Communication is more important than information itself
We are living in age of information. We are ready to pay big money for it. Information helps us achieve our goals before the competition does. But wrong or false information can destroy even the greatest companies. That is why we put a lot of effort into developing the ways of data transmission - the communication. Without reliable communication channels, even the most important information may turn out worthless.
The good communication should be cheap, fast and efficient, but high quality usually doesn't come along with low costs. So, often we agree to spend remarkable financial resources in order to improve our communication channels. We invest into technical infrastructure, but also into the human resources. Trainings in fields of interpersonal communication, presentation skills, public speaking or business negotiations, are most popular in training companies' offer. They are often also the most expensive trainings. As we pay for the information, sometimes we have to pay for the learning how to communicate.
Cheap, fast and efficient - these features indicate a success of any communication medium, not only interpersonal one. Should not the urban communication system be like this? These three aspects decided about the advantage of popular news portals and internet information boards over the TV, radio, and mostly, the daily press. The question, if the e-news are going to replace paper editions, is still topical. Such way of information delivery is cheap and fast - but internet access is not available always and for everyone. Due to deadlines and working in a hurry in news business, not each information is double-checked and reliable, sometimes there is lack of independent opinions or fact analysis.
The mobile phone is more efficient and faster to use, but still more expensive than stationary one, although the fierce competition between telecommunication companies results in lowering costs of phone use. But despite this constantly lowering prices it still seems to cost too much. That is why we can observe fast expansion of internet telephony (Voice over IP) and internet messengers. The applications used for instant exchange of text messages, and later, capable to transmit voice and video over internet in real-time, made their way from teenagers' home computers right to office computers of their parents. The popular internet chat clients - Jabber, AIM, MSN, Yahoo!Messenger or Skype - are cheap in use and very efficient. Companies use them not only for internal communication, but to get in touch with customers and partners. On corporate web sites containing contact information, besides e-mail addresses and phone numbers there also appear user-IDs from various communication clients.
Developers of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software are aware of this tendency and are already working on integration of their products with most popular messenging clients. Rafał Łożyński, CEO of Varico software company, unveils the fact, that Varico application - INFInet System, which includes INFInet CRM module - in incoming 2.0 version will contain basic integration with Gadu-Gadu, the popular polish communication client. This functionality can be developed and improved on customers' request, eg. by adding management of message log archives. Mr. Łożyński admits, that using the internet messengers is in Varico one of the most popular and most efficient ways of communication.
The good communication is not a target itself. It is the efficient transmission of information, which - reliable and fast delivered - is a key to success in business. There are many various issues influencing the proper communication, like correct preparing, selecting and understanding the message. Mark Twain said once: The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightening and the lightening bug. The art of using right words in right places and at right time seems to be a way more important than the most sophisticated transmission technology. Unfortunately - as important, as underestimated.