Is there a term for back-and-forth communication that is both concise and professionally appropriate?
Additional context:
In writing documentation for a company process, I want to encourage people to share full scheduling information in the initial communication in order to minimize the amount of back-and-forth that occurs. This is formal writing, so I'm looking for a phrase or a term that is less casual than "back-and-forth."
For example, if I am trying to schedule a meeting with a John Doe, I could do it the short way or the long way. I want to use this documentation to explicitly encourage staff to do it the short way.
The short way: I send John Doe all of my availability in a particular time window, and he selects one that works for him. Finished.
The long way: I propose that we meet on Tuesday at 3pm. He can respond that he is busy all day on Tuesday, but how about Wednesday morning. I can respond that I am free on Wednesday morning at 11:30. He can respond that he has a call at 11:45, so how about 11:00? I can respond that I'd prefer to have my meetings later in the morning, so I can do it after his 11:45 call is over. He agrees. Finished
Best Answer
"Dialogue" or "discussion" seems best for a "back and forth" formal conversation about a narrow business topic. This can be opposed to "banter" which would be "back and forth" of broad topic and very non-formal.
https://www.freethesaurus.com/dialogue
https://www.freethesaurus.com/discussion