Virtual Communication: Meaning, Advantages, Importance

17/05/2021 0 By indiafreenotes

Virtual communication is how people interact with others without being in the same room. It’s used by remote teams in an office environment and practically every industry.

Because virtual communication has a huge impact on productivity. When your team knows how to communicate well, they can get work done without waiting hours for a response.

For most employees, business communication takes place over many different channels:

  • Instant messaging apps: iMessage, Slack, or WhatsApp
  • Video conferencing software: Nextiva, Cospace, or Hangouts
  • Project management tools: Asana, Basecamp, or Trello
  • Email clients: Apple Mail, Outlook, or Gmail
  • Social media: LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter
  • Phone calls: Desk phones, VoIP apps, mobile phones

Advantages of Virtual Communication

There are many advantages of virtual communication. Here are some of the things to like about this type of communication:

  • Reduce Need for More Office Space: Virtual communication eliminates the need to create space for employees who can work from home or wherever they are.
  • Convenience: People or employees can interact with each other from wherever they are. They do not have to meet in person. This reduces frustration, especially when they are busy or caught up in traffic.
  • Saves Money /Cut Costs: Another advantage of virtual communication is that you are able to reduce transport expenses. Companies cut on operational costs of employees, thus saving more money to be used on other functions.
  • Time Saving: There is no need for a physical meeting to communicate. Different virtual communication software allows you to pass across whatever information you have from wherever you are. This eventually saves time.
  • Enables Organizations Harness Talent from Anywhere: If people do not have to meet physically, then it means they can work from homes remotely in any continent. This way, an organization is able to amass the best people for the job increasing productivity.
  • It Is Fast: Virtual communication takes no time to connect with the other person. It is only a click away and you get to convey what you have in mind.
  • Increases Productivity: When time is saved, convenience is present, best talent is harnessed and flexibility is attained, there is definitely an increase in productivity. Employees become more effective and efficient as well.
  • Promotes Flexibility: This is essential for busy people who are struggling with work and life balance, for example working mums. Virtual communication helps them work from wherever they are, communicate fast and submit projects on time.
  • Easily Contacting Colleagues: Employees are able to consult each other very easily and fast. There is no need to move from your desk to the other. This saves time too. That is one of the advantages of virtual communication which you can enjoy when connecting your colleagues.
  • Reduce Boredom: Working from the same place day in day out is It actually contributes to inefficiency among employees. If you can work on a project from anywhere else apart from the office, the change of environment is good for your body and mind. You will not be that bored.
  • Easily Keeping a Record: The last advantage of virtual communication is that you only need to click a button and you get to record video calls and audio calls. Your phone keeps a record of instant messages. This is unlike face to face communication where wrongful word of mouth can be spread easily.

Importance

Learning how to improve communication skills is an ongoing process that should grow and develop continuously instead of remaining static throughout our lives.

As the world becomes more dependent on the internet and other global platforms communication is vital. For virtual teams, communication is even more critical and even more difficult. The very first, and most important thing to understand is that there is a big difference between virtual communication and office interactions. In the absence of facial expressions, body language and voice signals, your underlying meaning is not always clear.

As with most tasks in life, the essential part of any client/Virtual Assistant relationship is communication. You cannot get tasks completed, and goals achieved, without constant communication.

Communication is key to any relationship, but communication with your VA is vital to ensuring success. In order to develop a productive partnership with your Virtual Assistant, communication will be the key element for success. Opening up the lines of communication should work from both sides.