01.28.14
My Company Did What?
A customer calls looking for a certain product. You suggest a particular item that you think will meet his needs only to have him tell you, “Your company recently discontinued that product,” which is news to you. My company did what?
This happened to a friend of mine who is in the distribution business. Needless to say, he was slightly embarrassed that a customer had information that should have been communicated to the field but wasn’t.
Large and small companies struggle with effective communication. Whether it is a discontinued or new product, policy changes, or basic information, making sure everyone is aware is critical to the growth and health of a company.
So what are some ideas to communicate more effectively?
•Show it (face to face, webinar), Tell it (voicemail/conference call), Send it (email it)
•Standardize how all communication is handled in your organization. For example, when a new product is introduced, memos, sample distribution, information should be shared the same way every time.
•Limit the number of emails/memos regarding a particular subject. In this day of pressing the send button, emails about one subject fly by the 10’s and 100’s on a subject. Personally, it is difficult to make sure every email is read. Especially, if you are looking to see if you were cc’d or was it directly sent to you. Do you need to answer or was this just informational? Many times these emails could be minimized if there was better planning from the beginning. In other words, discuss with a few key people to make sure you are addressing all questions that may arise before sending it out to the company.
Have a successful 2014!
Brian
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