Analysis of Communication Processes and Strategies for SDHE Holdings

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the communication processes within and outside of SDHE Holdings. It identifies key issues, such as ineffective internal communication leading to customer complaints and staff turnover, and the lack of structured communication systems. The report examines various communication tools like emails, telephone, and social media, and suggests improvements such as separate communication channels for internal and external purposes. It also assesses how the organization portrays itself through its communications and highlights legal and ethical considerations, including the Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act. The report emphasizes the importance of effective communication in building a positive corporate image and achieving business objectives, offering recommendations to enhance customer service, employee training, and communication strategies to improve overall organizational performance. This report also analyzes the impact of ineffective communication on relationships and the impact of non-verbal communication on oral communications.

Table of Contents
Introduction..................................................................................................................................... 2
Task 1............................................................................................................................................. 2
1.1 Analysis of the process of communication within organisation .............................................. 2
1.2 Methods of internal communication that should be used for different purposes and
effectiveness (both verbal and non-verbal)......................................................................................4
1.3 An assessment of how organisations portray themselves through their communications........6
1.4 Legal and ethical issues in the communication of information within organisations............... 8
Task 2
2.1 Formal communications systems that should be used to communicate with customers ...... 11
2.2 Analysis of the effectiveness of social media to communicate with customers ................... 13
2.3 Assessment of the impact of ineffective communication found in organisations on
relationships ................................................................................................................................. 14
2.4 Assessment of the impact of non-verbal communication on oral communications............,…
14
Task 4............................................................................................................................................ 16
4.1 Effectiveness of my oral presentation skills............................................................................
16
4.2 Review of my written communication................................................................................... 17
4.3 The impact of technology on both oral and written communications.................................18
Notes............................................................................................................................................. 20
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Introduction
Communication is the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using
some other medium. A good communication acts as the blood of an organization. Effective
communication is a building block of successful organization. It is to be noted that
communication is not limited to the act of speaking. Communication plays a fundamental role in
all facets of business. It is therefore very important that both internal communication within the
organization as well as the communication skills of employees are effective.
A lack of communication can lead to the collapse of any organization, whilst that is the bold
statement, without proper marketing collateral and communication internally and externally,
most organizations will struggle to survive. This report will analyse the various communication-
related problems on SDHE holdings and provide solution appropriately.
1.1 Analysis of the process of communication within organisation
According to (Mckinney,Barker, Smith& Davis,2004) communication is essential to effective
team performance and communications for any organization is like blood flow in the human
body. Therefore, any organization that understands the importance of communication uses it in
their organizational environment. Since, it ensures coordination of factors of production and
most importantly material and human elements of organization as an efficient network of change
and advancement. Communication process or elements consist of several processes with which
effective communication takes place within and outside the organization. The communication
process includes; conception, encoding, message, suitable channels or medium, decoding,
interpreting and feedback.
The communication systems available in SHDE include Memos, Notice, Report, Emails, Team
briefing, telephonic communication system, emails, various social media sites of the company,
and so on. As mention above, the communication system is available at SHDE holding but there
exist no proper and structure communication system. Since there is no structure communication
system in SHDE this cause culture of distrust, limited employee engagement, uncertainty and
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ineffective customer interaction. The external communication system of SHDE holiding is also
ineffective and inappropariate as this as created an increase in the percentage of communication
issue which may adversely affect the goodwill of the organization and decrease the level of
customers’ patronage. SHDE holding still fail to level up with the advancement in technology to
make tasks in the organization as easy as possible.
Figure 1: Types of Communication Tools
From findings, it is evident that the complaint of SHDE holding has increased rapidly by 50%.
Which 3% is as a result of the product itself, 55% is complaint occur as a result of delivery of
product while the remaining 42% varies among poor communication skills, appearance of staff,
tone of communication and others.
