Communication channels are numerous and vitally important to our lives. Just think about how many you engage with in the average week. Count every platform you check and every way people reach you. It adds up, doesn’t it?
And while this may just seem like an interesting note, it’s actually extremely significant in the context of business. Successful businesses must communicate highly effectively, both internally and externally, and that’s easier said than done.
Every time you deliver a message, you must choose which channel—or channels—are best for it. Would being face-to-face help? Or would a succinct and straightforward email yield the optimal result?
If you can figure out which channels are most appropriate for what you intend to say, you can give it the best chance of being received well. To help with that, this post will cover the basics of communication channels, including the following:
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What are communication channels?
Most people instinctively understand what they are, but ask them to define communication channel and it can get a bit tricky. In a nutshell, communication channels are mediums through which you can send a message to its intended audience.
For example, phone calls, text messages, emails, video, radio, and social media are all types of communication channels.
In a company, communication channels keep information flowing efficiently. A breakdown in any channel, such as phone lines being down, could leave your employees and customers being seriously misinformed or left in the dark.
On the flip side, effective communication channels can enhance productivity and help you make better decisions as a team.
Here are a few other ways to use communication channels:
Receive and send important messages
Answer your team’s questions in real-time
Prompt discussions that encourage teammates to communicate with each other
Share materials like presentation files and important documents quickly.
Types of communication channels
Different channels of communication are typically classified as either oral or written. These categories can be broken down further into other different types of communication channels, such as formal, informal, or unofficial ones.
An example of a formal communication channel is a slide deck shared during an all-hands meeting, which gives employees a clear idea of the company’s goals.
Informal communications, on the other hand, could include group chats addressing work-related issues. Lastly, unofficial communication channels could be any medium that team members use outside of work hours to discuss random topics (like that Warriors team chat you’ve got with your coworkers).
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9 Communication channels examples
There are many different examples of communication channels, both in day-to-day life and business. Here are some effective communication channels to use in a professional setting:
1. Email
A communications channel example that falls amongst the written category, email stands out as the most popular option. You can compose an email and get your message across in a jiffy.
If you’re sending something that you’d like to be able to trace or refer to later on, emails are a good option because they can be stored in an inbox. The only thing is that employees are inundated with emails every day, so it can be easy for them to miss crucial messages.
When to use email: When you need to forward a sensitive document or keep a permanent record of communications.
💡 Pro-tip:
Emails are great, but be careful not to over-rely on communicating through emails—inboxes tend to be overflowing with junk, so it might not be the best way to get a hold of someone. Always have a back-up alternative (like the other options on this list) ready!
2. Video conferencing
Once in the realm of science fiction (remember the Jetsons?), video calls have become an almost indispensable part of today’s businesses:
People can join meetings from locations around the world, from one-to-one catch-ups to all-hands meetings with hundreds of people.
This channel also comes to the forefront in certain industries like healthcare, with healthcare professionals using video conferencing to see patients and offer remote treatment. It may take some time getting used to, especially if your employees haven’t participated in a video conferencing session before, but generally it’s pretty easy to pick up.
When to use video conferencing: When you want to communicate strategic decisions or hold discussions with your remote team.
💡 Pro-tip:
Use an intuitive video conferencing solution (like RingCentral Video—check out a demo of how it works!) that makes it easy to participate in virtual meetings.
3. Phone calls
Besides video conferencing, a phone call is another communication channel example that’s great for communicating urgent issues and getting answers quickly.
If you don’t need visuals to communicate your message, a voice call is a little more convenient. Plus, if the person you called isn’t available, you can leave a voice message without being restricted to a certain number of text characters.
That being said, phone calls can incur massive initial costs, especially if you’re using traditional phone lines or systems, like a private branch exchange (PBX) to transfer calls to other members of your team.
If you think you’ll be making lots of international calls, look into a business phone service that lets you make calls over the internet. Again, RingCentral is a good option here (especially since the app has phone calling, video conferencing, and even team messaging all in one place):
When to use phone calls: When you need to communicate something urgently but you don’t need to give a visual demonstration.
💡 Pro-tip:
Use a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calling app. This lets you make calls over the internet (no pricey phone lines used here) and eliminates the need to purchase expensive hardware.
4. Instant messaging (IM)
IM, or team messaging, is great for simple and direct communication between teams. You get pinged right away if someone sends you a message, and you can type out a reply in seconds. Some messaging platforms even let you share files and create tasks in your message threads:
While all of this sounds great, IM channels can get “noisy” if you have your notifications turned on all day. There can be many ad hoc groups, comments, and discussions on various topics depending on how your team uses it, so make sure to customize your notifications or your availability status so that you don’t get disrupted too often:
When to use messaging: When you want to collaborate quickly on a project or get an informal opinion.
💡 Pro-tip:
Use a team messaging tool that makes it easy to sort discussions by topic or groups.
