The older I get, the more I realise that in many instances, ‘common sense’ is not ‘common’! What seems logical or reasonable to me, is not to others. And I see this in business circles just as much.

The most obvious examples I have witnessed are in marketing and promotion. Recently I was attempting to register for an event via a company’s Facebook page. They had set up an ‘event’ page which had a number of posts on it asking people to ‘join us’, ‘register now’, ‘book your tickets’. The problem was, the link to buy tickets was nowhere to be found on that event page! I eventually found the link via their main business page, but I am guessing that many others would have given up and decided not to book.

Attention to detail is vital to ensure that you communicate important information – it is often the most obvious details that are forgotten. Wherever possible, particularly if you know you are not a ‘details person’, get someone else to read over your communications before finalising them.

It is so important, as the saying goes, to ‘put yourself in other people’s shoes’. You need to write all your business communications as though the reader knows nothing. Which also means that it needs to be written and laid out in a logical and sequential fashion. If you take too long to get to the point, or the ‘point’ is lost amongst other less important information, you will lose opportunities to engage people.

A big lesson I have learned over time (and still have to remind myself of), is to never assume. For example, if you were to write an email on Friday saying “Let’s meet next Tuesday”, you run the risk of someone assuming you mean Tuesday of the following week when you meant Tuesday this week. A simpler way in this example is to write “Let’s meet on Tuesday the 21^st of April”, that way there is no ambiguity or assumption.

Although there will always be circumstances where others will make their own assumptions based on their own version of ‘common sense’, paying more attention to detail will reduce miscommunication and give your customers a better experience when dealing with you.

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

I have written many times about the importance of good customer service. I was compelled to write another article on this topic because of a fantastic example of customer service that I came across.

I recently booked a hotel in Hong Kong. I was a bit apprehensive about booking it because it was not a hotel that had been recommended to me and I was booking it online directly with the hotel.

My fears were very quickly eased. They responded to my queries within a few hours and provided me with comprehensive information. But what really made them stand out though was the email I received from them a few days before my arrival. Although obviously a standard communication sent to all guests, it was personalised with my name, the weather forecast for the days that I would be in Hong Kong, the events happening during my stay and contained a repeat of all my transfer and accommodation information. It also showed photos and names of their staff and was generally a welcoming and friendly email.

None of the actions this business took were difficult to implement and did not cost them any money. But those actions speak volumes about the quality of their business. They do seem to genuinely care about their customers, and seem to be seeking to make their customers’ experiences of their hotel positive.

The key to this ‘easy’ aspect of customer service is that they have great systems in place. And those systems have a good balance between personalised touches and automated actions so that staff are not ‘manually’ creating this communication each time. What systems like this can you implement in your business?

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

Technology has advanced quickly over the past 10 years. Who would have thought we would be checking emails on our phones, recruiting staff via social media or witnessing the phenomenon that is Facebook?

Ask any teenager what they think of email. They are highly likely to answer that it is only for "old people". Instead they communicate via social media, chat, SMS and other online avenues. What does this have to do with your business? One reason to think about this change in communication style is that one day soon, this age bracket will be in your target market (if they aren't already). Another reason is that many businesses have made the shift and frankly, you are being left behind if you don't investigate the possibilities ASAP.

So that leads to the next question: what are you doing about it in your business? You have three choices:

1.  Learn about social media and other current communication mediums and the way they can benefit your business
2. Find someone else to manage it for you
3. "Do nothing" - that is, continue to use only traditional methods of communication with clients and potential clients - which will ultimately lead to a rapid decline in your customer base

Obviously you know the correct choice is either 1 or 2. But it is big ask for those of you who have a technology "phobia". But when you consider that a recent SENSIS report showed that 86% of people search online before contacting a business directly, you can't afford not to investigate social media and emerging technologies. So talk to someone who you know is "technology savvy" and start investigating the ways that you can harness current (and future) communication mediums in your marketing strategies.

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