I had an unfortunate experience with my cable/internet service provider last night. The company will remain nameless, but it really got me thinking about the importance of communication in business.

The scenario was this: I signed up for the service through my power company because they told me they’d be able to get me a loyalty-type discount. I was to get $25 off my bill for 12 months and the first month would be completely free. I wasn’t even supposed to get a bill until next month. Well last night, I got a bill for this month, so I called to get it fixed. After waiting on hold for over 20 minutes and talking to 4 people, I heard that they don’t offer discounts like that. They’ve never even heard of them. I’ll have to call my power company and see if they can fix it. I’m just glad that there’s more than one cable/internet provider in the area. I may be switching.

Even though all the people at this provider were nice, I was completely frustrated by the lack of communication going on behind the scenes. There are sales and customer service reps all over–including employees of other companies–that are not getting the same information, and where it really hurts is the customer level.

At larger companies, it’s a larger task to make sure everyone’s on the same page, but it’s incredibly important. It’s also a major part of customer service. A positive user experience is the ultimate goal. That’s what’s going to increase customer acquisition and ensure customer retention, which of course keeps your business actually in business. Communication of promotions, procedures, and company values and goals is the foundation of a positive user experience.

As we have seen in social media (with things like United Breaks Guitars) the loss of a dissatisfied customer isn’t a company’s largest problem. The bigger problem comes with all the people that dissatisfied customer tells about the bad experience. A failure to communicate properly within your organization will undoubtedly lead to more dissatisfied customers that will tell even more people.

Although Dave Carroll’s beef with United Airlines was over a straight customer service issue rather than a communication issue, it’s a sobering example of the power of a consumer voice. United lost around $180 million in stock prices over the course of 4 days because they created a dissatisfied customer with what turned out to be viral reach.

How important is proper communication at your company?

Photo by aussiegall