Complaints Percentage Total
Product 3% 100
Delivery 55% 100
Communicatio
n
42% 100
Table 1: Complaint Type
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Product
Delivery
Communication
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Percentage
Total
Delivery Percentage Total
Poor face to face
communication
25% 100
Late Delivery 75% 100
Table 2: Complaint about Delivery
Since SHDE holding since lag effective external communication process the company will still
continue to experience increase in customer complaint and high level of staff turnover if the
problem is not solved. For example, if a customer wants to make a few changes in their
order/parcel, they have to communicate to the company via the post office. They can either write
a letter or a similar form of written communication. While the letter or any written document by
the customer reaches the company, the package related to the customer has already been
dispatched. This creates a massive ruckus in the internal structure. Moreover, in a few cases, the
employees are given the information verbally by the customer/client, and the employee forgets to
write them down. The whole process is unorganized and arbitrary.
1.2 Methods of internal communication that should be used for different purposes and
effectiveness (both verbal and non-verbal)
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There exist quite number of internal communication tools that can be use within and outside an
organization. As mentioned above, SHDE holdings is equipped with telephone, internet, emails,
memo and others but effective usage and internal structure is what SHDE holdings is lacking.
For the percentage of complaint received from customers of SHDE holding the following need to
be consider concerning the communication system;
 Email: Email is one of the most ubiquitous business communication tools in recent years.
Uses of email in business include communicating with coworkers and customers,
scheduling meetings, dispatching automated notifications and sharing newsletter with old
and new customer. SHDE holding should have separate email for internal communication
and external communication i.e. there is need to create an email that would be use to
communicate with staff internally and another that would be use to handle customer’s
complaint. The email created for the purpose of handling customer’s complaint should be
handle by staff specifically employed for that purpose and ensure that all complaint
receive feedback with 24 hours. This method of email is being use by the Nigeria
Institute of Management (NIM) which makes their internal and external communication
structure to be effective.
 Telephone: Telephone communication may be slower than its new media counterparts
but it still has benefits in an increasingly impersonal world. The telephone call, which
connects a caller with a human voice, create a connection that other media may lack and
is still an important business component. Short of talking to someone face-to-face, a
phone call is the best way to get a personal response. With other forms of
communication, such as emails or texting, you leave a message and hope to get quick
response. SHDE should create a separate telephone lines to answer complaint from
customers while also having personal telephone lines to be use internally. These
procedures will enable the staff to know if the incoming calls are from outside the
organization or within the organization.
 Other Social Media: SHDE should engage more in creating other social media platform
and take advantage of the internet. The internet has help to create a global community
where people all other the world can meet and interact. Media such as LINKEDIN,
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INSTAGRAM and TWITTER can be an effective tool in creating awareness and getting
responses from customers.
Figure 2: Effective Communication Process
(SOURCE: PINTEREST)
If SHDE holding can take the above into consideration the compliant percentage will certainly
go down. The working process will be better; the employee morale will be high, and so on.
Hence, the problem in SDHE is not the unavailability of the communication resources but
effective usage and the allocation of these resources in an ideal manner.
1.3 An assessment of how organisations portray themselves through their communications
In 2018, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. study found that 60% of companies don’t even have a long-
term internal communication strategy and McKinsey found that 20 to 25% of employees are
actually more productive when organizations have an existing and effective internal
communication strategy.
Communication plays vital role in the development of image building of an organization.
Corporate image refers to the perception and inferences about the organization as a stakeholder
of the organization which include customers, suppliers or the employees of the company. A
communication system of an organization provides all the stakeholders an opportunity to interact
with one another in the sense of exchanging views and ideas, complaining about something, for
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whistle blowing and for telling the targeted goals and objectives that are set by top management.
Organization use open communication channels with the external stakeholders i.e. customers,
community, shareholders and government through the vision and mission statement,
memorandum of association, articles of association, public relation, corporate social
responsibility and customer service.
