Ashly Dhani
Killer customer service experience is birthed by correct communication skills.
Words can soothe a broken heart but they can also break a soul. Gifted managers are blessed with the power to strike a balance with their words when dealing with their internal customers. Not all leaders know what is relevant to say in the eyes of their internal customers, but it takes a willing attitude to undergo basic business communication training.
Companies are jostling every day to win the hearts, minds, loyalty and above all the wallets of their external customers using different promised words. These promised words are only realised when there is enough fuel for different departments to communicate well. This is because good communication facilitates and promotes free inter-departmental exchange of ideas and information amongst internal customers and management.
The journey to customer satisfaction requires internal customers not to be treated as gears only but as lubricants too that oil the creation of external customer satisfaction and happiness. This makes internal communication an integral part of any business function that must be considered at board level because it can drive real business change if given a chance.
Everyone can communicate but what differentiates “Organisation A” from “Organisation B” is the way and medium used to express the message. Internal customers are humans as well, and just like external customers, must be communicated to tactfully in a way that does not hurt their feelings or bruise their egos otherwise their work performance will definitely suffer.
Messages relayed may either motivate or demotivate that is why I think it is important for every member of the internal customer to possess basic communication skills regardless of the department they serve in.
There is always value and respect of each other when internal customers communicate respectfully and professionally, it makes the working environment a pleasure to be productive.
Internal customers carry the voice of the organisation, and what they say has the power to bring a new meaning to their work and the image of the organisation to the external world.
Effective internal communication and financial performance are like Siamese twins, they are intertwined such that the actions of another will affect the other. Studies indicate that organisations that communicate well with their internal customers have 47 percent higher total returns to shareholders in comparison to those that lack the right communication skills.
Company politics also shapes how communication is structured in different organisations. Serious managers practice what they preach and walk the talk, they know that the internal customer is the vanguard of the organisation’s efforts and every word they say to them and how they say it matters.
Since communication is an ongoing function, it permeates all facets of the business and must always be done right the first time. Communicating without careful considerations always bring negative morale and affect productivity. Apart from using modern business communication methods, traditional methods should also be used and never left as catch nets because in a way they bring in some dignity.
Empathy in communication is one skill that management should consider before engaging with their internal customers. Certain questions must be answered satisfactorily before taking action. For instance, what is the best way to communicate the message in a way that will not hurt or embarrass the internal customer.
Suppose the roles have been reversed as a manager, how would you want certain messages relayed to you? Your answers to these few questions will work as a yardstick in dealing with communication issues.
Suppose there is a problem with an internal customer instead of sitting down with that customer and have a one-on-one chat, map the way forward. Some managers who lack the right communication skills are good at blowing the trumpet to everyone who cares to listen but develop cold feet to face their target.
It is rather demotivating for the target customer to get the message through the grapevine.
Grapevine causes a lot of tensions as it has a danger of either adding some information that was not said or subtracting vital points because it all depends with the agenda of the person relaying the message.
This reminds me of stories of internal customers who gets fired or suspended from their positions through the media. In such cases, management lacks the tenacity to tell them directly and it is just unfair that they fail to directly inform their intended target of their decision.
Instead, the human resources department opt to communicate to them through media releases or WhatsApp messages. To make matters worse, these internal customers only get to know of it after colleagues phone them enquiring about the new developments because they would have seen them in the newspapers.
Imagine how it feels receiving such important news from social media and not directly from the human resources department? This is a serious case of lack of empathy by management.
An effective communication strategy that includes a top-to-down internal, down-to-top and lateral communication channels, improve a seamless sharing of ideas and information. It integrates all forms of communication in a bid to keep everyone informed and abreast of the organisation’s past, present and future happenings.
Great internal communication can be improved if internal customers use a single platform of communication such as social collaboration platforms because they tend to build a sense of teamwork and camaraderie.
Excellent internal customer service communication is not about making your internal customers feel your superiority through suppression but it is the ability to acknowledge that all internal customers have something valuable to share.
Regular team-building exercises that promote professional bonding and open lines of communication are the perfect times to tap into the value in each team member.
FACT: Diseases can make anyone sick, regardless of their race or ethnicity. (www.cdc.gov/COVID-19)
Cresencia Marjorie Chiremba, is a marketing enthusiast with a strong passion for customer service. For comments and suggestions, she can be reached on [email protected] or on 0712 979 461.
Online Reporter