The Impact Of Communication On Employee And Customer Experience

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Communication is extremely vital for any organization to function smoothly. Good internal communication has a very positive impact on employee performance whereas good communication with customers allows an organization to build lasting customer relationships upon trust and loyalty.

Both aspects are key to growing a business.

In this article, we’re going to look at the impact of (good) communication on employee experience as well as customer experience. We’ll also talk about some common pointers to keep in mind that will improve communication.

The impact of communication on employee experience and performance

Communication doesn’t just improve productivity. It also creates communication champions within an organization. These champions are role models that other employees look up to and strive to match in performance.

Open and honest communication with the employees unlocks many possibilities. It helps employees become a part of the organization.

Numerous studies and reports have highlighted that internal communication boosts employee performance and ultimately, workplace productivity.

  • A paper by Franklin Titang of the University of Bamenda-Higher Technical Teachers Training College found that good internal communication significantly promotes productivity, with face-to-face or oral communication being more powerful in delivering the results.
  • Similarly, a research paper in the International Journal of Recent Technology and Engineering found that horizontal communication enhanced the involvement of employees within an organization and allowed them to break several barriers that otherwise hinder efficiency.
  • Ruth Well, the Communications and Engagement Specialist at Deutsche Bank notes that employees that are well communicated to respond to changes much more positively.

The impact of communication on customer experience and customer relationships

A communication channel should always be open with the customer. It’s often the case with smaller companies to fixate too much on selling their product or service. Marketing and product development are important, but your existing customers should all be treated individually so they know that you’re always there for them.

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Any discrepancy in this and your customer base will start to erode. And this doesn’t just mean loss of returning customers or lower sales. It means a negative picture of your company being painted on various platforms such as company feedback portals or social media.

Hopefully, you don’t want that.

Handle your existing customers well and you’ll be rewarded. Good customer service can single-handedly improve the image of your brand and make a product perform better than its competitor, regardless of its qualities.

Just setting up a live chat software on your website and hiring representatives isn’t enough. If you cannot solve customer problems swiftly then they’re as good as lost.

Generally, good communication improves customer satisfaction and consequently, customer loyalty and advocacy. A business can only move ahead so much without satisfied customers and a loyal customer base.

How to improve communication?

Internal communication can be improved by:

  • Mixing and matching teams with different people from different backgrounds.
  • Having events, seminars, workshops, and training regularly.
  • Sharing all important news and updates with the employees.
  • Checking employees regularly for their cohesiveness within a workplace and making sure that nobody is feeling lonely or left out all alone.
  • Having proper channels for employee feedback – if employees still refrain, then make your feedback system support anonymous feedback. Know the difference between constructive and destructive criticism.
  • Doing your part in encouraging social interaction in a workplace – all work and no play can quickly kill the communication in an office.
  • Making company information, policies, and planned changes easy to access.
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Customer communication can be improved by:

  • Having experienced customer support representatives for quick resolutions.
  • Using live engagement tools for smaller problems (like chatbots for automated resolution of problems related to orders, tracking, or updates).
  • Having incentives for (hopefully unintended) bad product experience.
  • Focusing on existing customers more than acquiring new ones.

 

Alex Morris
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