As businesses look to increase productivity and profitability, they might want to consider how information is communicated in their organization. Unfortunately, a lot of firms are making costly mistakes.
A few years ago, assessment company, Cognisco, conducted a survey in the United States and the United Kingdom. It found that employees in those countries were costing businesses $37 billion, every year, due to misunderstandings.
The misunderstandings were further defined as actions taken by employees who did not understand company policies, business processes, or their job function. Basically, the employees don?t know what to do and were making the wrong choices.
Consider your own organization. Are customers turned away because someone didn?t listen to their needs, choosing instead to read off a laundry list of features? Maybe, the careful branding you spent days developing has been undermined by laziness. And are proven processes or workflows being ignored because something else seems easier?
These challenges can happen to businesses that are successful. It?s not that your team is bad. They?ve become unfocused. The good news is that these problems can be fixed and addressing them can come with immediate benefits.
Reducing costly mistakes can provide the savings or revenue you need to expand, buy new technology, or allow everyone to get a generous bonus check. Do you have the courage to fix the problem?
Here are some suggestions for improving communication in your organization:
Revisit Your New Employee Orientation
Is employee orientation something that is done quickly and thought of as a burden by those who have to conduct it? Properly training someone in their job as well as an organization?s culture is a valuable investment of time.
Your explanation of processes needs to include why it?s important to do things as outlined. Clarity and understanding will prevent people from guessing when it comes time to make a decision.
Remind Current Employees
Your team can be your biggest allies or adversaries when it comes to carrying out your mission. Take the time to restate the importance of processes.
This can give them an opportunity to raise concerns or suggest improvements. It?s better to have these discussions in the open rather than to have a group of people freelancing with what they think is best.
Walk in the Customer?s Shoes
A welcoming phrase or slogan can become tired when it?s said often and without feeling. An unengaged representative, for your business, can become customer repellant.
Periodically review your frontline customer interactions to ensure you?re offering what the market wants and you’re listening to what people need.
Final Thought
It?s not easy to admit that something at an otherwise successful operation needs to be fixed. But it?s a lot better than finding yourself handcuffed by a productivity problem that could have been easily addressed.
If you?d like to dive deeper into this topic, I discuss a specific strategy for improving your listening skills in my book, Stuck on Yellow.