Apple Inc. is a world’s best Technology Company as it sells prestigious IPhone, IPod and Mac
books. The vision and mission statement revolves around products and services offered by the
company but it the communication department and public relations department that maintains
this image of company. This is concerned with portraying the positive image of company by
reflecting upon the customers’ feedback, supplier complaint and resolving the issued faced by
them. All these activities help to maintain “tech & innovative image” of Apple Inc.
Figure 3: Classification of Communication in organization
(Source: Jaypee Digital)
However, SHDE holdings image is adversely affected by the ineffective communication system.
The complaints of the customers and suppliers fall on deaf ears along with plethora of spelling
errors and mistakes in written emails and letter. Moreover, the telephone calls and delivery of
product are not being handled appropriately. In a study done on SDHE, their customers were
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angry as the complaints were not addressed for a long time, and this made the organization lose a
customer. Moreover, the customer in the future will stop their acquaintances from buying the
company's product or availing the company's services. This will decrease the sales of the
organization, in turn, reducing the profits.
Thus, as discussed above ineffective communication system between the customers, suppliers,
other stakeholders and the company may affect company’s in meeting with its business
objectives. In order to improve the communication system, the management should be
introducing an accessible platform wherein the customers could be able to share their perceptions
about the products. The company should also be looking for establishing a customer service
provision by hiring experienced employees who could be able to deal with the issues of the
customers more easily. In addition, the company should also be introducing efficient customer
handling strategies and train its employees for handling difficult customers.
1.4 Legal and ethical issues in the communication of information within organisations
In the complex global business condition of the 21st century, organizations of each size face a
large number of legal and ethical issues. Organisations with an improper communication system
could have quite large number of complications in terms of legal and ethical issues.
The following are the legal issues which SHDE holding could face in term of information for
publication
 Data Protection Act 1998
Businesses store information about people inside their organisation. The Data Protection Act
protects the information held about people from being misused. The information stored must be;
Obtained fairly and lawfully, used only for the purposes stated during collection, protected from
transfer to an area outside the European Economy Area unless adequate protection exists for that
data in the area.
This act means that SHDE holding can’t use anyone’s personal details without consent from the
actual person. For example, they can’t give out someone’s address or date of birth unless they
have permission from that person. If they do keep information on customers or members, they
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have to make sure that the information is secure in a protected database so that strangers can’t
randomly access it.
 Freedom of Information Act
This Act provides individuals and organisations with the right to request information held by a
public authority. The public authority must tell the applicant whether it holds the information,
which it must supply within 20 working days. SHDE holdings must treat all requests for
information equally, they must consider any information they release as if it was being released
to the world at large. SHDE is liable to publish correct information by adapting to the model
publication scheme to its customers. Any failure of adherence with the act could lead the firm
with a change of criminal offence in the country and could land them to prison.
 Copyright Act
Copyright gives the creators of some types of media rights to control how they’re used and
distributed. For example, when you buy software, Copyright Act forbids you from: giving a copy
to a friend, making a copy and then selling it, using the software on a network (unless the license
allows it) and renting the software without permission of the copyright holder. This Act means
that SHDE holdings must have a valid copy of any software they decide to buy. They cannot sell
original copies of purchased software to another party
Ethical Issues
Ethic are moral principles concerning acceptable and unacceptable behaviour by businesses.
There are codes of practice in an organisation to maintain business ethics on: the use of emails,
internet, whistle-blowing, organisational policies and information ownership. SHDE holdings
can’t use email to send large documents/attachments, especially to large numbers of people; this
will stop information/personal data from being leaked into the wrong hands. SHDE holdings
shouldn’t use emails as a substitute for face-face/telephone communication with colleagues
because it is important to maintain a good interpersonal relationship with colleagues.
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In regards to the internet, there are many codes of practice what SHDE holdings can and cannot
use the internet for. There are lots of codes of practice in regards to selling on the internet that
SHDE holdings has to follow.
 Whistle-blowing is an employee who raises concern about a business’s practice, either
inside or outside the organisation. The concern may relate to fraud, crime, danger, or any
other serious risk that could impact on customers, colleagues, shareholders, the public,
the environment or the organisations reputation. Whistle-blowers may receive legal
protection through the Public Interest Disclosure Act.
