Communication is the key

For any relationship to thrive, communication plays a very important role, be it a parent-child relationship or a husband-wife relationship. The same is true for business organisations. In a business there are various stakeholders, like, employees, vendors, clients and ofcourse the management team. If there is a lack of communication between any of the stake holders, the business suffers. Communication is not about how well you speak or write in a given language. In this post, I will take English as an example since its most used in the business world. Lets start with a small example. If an employee has a certain problem and he is not able to effectively communicate the same to the management then the importance gets lost and what we get is a disgruntled employee and an unhappy manager. An open organisation allows employees to speak freely with the management and because the employee is at ease in such a structure, he or she is able to communicate the problem effectively. Organisations which are top heavy and where the top managers are not easily accessible, you will find that employees are always cribbing about bosses behind their back. This in my opinion creates negetive environment which in turn effects their work and which in turn leads to lesser quality work and an unhappy customer at the end. Think about it, maybe a small issue for an employee which was not dealt with correctly by the company management can lead to a loss of a customer. Will a company owner enjoy such a scenario? Certainly not, according to my opinion. But the problem with most companies is that once a customer gets irated, the top management gets into action. This is a reactive strategy. But here also, there is a problem, because when the company's top brass tries to get the customer back, the focus is totally on the customer and the basic problem of the employee gets lost. The account manager will get a lot of brownie points if he is able to get the customer back on board but the disgruntled employee because of whom this whole scenario happened will get kicked either ways. So what is the solution? In my opinion, all managers have to learn how to communicate effectively with their team members. In work there is bound to be friction but we need to lessen our egos and as managers, the less ego you have its better for you. If one of your team members have a problem, listen to his or her issue and give a solution to solve that issue rather than shoving it under the carpet. There are some managers who act well, i.e, who will act as if he is genuinly concerned about your problem and give you a good ear but will actually not do anything for you and will plan how to save the client whom the employee is handling because after speaking to you, he will know that you will lose focus on your job so save the client. This leads to him/her becoming a great asset for the company's management but the employee who has no access to the top management will get more disillutioned and finally might even leave the job. Is this good for company's growth? Certainly not. In short term, it seems to be great because one junior employee hardly matters for a company but the rot starts and in the long run the company's culture gets contaminated and in the future can lead to huge repercussions. As company owners, one needs to look at long term goals along with short term goals and hence each and every stake holder should be given equal prominence. Its easier said than done but with effective communication processes, one can improve the culture inside the organization. As a company owner, you love your customers and you would want your employees to love them as well but why will they love them like you if you do not empower them. Everything starts at the top. If you as a business owner communicate effectively, the people reporting to you will learn from you and this will go down the line till your junior most employee. Keep the door open and listen to what your employees' says. Think the problem that they have by being in their shoes and come up with a solution. This way both you, your company and the employee all go back happy. Remember, a happy employee will lead to happy customers who in turn will get you healthy bottom lines.

Customer service is the key and good customer service happens through effective communication. Try to understand the clients' problems and think how you can solve his problem. Do not treat this as a job because if you treat this as a job, that you have to do, then by the time the day ends your quality of service will go down and the final few customers will not be very happy. Enjoy the work in hand, and you will find that your energy levels are high throughout the day and this will mean that you will be able to do your work properly. Always listen to what the customer has to say, analyze the problem and then give your solution which will solve the customer's problem. If you are not able to analyze the problem properly, don't assume and give a solution, better speak with your peers or your immediate reporting head and then provide the solution. Clients need solutions to their problems they don't need half baked solutions within a minute. If a specific problem needs to analyze, communicate that to the client and 99% of the times you will find that the client will understand. Give an ETA to the client and you will see that the client will not bother you till that time arrives. In the meanwhile, focus all your energy on analyzing the problem and get a solution for the customer. Once you have the solution, get in touch with the client and communicate the same. Follow this best practice repeatedly and what you will have is a lot of happy customers and a very happy management.

So communicate effectively and communicate smart.