Channel Selection – Various Business Scenarios

Channel Selection: Various Business Scenarios

Communication is the key to get business relationships. Each interaction with co-workers, managers, and customers revolve around effective communication. There are several communication channels that have a place in business including face-to-face communication, telephone, video chat, email, instant message, letter, memo, blog, report and wiki. Each channel selection has advantages and disadvantages depending on the situation.

Appropriate Communication Channel

Depending on the situation, there is an effective business communication channel. For a situation where communication is needed to investigate cell phone marketing, the best channel would be a blog. The blog will offer a place to share ideas with a large audience as well as encourage responses (Guffy & Loewy, 2016). When deciding on the appropriate communication channel, several factors need to be considered. The most important factor is the importance of the message and the level of feedback or response rate that is required (Guffy & Loewy, 2016). Each communication channel will solicit some type of response and the communicator needs to think about both those things when deciding on what type best suits the situation. Additionally, the communicator needs to think about the sensitivity and confidentiality of the message being communicated (Guffy & Loe

For a business situation where communication between colleagues is needed, an instant message or text is appropriate to send him information on a project collaboration. Instant message such as texting is a great channel selection when quick responses are needed (Guffy & Lowey, 2016).

In a business situation in where several people need to work together on an event, video chat works very well. Video chat is superlative when group interaction is needed but the members are spread out and not in one central location (Guffy & Lowey, 2016). Video chat allows people to be in different places and even in different time zones working together

When a person wants to speak with a manager of business needs such as changing a business schedule should be done in a face-to-face meeting situation unless the manager is in a different location where a video chat would be best. A face-to-face meeting is the best way to discuss personal messages (Guffy & Lowey, 2016).

In a business situation where a quick response is needed such as availability to a teleconference meeting, a group instant message works best. Quick and instant responses is great use of instant message.

For a business communication where a person is asking for a favor such as rushing a job that is in production, an email works well. Email can be used to ask questions and solicit responses as well as provide a record of the conversation.

Lastly, for a business communication where a response is sensitive in nature and formal, such as a response to the Internal Revenue Service for a penalty for underreporting income for the previous year, a letter is the most appropriate channel selection. A letter is for external messages that require a formal response (Guffy & Lowey, 2016).

Advantages of Communication Channels

There are advantages for various channels of communication in business. One of the advantages to face-to-face communication is that it is more personal and a good way to communicate news that is bad or of a personal nature (Guffy & Lowey, 2016). Face-to-face communication conveys a personal interest in the person. Video chat is very similar to face-to-face communication but additionally, allows the participants to be in various locations as well as one-on-one as needed.

Email is advantageous because it is quicker than a letter and can get very detailed like a phone conversation. Email is an electronic communication and can be used when a quick response is not necessary (Guffy & Lowey, 2016). Additionally, an email provides a written record of the communication. Instant messaging such as texting or IM is a very good way to quickly communicate with someone when you need a quick response to a question.

A letter is a long-standing communication channel. For a long time, before electronic communication, letter and telephone was the only way to communicate in business. Letter is now considered a formal way to communicate when the material being discussed is sensitive or a record is needed (Guffy & Lowey, 2016).

The advantage to a blog is that a blog provides readers with information and can speak to many people at one time. Additionally, a blog can solicit responses as well as be a continuous conversation between the blogger and the readers.

Disadvantages of Communication Channels

There are definite disadvantages to the various communication channels. For video chat and face-to-face communication is the fact that the conversation is face-to-face. While being able to watch verbal and non-verbal communication is important, being able to see can be difficult too. The person receiving bad news may not be ready to respond in a face-to-face meeting. The same holds true for a video chat because that is very close to face-to-face correspondence and responses in face-to-face can be unexpected especially when delivering bad news. Even though it is not advantageous, people are able to formulate a response to news better when given time to think about it like through email.

The disadvantage to email and instant message is the lack of verbal communication and the ability to see someone’s non-verbal communication. When sending an email or instant message, the sender needs to be careful how they word things because communication can be taken many ways without the addition of non-verbal communication or voice infliction. Additionally, electronic communication is not always clear so if the person receiving the message is unclear what is being said or asked after several attempts, a telephone call or face-to-face meeting might be a better solution.

A letter, while it is formal and a written record, takes a long time to receive and be responded to. Letters usually are sent through the postal service which can take a few days to weeks to be delivered depending on where it is being sent. If the sender needs a formal response back, the time continues to tick by making the selection of letter a time-consuming effort.

As far as the blog, the disadvantage can be the ability to comment. People have so many various opinions and sometimes the opinions are not relevant or appropriate. As helpful as the blog can be it can be just as detrimental when people express opinions that are not supportive.

Channel Selection Impact

The channel that is chosen to communicate is vital to how the communication is received. Choosing the right communication is a critical factor in how the communication is given. If the wrong communication selector is chosen, business communication can be halted or stalled. Productivity with employees can be decreased or increased depending on the way the employer conveys messages. Deciding on a communication channel needs to be as important as the message being sent. According to Guffy & Lowey, “Employ richer media for more persuasive or personal communications” (Guffy & Lowey, 2016).

References

Guffey, M. E., & Loewy, D. (2016). Essentials of business communication (10th ed.). Stamford,

CT: Cengage.