 Information Ownership: if you create information in your day-to-day work, then you
should be responsible for it. E.g. writing a report following a member of staff’s annual
review. This report is confidential to some degree and should only be viewed by a select
group of people. SHDE holdings can’t show this information to anyone outside the
selected group. As the information owner, SHDE holdings would be responsible for
protecting this document to an appropriate degree.
 Security Information: Much information security management focuses upon digital data;
however, the subject also covers records and knowledge management. It is important for
businesses like SHDE holdings to have the right information available as and when they
need it, in order to make good business decisions. For this reason, many companies keep
their information on IT systems, but as reliance on technology increases, so does the risk
posed by system failure and malicious attacks e.g. viruses. The IT security policy should
take into account the common risks to the information that their business relies upon.
This policy might include secure login identification for using IT systems and controls
that limit access to information.
 Health and Safety: It is very unlikely that computer equipment will be dangerous in itself;
it can be used in ways that can be hazardous to the health of staff. Many office workers
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spend a lot of their time working at their desk, on a computer. Bad posture, incorrect
positioning of equipment and susceptibility to repetitive strain injury are health and safety
risks that employers like SHDE holdings are required to take seriously. The health and
safety, management of health and safety at work regulations, provision and use of work
equipment regulations and the work place legislations act all legislate to the use of
computer equipment and SHDE holdings will have to take these seriously or face
penalties. Employers need to carry out regular workstation assessments to make sure that
computer screens are at the right level etc. If an employer suffers from repetitive strain
injury, they may be provided with ergonomic equipment.
Conclusion
The advancement in technology has helped many organizations enhance their communication
processes. Though, technology has both positive and negative aspect to organization
communication but is positive impact outweigh its negative impact. The communication tool and
resources that SDHE has are in abundance and numerous the only problem they have is their
structure of communication. With the introduction of standard protocols and designated
managers in the communication department, the company can improve its communication
structure a lot and this will help to create a positive organizational goodwill.
Task 2
2.1 Formal communications systems that should be used to communicate with
customers
According to (Kapur 2020), formal communication systems refer to the passing of the messages
and information between the positions within an organization through officially designated
channels. Formal communication channel results from the formal organisation structure. Formal
communication is one where the message travels through the formal route laid down by the
organisation. It is the official route through which a message should pass.
The following are the formal communication systems that could be used for communicating with
customer, employee and other stakeholders.
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1. Email: Email allows SHDE to “communicate in a way that respects the client’s time and
attention, as both are scarce resources,” That means sending short email messages, with the most
important content in the first sentence and a clear subject line [as] some people never read past
the first line of any email.”
Email is particularly good “where multiple parties need to be kept in the loop on
something “Plus, with email, there is always a record that is easily searchable.”
2. Newsletters: A newsletter is a printed report containing news (information) of the activities of
SHDE (legal name; subscription business model) or an organization (institutions, societies,
associations) that is sent by mail regularly to all its customers. Newsletters generally contain one
main topic of interest to its recipients. A newsletter may be considered grey literature.
3. Suggestions Box: SHDE holdings should create a box where customer can write any
dissatisfaction of services and area in which they can improve. The box will also serve the
purpose of receiving praises for outstanding performance or services.
4. Telephony: SHDE holdings should have a separate phone number which should be
specifically created for complaints handling. The company can also hire several designated
operators who should handle these calls. These operators should be assigned rotating shifts so
that the phone lines dedicated to customer services can be open 24 hours.
5. Website: website is a bunch of web pages that carry a wide range of information about
organization. Through website, SHDE can communicate about its history, guiding values, top
management experience, case studies of existing customers, services, product and contact
information. The foremost benefit of website is that it is a single stop shop to get the information
about the organization.
These are some of the ways by which SDHE holdings can go ahead and solve its communication
problem and improve on its delivery problem.
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