Communication Breakdown - Part One

Guest Contributor: Deb Kolaras
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Before you start belting out Led Zeppelin, consider the meaning of the statement and how far reaching it can be. If you're a big business trying to reach small businesses, how well you communicate with your prospects will determine whether or not they become an actual client. A survey performed recently by Public Agenda (a nonprofit research are of the Pew Charitable Trusts) indicates a staggering 94% of respondents consider reaching a company voicemail system, versus a human voice, "extremely frustrating." It seems the bigger the company, the further removed they are from their clients. Big business has spent enormous amounts of money building elaborate communication systems and this could be the kiss of death as you prospect for new small business clients. So what steps can you take to bridge the chat gap with your small business prospects? In the first of this two-part series, I'll outline some key communications ideas you can implement to keep in close touch with your clients, both prospective and active.

Can You Hear Me Now?

For the most part, voicemail sounded like a great idea. In use since about 1975, many in corporate America looked at it as a way to trim costs and presumably lead callers where they needed to go. It seemed like the perfect answer when layoffs and "down-sizing" became a common part of the business vernacular. Today, most will agree it's maybe done more harm than good when it comes to keeping in touch with clients. Be honest, how many times have you got stuck in "voicemail hell", just hoping someone, anyone would pick up your call and get you the help you needed? My guess is everyone has had this experience, but what's important to glean here is this: the further away from your customer you are, the more accessible you need to be. Let me say this again for the people in the cheap seats - the further away from your customer you are, the more accessible you need to be. This means if you're doing business remotely with your customer, you need to give them access to you by any means possible. Why? Because whether you want to admit it or not, it's fairly likely your customer is being pursued by a local vendor or ten; someone who drops by, makes calls, returns calls, and pays attention to them. Almost sounds like a romance, right? It sort of is.

Get Closer, Really, It's Okay

One way to stay in better contact with your customers is simply to give them every method possible for getting in touch with you. It's important to have this personal contact with your client, it builds rapport, trust and a relationship they come to rely on. Once you do this, though, you must be committed to this one critical credo: be accessible no matter what. If your customers contact you by phone, try to answer it and if you can't, make certain you have a great voicemail message that is current and lets them know when they can expect your return call…and make sure you call back, even if it's just to confirm the call and let them know you'll get the answer they seek. The goal really is to prevent them from going to voicemail or worse, from missing you altogether and never leaving a message.

Virtually Yours

Being a major advocate of answering calls whenever you can, I know there are times when it's nearly impossible; you might actually be in a meeting with another client or you're in flight. Whatever the reason, there is another way to give your client the attention they need and the human contact they crave - enter the Virtual Office Assistant (VOA). This is not an entirely new concept; it's more of an updated version of an "answering service." Your VOA can answer your calls in live-time, transfer to you or someone else in your organization, and even offer answers to typical questions some callers might have, such as pricing or providing a fax number. This solution is fully customizable and offers your client a human point of contact first, with the second option of voicemail, only if necessary. Google "virtual office" or "virtual assistant" to learn more.

There are many great and innovative ways to communicate with your clients, but the one thing it all boils down to is the connection they have with you, the human being. By offering your clients multiple ways to stay in touch with you, you're telling them they're important to you and you want to serve them. As they continue to grow their small business, you will become the resource they keep as their secret weapon.

Check back for the second part of this series where I'll be covering written communication ideas for connecting with your clients.