As you may have surmised if you are a regular reader of this column, some of my articles about customer service are based on personal experience. And as I am sure I have said in nearly every one of those articles, ‘bad’ customer service experiences are usually going to be talked about more loudly, and to more people, than ‘good’ customer service.

Unfortunately, my latest tale is not a good one! I was recently dealing with a business on behalf of a client. The information I needed to access via my client’s online account (with their permission) was not appearing as it should and I needed to contact the business owner. The first issue was that there were no contact details on the business’s website – no email, no phone, no address, not even a contact form.

After finally tracking down an email address via an invoice, the communication that I received from this business was nothing short of astonishing! Not only did they fail to answer my questions, they grew increasingly rude and antagonistic with each email. The sender of the email began to write in CAPITAL LETTERS to emphasise frustration at my apparent stupidity and ended one email with ‘you are not my customer’.

It was this statement that was the most telling about this business. In business, everyone you come into contact with is your ‘customer’. The definition of a customer for this business is “someone who has paid me money and who is on my list of customers”. What they fail to realise is that potential customers will not convert into ‘paying customers’ if you do not already treat them as valuable. Add to this the fallout from negative feedback, and this business has done themselves an enormous disservice.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” (George Bernard Shaw)

On first reading, this quote is quite funny. But when you consider the implications of it for business owners, it is more sobering. Throughout our work day, we communicate in many different ways. We communicate face to face with employees. We communicate online on social media. We communicate in writing through email and other written communication. And we communicate via our marketing materials.

Written communication has the downside of being unable to accurately convey tone. Oral communication has the downside of being affected by the speaker’s ability to present information logically and clearly, and is dependent on the listener’s ability to process the information they hear.

So it is vital to work on getting your communication avenues operating effectively. For businesses, time is money, and poor communication is inefficient. If you don’t spend time carefully checking your message or your delivery, you will often spend more time repeating or rehashing the same information.

When poor communication is evident in your dealings with people outside your business, it makes your business appear unprofessional. And this is not just contained to communication directly with those outside parties: if your communication is poor internally, this will soon affect the product or service you provide. Customers and clients will notice (and be annoyed) when they receive conflicting information, or if miscommunication affects their interaction with your business.

As Sydney J. Harris explains, “The two words 'information' and 'communication' are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.”

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender

Travelling overseas the past few weeks gave me an opportunity to experience many different ways that people ‘do business’. While some differences were simply cultural differences that I was more than happy to roll with, other differences were great examples of ‘what not to do’!

One of the places we visited was a theme park, which upon entry, provided us with a glossy, comprehensive looking map so that we could find our way around. It was available in English as well as a number of other languages: so far, so good!

Unfortunately the map was not only difficult to understand, it actually made navigation around the park harder, not easier. So we decided to ignore the map and follow the signs around the park to get to the attractions we wanted to see. That worked well until we got to a junction and there was no sign telling us where to go next!

What was obvious to me was that the management of the park had not taken the time to assess their maps and signage from a newcomer’s point of view. It made perfect sense to them because they were familiar with the layout of the park.

This got me thinking: how often in your business do you make assumptions? Do you have a Frequently Asked Questions section on your website that answers all your customer queries? Do you provide basic information about the services you offer? Do you give clear instructions for first time visitors?

It might be time to assess your marketing materials (including signage, forms and other materials that customers interact with) to ensure that you are helping your customers rather than hindering them.

Michelle Grice writes a weekly column for business women in The Western Weekender