Poor communication can cost companies millions of dollars per year. Fortunately, recognizing do’s and don’ts when communicating with customers now can save you a lot of headaches later and enhance the success of your in-person, mass notification and overall business communication strategies.
Here are some do’s and don’ts in communication:
Do’s
- Use voice messaging systems like OnSolve® One Call Now, which allow you to instantly send a recording of your voice to other employees. Unlike an email, voice messages will clearly depict tone, pitch, demeanor and other communication cues that aren’t present in emails. Voice messaging should also be considered an alternative for congratulatory emails, because even though an email saying “congratulations” is great, it is much more impactful when you actually hear someone say it.
- Remain calm and collected at all times. No matter the situation, or how rude a customer or employee is being, it is important that you respond in a calm and professional manner. While this may be one of the most challenging things to do, it is nonetheless one of the most important. You only need to falter one time in order for you to develop a negative reputation amongst your employees and customers.
- Utilize virtual conference calls for both client and remote employee meetings. Call center software products like 8×8’s unified communications suite give you the ability to schedule meetings with clients and employees no matter where they are in the world, as long as they have an internet connection. Virtual calls allow both parties to observe all of the communication cues of meeting in person, while providing the convenience of a phone call.
- Speak in a simple yet clear and concise way to your customers. Refrain from using technical acronyms, jargon and terms when speaking to your customers. Speak to them as if you were explaining something to a middle schooler. This minimizes the chance that your customers are confused and places the focus of the conversation on your intended message, rather than the specific terminology you used.
- Actively respond and engage with customer and employee feedback. Actively listening to customer and employee feedback creates a sense of value, while responding to that feedback builds trust and loyalty.
Dont’s
- Attempt to explain complicated business plans or decisions via email.
- Respond emotionally.
- Only rely on in-person meetings.
- Be too technical.
- Ignore feedback.
Effectively communicating should be a core component of every business’s growth strategy and recognizing the do’s and don’ts in communication can help. Why wait to enhance your business communication strategies?
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