A few months ago I’m not even sure if I knew what a “Zoom call” was. Microsoft Teams wasn’t in my wheelhouse either. Okay, maybe I wasn’t completely ignorant of the platforms, but I wasn’t using them either. I was working alongside my co-workers, doing the day-to-day tasks our stores require, communicating as we normally do and trying to plan accordingly. We were doing typical tasks utilizing traditional office software and hardware, like managing purchase orders, coordinating upcoming events, new product acquisition and the like. We operated with emails, texts, shouting down the hall, store visits, boardroom roundtables and the occasional old-fashioned phone call.
What a difference a few weeks can make. As a business professional that has been at Fairvilla for 20-plus years, and done all sorts of marketing, public relations and purchasing endeavors, I never would have thought I’d be thrust into such uncharted waters. Stores closing and being physically separated from staff left most of us feeling anxious and fearful of the unknown. However, the uncertainty of our personal and professional lives created a new forced adaptability. In my house, we learned how to make Grubhub our friend and to wait in line patiently with our masks on for our groceries and occasional rolls of toilet paper.
Be prepared to invest more into the technology at a time when travel is uncertain, but the need for information is paramount.
As a person that doesn’t typically work from home, I felt somewhat adrift without the comfort of my “normal” routine. So I still got up early, showered, got dressed and got to work inside my home (and sometimes out on my porch) and actually tackled some detailed projects that I had been putting off, or hadn’t had the time to do. On the surface, I was more productive. By not commuting, I had gained around three hours in my workday and saved money in gas and tolls. I was still talking with my team via email, the phone and texts, but it just wasn’t quite the same. Honestly, I missed the face-to-face.
There are four primary types of communication we use daily. They are verbal, nonverbal, written and visual. What I, and many of our team members found, is that over time, losing the spontaneity of the in-person meeting and the ability to see someone’s body language and expression made us less effective communicators.
I was recently reading an interview with Michael Chetner, the head of Asia Pacific at Zoom, where he quoted a statistic that around 50-60 percent of all communication is non-verbal. What Zoom and Microsoft Teams (and of course other options like FaceTime and Skype to some degree) are offering during this pandemic is connectivity that allows us to really check in. Whether you’re talking about each other’s well-being or how the supply chain is being affected by the stay-at-home orders, these products can be implemented as part of your overall communication strategy to make sure your fellow employees feel like they are being seen and heard. Plus, everyone has a better chance of improving their understanding of the topic while feeling more personally connected.
Take a minute to think about how many times a business email that you or someone you know sent or received was misinterpreted because it lacked context. You likely found yourself on the phone or, better yet, speaking to someone in person to work out the issue. I like to think I have good interpersonal skills and can convey my ideas well to others in writing, but it happens to all of us.
The other day, a news report regarding the Supreme Court hearing cases over the phone caught my attention. Of course, this new “remote” scenario is due to COVID-19 restrictions. The attorneys that were interviewed for the story about this new arrangement lamented about not being able to see the Justices’ body language … not being able to make eye contact and see their responses. All of these things help guide their communication — their words and the direction they take. I think they too were finding themselves adrift.
This is why I have finally come to embrace video conferencing. OK, I admit, for my first Zoom call and Microsoft Teams meeting I had to have my daughter, who is in nursing school (remotely learning from home of course), be my IT support person. But, once I got the hang of the platforms, it gave me a sense of connectivity that I had obviously been missing.
Video platforms are not the ultimate fix for all our communication ills. I would still rather be in the same room with my business partners. But, I am suggesting that at a time when we’re all feeling a little distant, let’s consider these options as a vital link to those people who help keep our businesses running. Integration into your workflow, not just now, but in the future will be instrumental. We’ve already seen manufacturers and distributors reaching out to stores to inquire if Zoom and Teams can be an answer to remote store trainings. We’re already having virtual social gatherings and events. Be prepared for the questions regarding staff training from home and/or in-store via video conferencing. Be prepared to invest more into the technology at a time when travel is uncertain but the need for information — really good and clearly presented information — is paramount.
Visual communication shouldn’t be considered just as a bonus to our business plans, it’s as essential as the masks we’re wearing and the products we sell.
Debra Peterson is the purchasing coordinator for Fairvilla Stores.
