LOOKING OUT FROM WITHIN
BUSINESSES communicate in two directions: internally to staff and externally to stakeholders, customers and suppliers. Ill-conceived or neglected internal interface will lead to mistakes, lack of progress and disinterest, while poor external relations can jeopardise image, sales and profit. Today's savvy managers recognise fully the importance of building consensus both ways.
A communications audit plays a turnkey part in the process. An audit is a form of research that aims to define how employees, suppliers, customers and other publics perceive the company; sets out communications objectives; establishes a benchmark; and helps lead the way to the next level.
Looking out from within an organisation, however, is one of the most difficult tasks faced by managements. Professional, external involvement in the process can open up entirely new vistas.
There is increased emphasis on customer service and relevance of the offering: rightly so, of course. Rarely is there much disparity between good quality, competitively priced products.
RELATIONSHIPS
What makes the difference? It is all about relationships and how people communicate with one another.
Many organisations use too many vehicles to interact with their publics, wasting time and effort. Often, it is unclear which technique is having the greatest effect and with whom. The communications audit should streamline the process and redesign approaches around the needs of the target audiences.
Known challenges are information overload, over-complicated messages, lack of clarity, insufficient participation and marketing services inadequacies. This age of accountability makes it essential to deliver unified, clear and consistent messages.
In skilled hands, the audit is straightforward. It involves a comprehensive internal survey to see how communications are used, both in format and content. Further, it uses group discussions to delve more deeply into challenges and solutions. It interviews recipients and assesses the findings. And it reviews the marketing and promotional effort objectively, determining needs and pointing the best way forward.
EXPLANATIONS
Arguably, the most important element is the starting point – the orientation. That is, the way in which the audit is introduced to the company, with full and proper explanations and all-around participation from the outset. Co-operation is essential.
Next, the survey: logical, simple, user-friendly and confidential. Looking and listening. Focus groups will corroborate findings from the survey and bring about additional considerations and ideas for expected effectiveness. The audit will quantify and qualify the difficulties, identifying causes and setting out solutions. It will also review the mission statement and objectives of the business. Where possible, this will be equated to what is happening at competing companies.
The result is a benchmark for future comparisons and assessments. The entire process culminates in a final set of audit observations and recommendations. Likely timeframes for action are the immediate, the near-term and longer-term initiatives.
Your communications audit can be such an invaluable tool for improving internal motivation, loyalty and efficiency, while beefing up the market position. It forces the organisation to look at what it is doing in reality, as opposed to what it might believe it is doing.
Every management strategy needs to encompass a properly considered communications plan. An audit could be the launching pad.
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