5. SMS texting
If your teammates are often away from their desk, then business text messaging may be the most efficient way to communicate something urgent. You don’t need internet connection to send and receive messages, and SMS logs can also be kept and referenced to make sure everyone’s accountable.
Plus, you can get your message across without derailing someone’s focus since they don’t have to open a browser or log in to an app. But mobile phones remain a personal space for most people, so SMS texting should probably be avoided unless it’s something really important.
When to use SMS: When you want to check in on the status of a project or communicate last-minute requests.
💡 Pro-tip:
Use simple, clear, and direct language to get your point across. (Remember, you can only use 160 characters in a single text with some providers.)
6. Live chat
When you have customers that regularly seek information from you, deploying a live chat system on your website can be a hyper-efficient way of addressing their needs.
A handful of support assistants equipped with the right resources can smoothly resolve basic queries and escalate anything tricky to the most suitable people. Making this option even stronger, you can also make use of AI-powered chatbots capable of achieving remarkable levels of efficiency.
This isn’t always necessary, but it’s ideal for businesses that face near-constant customer engagement, with transportation companies being excellent examples.
When to use live chat: When you need to provide rapid and economical customer support at scale.
💡 Pro-tip:
Be honest with customers when you’re using chatbots. Companies that try to hide their use of automation can suffer customer dissatisfaction and reputation damage.
7. Knowledge bases
Instead of providing information about your business or processes upon request, you can forward people—typically employees, but potentially customers as well—to purpose-built repositories of relevant documentation.
Guides, FAQs, training courses, and even onboarding videos are perfect for knowledge bases, allowing users to find the answers they seek.
And though it takes time to create a fleshed-out knowledge base, it can deliver superb ROI through all the time it saves once it’s up and running. Make it accessible to an AI-enhanced assistant and you’ll have a quick way to get even the most niche questions answered without needing to dig through old files.
When to use knowledge bases: When your business relies on numerous SOPs and you’re spending too much time guiding new hires through core actions.
💡 Pro-tip:
Carefully research platforms before deciding where to build your knowledge base. A strong platform will make it easy to upload and edit content, provide excellent performance and reliability, and support any integrations you desire.
8. Blogs (or vlogs)
Blogs started as online diaries covering the latest TV shows and the many oddities of early internet systems. They’ve long since become potent tools for businesses that want to connect with their customers more broadly and attract more visitors (ideally prospects) to their websites.
Blog posts can share company updates, industry insights, case studies, product or service reveals, or even behind-the-scenes stories that serve to humanize the businesses behind them.
Vlogging can take that personal feel to the next level by putting faces to companies, making them easier to like.
When to use blogs (or vlogs): When you want to share in-depth information, tutorials, or updates with your audience to drive engagement and build brand authority.
💡 Pro-tip:
Build and deploy a long-term content plan, then stay extremely patient. It takes a long time—and great consistency of output—to earn a sizable audience.
9. Social media networks
With massive user counts and global reach, social media networks are perfectly suited to spreading messages, but they’re great for other things, too.
Social media customer service helps you reach your customers in ways more convenient for them, for instance, earning you significant goodwill.
Additionally, being active on social media is great for engaging with prospective customers and fellow members of your broader business community. A move as simple as commenting on a post from the head of a company you admire can lead to a productive conversion or even a collaboration.
There’s also much to be said about the company culture benefits of employees engaging with one another’s social activity. You should never attempt to mandate social engagement, of course, as social media use is mostly a private thing (and some don’t use it at all). But, if you build company social accounts that spark industry discussions and celebrate company milestones, you can certainly encourage it.
And if you can get numerous employees participating in social media discussions alongside your business accounts, you can present a unified front to the world, suggesting strong morale and strengthening your brand reputation.
When to use social media networks: When you want to improve brand visibility, show expertise, and build team cohesion.
💡 Pro-tip:
Make good use of the potent analytical options of social networks. Getting deep into the data can help you optimize your reach, getting your messages seen by more relevant people and setting up more valuable engagement.
Choosing the best communication channel
Although it might be tempting to communicate through as many channels as available, choosing the right communication channel or channels actually needs a more calculated and mindful approach.
Below are a few things to think about before you select a channel for your business messages:
1. Get familiar with your team
It might seem obvious, but the first step when choosing the right channel of communication is to consider the preferences of your team. Who are they and what channels do they engage in? Do they prefer phone calls, text messages, or some other form of communication?
You can find this out by conducting an employee engagement survey or using employee engagement apps. Knowing where your team hangs out will help make sure you’re using the right communication channels to talk to them.
2. Consider your message
The type of message is another thing you should take into consideration when asking yourself how to choose the best communication channel. Ask:
Is the information formal or informal?
Does it include visuals or text?
Is the message time-sensitive or trivial?
Does it need to be easy to find later?
