The volume of training we deliver on client communication for corporate organizations and its employees is on the increase. The volume also speaks about the problem in hand for corporate, depicting the pain area of a sizeable proportion of its employees, the client communication. In this write up we are mentioning few reasons as to why client communications fail.
- Meetings without planning
Some of our employees are not clear on the agenda for the meeting; they do not have much understanding about the clients, they are not aware about the client’s wants, needs and expectations. Sometimes they are not prepared from their end to present the progress of the situation and sometimes they may not have clarity about when they can finish the project and so on. Ignorance is what gets projected before the clients if our employees attend meetings without planning and preparation.
2. Judgments and Perceptions
Some of our employees before the conversation with the client will interact with other employees who had earlier interacted with the same client. Based on this, they form opinions and develop pre conceived notions about the client, before opening up a conversation with the client. They may be judgmental about the nature of the client, based on the formed opinions and hence may adopt aggressive or passive communication strategies when dealing with the client. Hence, such approach from the side of the employees may create a lot of uneasiness and misunderstandings on the part of the client.
3.Failing to strike the rapport
Rapport means to create comfortable situations and build agreements through small talks before going ahead with the discussion on the set agenda. The small talk in the beginning ensures better understanding between the employee and the client, and hence makes the further discussion better and healthier. If you deep dive into agenda before building up the rapport, it will be more like an unknown speaking to a stranger. The non-existence of the warmth of relationship seldom brings in good results through communication.
4.Failing to cross time zones and cultures
If your client is based out of Europe, America or Australia, then you have to speak to clients crossing geographical time zones and cultures. It is a challenge to overcome such cross cultural barriers. Understanding clients, we know that clients love to be called during their comfortable time, greeted in the way they are usually are greeted, speak in their own language and get identified with concepts which the client is familiar with. A clear understanding of the client and his preferences will help us get engaged to the client in a better way.
5.Faltering with feedback
Feedback is the main stream of client communication. Providing continuous feedback about the project and keeping the client in the loop ensures better trust and understanding with the clients. Providing no feedback and delayed feedback, creates situations wherein the clients misunderstand us.
6. Hanging up early
Some of our employees may not feel confident enough to converse with the clients. They may tend to wind up the conversation at the very earliest and escape from the scene. The client gets a feeling that he is not being entertained and is not given any importance.
7. Forgetting the Cs of communication.
When our employees are not considerate, not showing courtesy and not complete in their conversations, our clients tend to move away from us.
There are umpteen other reasons why client communication fails. Our training lets you know more about them.
