June 15, 2023
There have been a handful of situations lately where I’ve felt that I was getting communicated at by an organization. I don’t want to throw anyone under the bus, but one of them was a dentist, if you’re curious. But it could be a school, a SaaS app, a conference, book club, or a grocery store.
I felt like, in all cases, the organization was actually pretty strong at communicating outward from itself. I got lots of messages at lots of different times in lots of formats about different times, often timely and clear. High marks for those outgoing communications.
but then
The time comes when I need to communicate back. Ask a question. Schedule an appointment. Request assistance. Offer feedback. In that situation, the quality of communication fell way off. A question goes unanswered, or the answer is lackluster, or you feel shooed away. They communicate to you in 5 different mediums but only accept communication in 1 (and it’s something horrible like the phone). You can tell they aren’t ready and willing to meet you where you are and help you directly however you need to be helped. Maybe they aren’t staffed for it. They didn’t plan for it. They don’t empower people well enough. Whatever the reason, it ends up being a turn-off. It makes those great incoming communication efforts feel like a barb.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say one is more important than the other, but I will say communication is a two-way road and everybody, especially businesses, should strive to be good at both.
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