Internal and External Communications

Concise and professional communications will work wonders for your firm, and it can often buy you time when you need it most.

Does your firm have a communications policy?

External Communications

'Hi Joe', 'Hello Joe', 'Hiya Joe', 'Hi Mr Bloggs', 'Dear Joe', 'Dear Mr Bloggs'?.....

The odds are, unless you've given them some directive, each and every member of your staff greet your clients and residents in different ways. Does something as 'small' as a greeting matter?

Yes! To many, a greeting is overlooked as part of a thread or a conversation, but to others, a greeting is an introduction and should be approached with respect, after all, we often do not know the person on the other end of our message or email.

Greetings, much like general correspondence, will vary from company to company. For example, if you are a smaller, more 'boutique' style firm, you may market your firm as 'personable' or 'friendly', whilst remaining professional, which sensibly might fall closer to a 'Hi Joe', or a 'Hello Joe'. Whereas a larger or more 'corporate' style firm, whilst remaining personable, may opt to take a more formal approach, which is logically more suitable to the 'Dear Joe' or 'Dear Mr Bloggs' greeting.

The same principle as a greeting applies to a 'sign-off'. A 'thanks' has a different feel to a 'kind regards'.

A firm cannot expect uniformity in the writings of their staff if you do not provide a directive. This applies to general, day-to-day correspondence as well as greetings and sign-offs, and whilst it may not seem like an issue to most, a communcations policy can go a long way in portraying your brand your way.

Internal Communications

Every business owner or Director knows exactly how they expect their staff to communicate internally; it's common sense, right? Communicate with your colleagues as you wish to be communicated with?

The fact of the matter is that everybody has a different approach to communication. Some are abrupt, others timid and reserved. More often than not, in an office environment, tensions occur as a result of misinterpreted communication, whether that be a person with a more abrupt style being received as rude, or a more reserved style being received as dithering or work-inducing.

Implementing a communication policy that covers off your expectations for internal communications gives clarity to staff on how and when you expect them to engage, whether that be by email or telephone, and often dictates whether or not internal communications should take priority over their external communications.