Avoid a Communication Breakdown With Your Customers

As a franchise public relations firm, we know how vital communication is.  Without it, we would all be lost.  We may all be born communicators, but that doesn’t mean that we’re all good at it.  Communication between a business or franchise and its customers is absolutely key.  Communication can make or a break a business relationship and we have seen it happen.  Here are a few ways to improve your communication with your customers:

(1) Drop all the technical talk!- Have you ever been talking to someone who is speaking with such technical language about their field that you feel totally lost and confused? Yes, this happens often and it’s a communication barrier.  Remember that your customers may not know all the technical lingo, so speak to them in terms they will understand.  Remember, the goal is to remove communication barriers between you and your clients and open up clear pathways. 

(2) Keep it casual (at first)- Before getting down to business start by having a casual conversation with clients.  Find a good icebreaker and use it.  The best way to create solid ground with a client is to begin positive, casual communication to establish rapport with your client, this way the client can see you as a person and begin developing a stronger bond with you.  

(3) Keep in contact often- As a business owner or a franchise owner you need to try to keep in contact with customers as often as possible.  Today business and franchise owners have to keep up with customers who, at any point, can take to social media and share with the world how unhappy they are with your company or service.

(4) Write non-technical blogs or articles- One way to reach new and current customers is through blogging.  Let people know you are the authority in your industry by posting relevant blogs or articles.  Try to keep blogs and articles on non-technical level so that it is easily readable by people in your industry and even outsiders. 

(5) Teach- If you can find an opportunity to teach others what you know about your industry, by all means do it.  Teaching helps further your knowledge, helps you create connections and improve your speaking and overall presentation skills, which can help you improve your communication skills with clients. 

Being involved in Franchise PR has taught us alot about the power of good communication between a business and franchise owner and their clients.  Feel free to comment below.