Then, zero in on the appropriate communication channels to use. If, for instance, you’re delivering a presentation, then you might want to take advantage of video conferencing software that has a screen sharing feature so that you can share different types of reference materials.
Interesting note: Characteristics of communication channels
When matching a communication channel to your message, it’s useful to know some key characteristics and best features of a communication channel.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the types of channel we mentioned earlier:
Written communication channels – Ideal for if you want a record or paper trail of any communication, and for when accuracy is paramount. Tends to be slower to get your message across, however, and also slower to get a response.
Oral communication channels – Ideal for messages you need to convey instantly and also for if you want real-time responses or collaboration. Less appropriate, however, for sharing more complex information and can often leave you without a record of conversations. Unless, of course, you can easily record calls or meetings.
3. Take a look at your budget
Your budget will also influence your choice of communication channels because you’ll have to invest some money to get your message across. Ask yourself:
Is the channel affordable given your company’s overall budget?
What tools are available for each channel?
If you’re going to use multiple mediums for business communications, how much money are you willing to invest in each?
The 5 best business communication tools for small businesses
Identifying the right channels is a good first step, but you also need the right communication tools to relay your message through different mediums. Here are four options to look at:
1. RingCentral
As we mentioned earlier, if you’re looking for an all-in-one communications app that won’t break the bank, RingCentral might be the perfect option for you.
Video conferencing. VoIP calls. Instant messaging. SMS. You get all of that and more without a phone system or having to download tons of different software.
The other perk is that you can switch easily from a phone call to a video call in the app, just by tapping a button:
As a UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) platform, RingCentral gives you a consistent, unified experience across multiple devices, no matter which channel of communication you choose to use at a particular time. The nice thing about having all these communication channels in one app? You don’t have to pay multiple subscription fees every month for different apps.
Pricing: Starts at $20 per user, per month for the RingEX Core plan
🤯 On top of all this, RingCentral could save you up to $400 an hour in IT costs.
Explore the RingCentral Advantage for small businesses:
💰 You can also use this calculatorto see roughly how much your business could save by using RingCentral to support your team’s communications with clients or customers, and each other.
2. Slenke
Slenke combines business communication with task and time management. In terms of communication, you can have both team and individual chats, and you can even create messaging boards for participants. All messages and files shared with this tool enjoy top-grade encryption for the utmost safety of your information.
One thing to note: Slenke doesn’t have a built-in video conferencing or screen sharing feature. You’ll need to invest in a standalone video conferencing tool and then integrate it with Slenke for a unified experience.
Pricing: Starts at $15/user/month
3. ContactMonkey internal communications
Not everyone’s hopping off the email train. Let’s face it, sometimes, emails are still the best way to communicate with your team.
This is where ContactMonkey comes in. It’s ideal for internal email communications and integrates seamlessly with Outlook or Gmail. That means you can track every email opened and know which messages are being read.
Want to know how individual employees or campaigns are doing? There are advanced analytics for that. Dig into the data to identify your most engaged employees or measure link clicks, email opens, devices, and feedback.
Internal communications often get overlooked because the focus is (often, rightfully) on the customers. But if you need to step up your internal email game, then ContactMonkey has everything you need to analyze the performance of your emails and make logical conclusions based on emerging trends.
Pricing: Custom, based on your needs
4. HubSpot
On the other hand, HubSpot’s email tracking software is an excellent choice if you’re looking to optimize your email outreach strategy.
The platform keeps you in the loop with how each email is doing—you’ll get notified as soon as prospects open up your emails, click on one of your links, or download a document.
You can then use the platform’s contact record to zoom in on each specific prospect and gather the details necessary to send personalized follow-ups, like its lifecycle stage, previous conversations, and more.
Pricing: Free version available. Paid plans start at $15 per user, per month, as part of HubSpot’s Sales Hub.
5. Kommo
Kommo is an effective communication channel that allows you to synchronize chats from various platforms to one system. Its advanced features integrate team messaging and individual lead discussions into a single CRM to leverage productivity and business efficiency.
You don’t need to open multiple apps to connect with potential leads and clients. Instead, with Kommo, you can access all their chats on different social media platforms in one place, experiencing easy and quick communication. Also, Kommo has a built-in messenger, facilitating easy communication and collaboration among team members.
Pricing: Starts at $15 per user, per month
Reap the benefits of communication channels that best suit your business
You might have decided that one communication channel is right for you, but don’t get stuck with it. Experiment and see if you can’t harness further communication channel benefits by broadening your scope.
For instance, depending on the urgency of your message, you may want to use instant messaging or opt for an even quicker medium like SMS. But there’s no guarantee that these channels will work better than, say, video conferencing.
So, take the time to test a few channels, so you’ll know which ones will help improve your communications strategy. Also, make sure whatever tool you choose, it offers multiple ways to communicate—you’ll be amazed at how much more efficient and streamlined it’ll make your business communications.
Originally published May 16, 2024, updated Jul 25, 2024
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