Support roles will also use telephone systems. Support roles will need to phone different people from the business. For instance, if a person comes into reception wanted to see someone, the receptionist will need to call the employee saying there is someone to see them. Businesses usually have one line that connects separately to each employee where each employee has a number. This means that it is easy to contact the person you need to contact rather than going through reception and then getting passed onto the call from there; it makes it quicker and easier. Also customer services will need to use the phone to call customers and having separate lines for each employee would be very expensive so having one line connected to each employee is cost effective.
Electronic communication systems are very important in support roles. In many businesses they will make use of different electronic communication systems as it is easy and convenient. The most used communication systems is through email. The biggest benefit of e-mail, with the ability to contact a specified group of people at the same time if required. This should improve internal and external communications. In addition, they may make use of Lync which is a communication program. It allows you to send instant messages to people in the same company as you and also set up teleconferencing and meetings which are all effective ways to communicate.
They will also make use of office equipment. They will need to make use of computers in order to complete their work and send emails to work colleges. They will also use printers and photocopiers, this is important if handouts need to be given or print outs need to be made. Also, they will use telephones to communicate people however, in some companies they don’t use telephones but just use electronic communication systems. Lastly, another important piece of equipment is headsets, these will be used when calling people and will be used in meetings.
Support roles will also need to store and archive material. Data archiving is the process of moving data that is no longer actively used to a separate storage device for . It can be done in two different ways, physically or electronically. Electronic achieving will be done on the computer and may be done on certain websites like SharePoint where employees can access it at a later date. It can also be done physically where the information is put into boxes and is stored for employees to access later on.
Lastly, they will use different methods of communication. There are different types of communication. Internal communication is the type of communication which take place within the company and can be upward downward or horizontal. Upward communication is when information is passed from employees to the management of the company and downward is the opposite, where information is passed from management to employees and horizontal is the interaction between employees to people with similar roles. Then there is external communication which happens with people outside the company. Communication can be done in many ways. This may be done by letters, for example customer service may send customers letters providing information. Emails are an effective way of communication because they can instantly reach several people at a time over long distances. In addition, meetings are a means of communication. In meetings, information about the company and project the team may be working on will be said and people can ask questions and provide their own ideas through the meeting. Support roles can also make use of verbal written and visual communication. Verbal communication is when employees will speak face to face or through teleconferencing and written communication can be through emails, letters and instant messages. And lastly, visual communication can be through photographs, video clips and PowerPoints.
In conclusion, there are many key stages of the review process that support roles must make use of to be successful.