Properly communicating the company message is the responsibility of everyone within an organization, from the receptionist on up to the CEO. But how do you ensure that the person answering the phones is speaking the party line?
To guarantee a consistent message tape answers to frequently asked – and crucial questions – near the main phone bank. But don’t post and forget it! Check it on a monthly basis and update as necessary. In challenging economies, information often grows stale quicker than you can say audit.
Also, provide updated facts and figures on a regular basis. Communicate any noteworthy information to the receptionist and his/her backup ASAP – sometimes their need to know is actually more immediate than middle managers who aren’t necessarily speaking with the public and customers on a daily, if not hourly, basis.
Additionally, an intranet is a great tool for spreading the word to everyone while maintaining a consistent message. For it to work and be effective, however, someone needs to commit to keeping it updated on a regular basis. Also, the information needs to be pertinent, otherwise employees will soon recognize it as a waste of time and will readily drop it out of their information line up.
Last but not least, don’t forget those all important water cooler conversations. Monitor the company grapevine and if the message you hear is NOT consistent with the message you want, it may be time to make a more concerted effort to communicate with employees. Remember, if YOU don’t provide the information, someone else will.
– Robin Fritz, Adjunct Lecturer, Division of Business, Indiana University-Columbus
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