Why Poor Communication Might Cost You $400k 

Solid communication starts within your own company culture.

by Nick Small. 

In the 90’s, a good location was one of the most important things about running a successful business. But now we live in an age where a well-built website is more important than a flashy storefront, and with the constant clamor and noise of the internet, communication is everything. A recent study showed that  poor communication costs companies  an average of over $400,000 per year.

There are multiple facets to improving communication, but the two types we’ll focus on are internal and external communications. Internal, meaning creating effective lines of communication between staff members, and external, meaning clear communication about your company to potential customers. No matter your industry—roofing, gutters, exteriors, restoration or anything remotely related—conveying your message clearly is of the utmost importance.

Internal Communications Whether it’s  daily time-tracking  or higher-level strategy, solid communication starts within your own company culture. Setting in stone a process to open conversation for staff from top to bottom will help leadership understand what’s going on on the ground level, and improving communication between teams will help your company work together as one.

Regular meetings will help keep teams aligned with company goals. Tools like  Slack  and Google Chat are a great way to help teams communicate with each other regularly about what they’re working on and who needs help with what projects.

Perfecting  field-to-office communication  has to start at the office. Making sure everyone on staff is on the same page before a project begins—and stays on the same page throughout the project—will ensure quality and timely work. Additionally, if crews don’t know why they’re doing what they’re doing or have a greater vision, they’re going to be less likely to work efficiently which will cost any company money.

I’m generally a fan of fewer meetings (go figure), but having annual or quarterly all-staff meetings helps to keep a grander focus on the goals you’re working toward for everyone in the company.

External Communications External communication is all about how your company is perceived. Do people understand what you do? Most industries are pretty cut and dry—you’re either a roofer or you aren’t, or you work on HVAC or you don’t (insert your industry here). But if you install outdoor patios and people think you’re a landscaper, you’ll have a problem on your hands.

With that said, finding out if your audience responds better to transactional or relational messaging, it will be easier for potential customers to choose you over the competition. For example, a transactional message for a roofing company would look something like this, “We build roofs for residential and commercial properties.” And a similar message with a relational twist looks more like this, “Let us put a roof over your head. We provide safety and trust for homeowners and businesses.”

Having appealing and effective marketing tactics will keep qualified leads heading your way which will keep staff from wasting their time on conversations that won’t turn into customers, and time is money. Keeping the messaging clear and captivating will both attract new customers and keep the right people knocking on your door. Posting things like  before and after photos  on social media helps you to show off the work you’re doing and show the transformation you’re creating.

Great communication starts with leadership because they’re setting the example for the rest of the company. This will help to establish trust and a shared vision. From there, connect with your audiences by meeting them where they’re at, and be sure to convey your message accurately. Working towards clarifying your communication will save you time, tons of money and a whole lot of swearing because of frustrating mistakes that could have been solved with better communication.

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Editor’s note: This article first appeared on the CompanyCam website and can be viewed here.