Both internal and external communication are key for a business to run smoothly, effectively, and efficiently. Taking the time to make sure you’re getting your business’s communication strategy right could pay huge dividends, making your customers and employees happier, keeping stakeholders informed, and creating an entirely more positive atmosphere around your company.
There is no guaranteed right or wrong answer for something as flexible and unique to each business as communication, but there are a few ways you can start improving straight away.
When communicating with customers, it’s often useful to anticipate their responses so that you can remain calm and confident. If it is, for example, a complaints procedure, then having ready-made – but not strict or unmovable – responses can help both parties get the resolution they were hoping for. If it is a simple customer query, then have questions ready to engage with them and create a two-way exchange, rather than putting the onus on them.
Welcoming and positive body language is also an effective way to improve your communication.
Gauge Campaign Success
Nobody wants to be barking up the wrong tree. With communications and marketing campaigns, never has this been truer. If you’re sending bulk emails, notifications, or SMS reminders, you want to know if they’re finding their mark.
Fortunately, this is an easy and rewarding task thanks to software, such as Boomerang Messaging, which will automate your messaging and provide you with immediate insight into your campaign’s success. If you’re implementing a new strategy, it’s vital you gauge its early success so that you don’t waste time and resources trying something that simply isn’t working.
Consistency is Key
You need a strategy; this isn’t something you can make up as you go along. Especially when it comes to customer experience, consistent communication is paramount to retaining loyalty and improving the relationship between them and your business.
People who use your business often will expect a high level of quality customer service. Therefore, making sure your communications strategy is well thought through, consistent, and adhered too will improve the chances of them receiving just that.
Simple Branding
Communication starts as soon as a customer or employee lays eyes on your business. If it’s internal communication, such as a notice board or an email notification, making your branding and style clear and concise will improve the chances of key information being disseminated through workers fast.
If it’s a product, sign, or logo, aimed at communicating with customers, keeping it simple will help build instant recognition and convey meaning.
Hire the right people
If you’re wanting to start implementing all of the above, you’ll need a killer communications team to help pull it off. Your communications team should create a positive image of your business on the outside and a healthy, engaging, and productive atmosphere on the inside. They will be able to produce content in varying forms, be social media whizzes, and keep all your stakeholders and contacts close to you.
Finding the right communications officer isn’t just a case of searching out somebody with a university degree. It’s finding somebody with the passion and drive for content creation, a hunger for learning, and a proven record of finding their own professional experience.
There is no magic wand and no shortcut for implementing the right strategy when it comes to communication. Nevertheless, taking these steps and finding out what works for you, your colleagues, and your customers should help your business run smoother internally and improve relationships externally.
