Communication

“The Exchange of Information, Ideas or Feelings”

It is apparent from the dictionary meaning that Communication is, not only a vital aspect of day-to-day living, but equally important in business.

Everyone has access to the tools of communication, which for obvious reasons are more prevalent in the work place.

Telephones, computers, faxes, intercoms, newsletters, mail, memos, correspondence and talking are some of these tools. Without communication, we couldn’t exist and certainly business would abruptly stop.

Part of the success of any business relies on and is proportionate to the proper use of the tools of communication. We should never forget that a communication breakdown would be potentially disastrous to a business.

The etiquette of communication in business is also important factor to its success. The exchange of information between customers and your business is important to paramount proportions.

Communication executed well and with a personal and professional etiquette excludes confidence and a caring feeling toward a customer who will feel a trust with whom they are in contact with.

If every employee understood accessed and recalled the information available from every department, customers would almost only ever have to call your business and talk to any one person to feel confident that they made the right choice in calling your business, as all their needs could be met through a single call. Because this is not easily attainable, we must be aware that we can still gain a customers confidence by always being helpful, courteous, happy and willing to call them back with the required follow-up.

The etiquette comes in with a pleasant, self-confident exchange of information and always, always to what you say. In other words, it is imperative to call a customer back when you say you will, even if you do not have the information they are expecting.

Receiving a call form someone who has promised to call you back, lets you know they care and have not forgotten you. Conversely, not getting a call leaves you to wonder if you have been forgotten about or worse, that the person just didn’t care. You then become uncertain if you have been inconvenienced enough to call them back. If you don’t care that much, why bother.

The experience of calling someone back when you have promised, even though you do not have the information they required, oddly enough, has always been a pleasant experience. You automatically gain a confidence that wasn’t necessarily there when the customer first called and you haven’t even done anything for them except show you have respect for them because you genuinely care that their requests are answered.

It should never be forgotten or taken for granted that communication between departments is also essential for the well being of business.

The more we all know about our company, the easier it is to gain confidence from any customer who is communicating with us and that information exchanges and communication etiquette will instill a confident and caring feeling upon our customers.