Recently a colleague of mine was struggling to get through her work day. There was a lot going wrong and it felt like nothing could be done about it. When she finally broke, the tension was too much and the hurdles felt too big to overcome.
When the dam finally burst, and she spoke with her superiors about her issues, it was obvious that clear communication was the biggest issue of all – and neither party even realized it.
Communication is necessary
That’s when I realized it’s something that we rarely discuss. We usually take advantage of communication until something happens and it’s suddenly too late. Why do we do this to ourselves?
Are we afraid of hurting someone’s feelings? Being seen as rude or unappreciative? What is it that makes us walk on eggshells around our friends, colleagues and customers?
Push through to succeed
I’m here to advocate for pushing through discomfort. We owe it to ourselves, one another and – most importantly – our clients and customers. We want open and clear communication between ourselves and those we serve. How else will we know if something isn’t working?
Not too long ago that same colleague of mine encountered positive and well taken constructive criticism. Someone reached out to her to air a grievance about delivery and she was able to relay the information respectfully to those in the company who handled such things. Apparently, it was something that had been happening for some time but no one was saying anything to the company.
Client feedback helps us improve
Why not? We owe it to our clients to make clear from day one that we are here to support them through the good and bad. Clients should never be afraid to tell us when something isn’t working. And we shouldn’t take it personally – we’re human and mistakes happen.
If we engage openly and thoughtfully with our clients, then there shouldn’t be any barriers from moving forward after a concern is brought to our attention. The same goes with colleagues and even friends. So long as we give each other due respect then the problems can usually be handled with respect as well.
Ever since this idea of open communication arose in my personal life, I’ve been more mindful of how I engage and interact with others. No matter how good we are at communicating with one another it never hurts to have a “check-in” with ourselves. It doesn’t have to be the beginning of a new year to explore making ourselves better.
Has this ever happened to you? Have you encountered a personal or professional problem that could have been avoided? Tell us about it in the comments below!
We can’t help your company grow based on your client communication but we can help your company with a mobile app that has options for client feedback which could, in turn, help you see what’s working and what needs some work. Contact Unleashed Mobile Apps today!
