“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

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

I was driving through Penrith last week and noticed a business van in front of me. What made me notice the van was that the phone number was without a ‘9’ at the beginning of it. Although a ‘minor’ thing, this immediately told me that it had been a very long time since this business vehicle had been upgraded.

More importantly, it told me that this business does not have attention to detail. The older vehicle would not be an issue (assuming that it functions well and looks presentable). But the fact that they had not bothered to invest in some new signage on their car gave me a negative first impression of their business. If they haven’t updated their signage, what else is out dated? If they are not concerned about how their business presents (that is, their image or branding) then do they really care about their customers?

Those questions are assumptions. But they are assumptions that I wouldn’t want anyone making about my business. No matter what industry or sector your business is in, first impressions count. Your business should exude professionalism and first rate customer service. And everything that your customers see or hear about your business should show them exactly that.

The van with the outdated phone number might be an amazing business. But personally, there is no chance of me becoming a customer of theirs based on my first impression. It is always worth regularly checking over your branding – or better still, getting someone objective to look at your business with fresh eyes. And if you need some sprucing up, make sure you get it done quicker than the van without the number nine!

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