Instant messaging has become the primary medium of communication in businesses. These applications offer quick and seamless ways to converse with employees and customers, allowing faster response times and increased productivity.
With how simple it is to use enterprise instant messaging apps, it becomes easy to forget that how they are used impacts the company’s image. Failing to uphold ethical messaging standards results in negative consequences, including data breaches, upset customers, and legal repercussions.
Below, we tackle the most common enterprise messaging mistakes and how to avoid them:
1. Using Too Many Emojis
As instant messaging becomes the norm for businesses, the line between casual conversations and professional tone blurs quickly. People are used to seeing emojis in their chats on Facebook Messenger, but this is considered unprofessional when sending messages to your team on WhatsApp.
While chatting in the business setting, avoid using emojis unless necessary. Maintain a professional tone and format, even when speaking to customers.
2. Not Asking Chat Permissions
In many cases, you cannot simply hit someone with a message on a random afternoon. Customers, in general, do not appreciate receiving messages from organizations without their consent. Additionally, doing so might result in legal problems concerning permissions and privacy breaches.
Before sending messages to customers, give them the ability to opt-in to receive messages from your company. Also include terms and conditions and an opt-out option.
3. Not Archiving Messages
The law requires businesses to keep a record of all of their communication regardless of the channel. This regulation covers emails, calls, and instant messaging platforms. Failing to have a functioning message archiving solution will lead to penalties and tarnished company reputation.
Plenty of third-party providers offer powerful message-archiving software for enterprises. These systems automatically capture and store all messages received and sent from the company daily, giving you an expansive archive that cannot be tampered with.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
As the saying goes, it is better to prevent these mistakes than to fix them. Many of these common messaging errors have a tremendous impact on the image of a company, especially regarding its dedication to security and privacy. If you think your company is at risk of committing these mistakes, we recommend creating stronger communication policies and investing in a message archiver.
