communication into a single solution.

Examples include:

• A team uses data visualization tools to create live dashboards. This integration allows departments to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs).
• A team uses Slack or Microsoft Teams for real-time messaging to reduce email clutter and facilitate instant communication.
• A business can automate tasks such as transferring customer information from a web form (e.g., Google Forms) directly into a CRM (e.g., Salesforce). This reduces manual data entry errors and saves time.

2. Increased Creativity Through Various Viewpoints

Disengaged teams miss out on the variety of viewpoints that can be obtained by simply being in the same space. However, digital connectivity allows team members with different backgrounds and levels of experience to participate in brainstorming sessions.

Take, for instance, a marketing staff that is dispersed over several nations.

They can hold creative sessions where each participant offers their own cultural insights and ideas through videoconferencing. This variety can lead to creative advertising efforts that appeal to a worldwide audience.

3. Improved Team Cohesion Through Virtual Socialization

Digital connectedness allows team members to engage outside of their job responsibilities. Even team-building activities or virtual coffee breaks can help bond dispersed team members.

For instance, a sales team could use Zoom to conduct a weekly “happy hour” to exchange personal accomplishments. This social engagement creates a more cohesive team dynamic.

Understanding the Challenges of Disconnected Teams

What might occur, then, if your team is disengaged? Let’s examine a handful of the many drawbacks of having disconnected employees.

1. Barriers to Communication

A major problem with disconnected teams is communication bottleneck. Effective information communication is difficult when team members are not physically present.

For example, a tech company’s marketing team would find it difficult to coordinate its strategies if it only uses emails for updates. Misunderstandings can occur, which might result in redundant work or missed deadlines.

Instant feedback and brainstorming in face-to-face meetings are often lost in digital communication.

2. Limited Collaboration

The collaborative spirit that face-to-face meetings cultivate is frequently absent in disconnected teams.

Software development teams that use Agile techniques provide a classic example. With the absence of regular stand-up meetings or collaborative tools, developers may find themselves working in silos. This leads to integration issues and project delays.

3. Reduced Engagement and Morale

Employees who work remotely may experience feelings of loneliness, which can impair morale and engagement.

For instance, according to a Gallup poll, remote workers frequently feel less part of the business culture than their colleagues who work in offices.

As disengaged employees may look for more rewarding possibilities elsewhere, this disparity can increase turnover rates.

4. Accountability Issues

Keeping track of progress and ensuring every employee is responsible can be difficult in teams that are spread out. For instance, a sales team working in different places might struggle to follow up and assist each other.

5. Cultural Misalignment

Creating a unified corporate culture when teams are disconnected can be arduous. Let’s consider a multinational organization with teams across multiple nations. Ensuring every employee shares the company’s values would not be easy.

Further, varying views of corporate culture among disconnected teams can result in miscommunication and conflict.

Inefficient Processes: A Productivity Killer

Let’s examine some inefficient processes and how they impact the productivity of disconnected teams.

• Redundant Tasks: Time and resources are wasted when the same tasks are repeated because of a poorly designed workflow.
• Slow Decision-Making: Red tape slows down responses and delays approvals.
• Poor Tools: Using old software can make it hard to share data and work together.
• No Training: Employees without the right skills may struggle with tasks, which slows down work. 
• Uncertain Goals: Teams may work aimlessly and misalign their efforts without clear goals.
• Unproductive Meetings: Unstructured meetings without a clear agenda lead to a waste of time.

How Business Connectivity Solves Key Problems

Here are the top solutions business connectivity offers to minimize inefficient processes.

1. Centralized Information

Dispersed information is a recurring difficulty for disconnected teams. However, business connectivity solutions centralize resources in one place.

This makes it easier for team members to access the necessary information, saving time and reducing frustration.

2. Facilitates Better Communication

Business connectivity tools can help team members communicate more easily. These tools, whether collaborative platforms, video calls, or instant messaging, help teams stay in touch and minimize miscommunications.

3. Better Work Efficiency

Teams can solve issues and make quick decisions when they stay in touch. Since team members can focus on their tasks without being interrupted by communication problems, this increased efficiency leads to higher productivity.

4. Better Project Management

Business connectivity solutions often include project management features that help teams

• Track progress
• Assign tasks
• Set deadlines

This clarity lowers the possibility of missed deadlines by ensuring everyone knows their roles and can keep track of the project’s progress.

5. Cultural Cohesion

It could be difficult for disconnected teams to establish a cohesive team culture. Connectivity tools help bridge this gap by enabling the following:

• Regular check-ins
• Virtual team-building activities
• Informal chats

Even when team members are geographically separated, this builds relationships and improves team ties.

