Flying in Formation – Is Communication that Hard?
It’s been hypothesized that migrating geese fly in a V because it helps them communicate and coordinate with each other. Not only are they conserving energy, they know what the goose next to them is doing and are able to anticipate changes. Well today I was reminded for the umpteenth time why good communication between businesses and customers is so important. This is what happened… A home improvement contractor finally sent me a project estimate that I requested months ago. It’s literally been months and it just came in – apparently, he had been very busy. Huh? As a prospective customer, I wonder why he couldn’t tell me that months ago; and as a business owner I simply cannot understand why people would do business this way. I think we all understand that lack of communication can have a huge negative impact on the way a customer experiences you, your product or your brand – and it’s one of my biggest pet peeves.
I’m not talking about high profile communication stuff like mailers or messaging campaigns. I’m talking about the little things that we as individuals can do to take better care of our customers. Numerous opportunities seem to present themselves every day, and as business owners we should take advantage of them whenever possible.
It’s all about letting people know what’s going on so they aren’t left in the dark. A little flash of appreciation runs through my mind when I’m the recipient of this type of courtesy. At Level 7, it’s a rule we live by and one of the reasons we have clients that keep coming back. There are a few no-brainer things we like to do that are easy and fast and just make sense.
No matter how busy we are, when someone we don’t regularly work with sends a file or leaves a message we take the time to reply and confirm receipt. It only takes a few seconds and saves the sender from having to ask if you got it.
If more than a day is needed to properly respond to an email or telephone inquiry, we will let the sender know immediately that we’re working on it. I’ve learned from experience that this can prevent a major MSUing event. Save them (and yourself) the drama – it’s 20 seconds well worth spending.
Provide updates whenever something changes. This just amounts to taking a proactive approach to information sharing. Will you be sending an update later than the agreed upon deadline? Don’t wait until the deadline to let them know. Is it possible the meeting will need to be rescheduled? Alert them to the possibility sooner rather than later.
And yes, lots of people already do these things – nothing mentioned here is a new concept. But incredibly, a lot of people don’t do these things. Level 7 firmly believes that giving your customers another reason to enjoy working with you can really be this simple. And don’t we all want that?
