Post comments here for improving communications in your business. (From Team Members to management, and vice versa, and with Customers.)
Masterkey Learning Blog
The WOW Paradigm blog
Post comments here for improving communications in your business. (From Team Members to management, and vice versa, and with Customers.)
In The WOW Paradigm there are some great ideas about how to improve communication within any organisation.
The one I liked best was the Ask Stew Program. There are PC’s in each of the staff cafeterias and team members can access these during their breaks and go on line and ask Stew any question they like. Stew guarantees to get back to them with his response within 48 hours. This program has grown dramtatically over the last couple of years as Team Members contact Stw about a whole range of issues that they are seeking answers for.
Stew loves the program becasue he is now getting direct feedback from the frontline about what issues are concerning his team members. What is important to them.
The other observation that I would make about this program is that it really demonstrates to Stew’s team members how much Stew cares about them.
Many years ago in Australia I worked for Budget Rent A Car and the owner Bob Ansett used to say that he spent over half his marketing time and dollars marketing Budget to the Budget Team. His view was that if got that right then they would in turn market Budget to the customer.
Where I work our department manager takes each of us for a coffee cake meeting once every two months. We go to a nearby coffee shop and she just asks how is everything going and lets the conversation just happen.
I feel comfortable asking her about any aspect of the business and I also get the chance to make suggestions for improving our systems and processes. I also feel like I am a valued meber of the team.
When it comes to communication most organisations are good at sending information out to the front line but very poor in creating systems that allow communication from the front lines back into the management train.
One of the best ways to gain staff engagement in the brand is to actively encourage their participation in the growth of new ideas and system improvements. Suggestion boxes (they can be electronic), agenda items on weekly/monthly meetings asking for ideas, giving them projects, and the list goes on of methods that can be used to encourage staff to be more creative. The WOW Paradigm has a number of great ideas in this area.
Graeme