Strategies to Build Business Connectivity

Here are the top strategies to overcome inefficient processes in businesses.

1. Communicate and Live Up To the Vision of Your Business

Start by ensuring that each employee is given a chance and supported to fully understand your company’s vision (long-term goals), values (fundamental ideas and beliefs), and purpose (the reason for existing).

Utilize the onboarding phase to fully benefit from generating tailored pathways for each employee that reflect your company’s values.

Verify if executives are promoting the company’s purpose and setting an example. Organize virtual office activities and events that showcase your values.

Continually inform all staff members about how they can use their internal communications platform to contribute to your business’s goals.

2. Make Use of Technology for Collaboration

Invest in collaborative technologies that make project management and communication easier. Remote teams can collaborate effectively using tools like Zoom for video conferencing and Slack or Microsoft Teams for instant messaging.

Furthermore, Teams can maintain engagement through regularly planned brainstorming sessions.

3. Establish Programs for Peer Mentorship

Peer mentorship programs can be incorporated into leadership development initiatives and provided when a new hire is onboarded to the organization. In either scenario, mentorship programs convey that social interactions are crucial for knowledge acquisition and personal development.

These schemes can benefit employers wishing to provide their staff with worthwhile benefits without investing large funds. Alternatively, they can strengthen important interpersonal ties to boost efficiency.

4. Opt for Regular Check-Ins

Plan frequent check-ins to keep the lines of communication open among team members. Some examples are:

• Weekly team meetings
• Biweekly one-on-ones with team leaders
• Monthly all-hands meetings

These check-ins allow team members to discuss their work, raise issues, and acknowledge accomplishments, which promotes an encouraging environment.

Let’s understand this better with a real-life example! Every week, a global marketing firm holds team meetings where everyone discusses their ongoing tasks and difficulties. As team members provide guidance, everyone is kept informed, and camaraderie is built.

5. Establish a Center for Employee Recognition

Sharing documents at work is not the only way to use an intranet. It can also serve as a rewarding tool for keeping staff members in touch. Use it to highlight particular teams and content relevant to the company’s initiatives or the season.

This strategy will improve corporate culture and enable dispersed teams to honor their colleagues for exceptional work.

Future Trends in Business Connectivity

The landscape of business connectivity is constantly evolving. Let’s examine some of the upcoming trends in the domain!

1. Expansion of Cloud-Based Communication

Cloud connectivity has completely changed how employees collaborate in a company. And that revolution continues to pick up steam. Spending on cloud computing infrastructure is expected to reach $1 trillion in 2024 as more companies move to the cloud. Cloud-based apps continuously evolve to fulfill organizations’ connection demands,

2. Adopting the Concept of Unified Communications 

More companies are using Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) to increase efficiency and simplify communications. Businesses are accomplishing seamless connectivity and instant collaboration across a dispersed workforce while lowering IT and infrastructure expenses.

This is possible by combining audio, video, and collaboration capabilities into a single unified communications platform that is usable from any device, anywhere.

3. Personalized Connectivity Options

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to connectivity. Organizations have varied demands, from dependable Internet connection and safe networking to the best cloud services.

While some may prioritize data protection, others may be more concerned with optimizing their network for a dispersed workforce. Hence, the demand for personalized communication channels is on the rise.

Takeaway

Data silos are created when data breaks down into distinct systems, making it challenging to access and analyze within the company. As a result, teams finish tasks without the proper context, which results in low-quality output.

Exploring and employing apt communication tools and strategies is the cornerstone for building efficient business connectivity.

Looking for the appropriate tools to build business connectivity? Consider The Employee App. From targeted communication channels to instant text messaging, we offer a mobile-first platform with high-end features to help teams stay connected.

Book a demo today to discover more about our business connectivity solutions.

FAQs

1. What is business connectivity?

Business connectivity refers to integrating various communication and collaboration tools within an organization. It enables seamless interactions between teams for enhanced efficiency.

2. How does business connectivity help disconnected teams?

Business connectivity bridges the gap between disconnected teams by providing them with real-time communication tools. This ensures that everyone on the team, no matter where they are physically located, can access relevant information.

3. What are some examples of inefficient processes that business connectivity can resolve?

Some examples of inefficient processes that can be improved with business connectivity are redundant workflows and a lack of access to relevant information.

4. What tools are commonly used to enhance business connectivity?

Project management software, communication platforms, cloud storage solutions, and video conferencing are common tools for enhancing business connectivity.

5.  Can business connectivity improve employee morale?

By encouraging a cooperative work atmosphere, corporate connectivity can raise employee morale.