Company Spokesperson? Every Employee is the Face of the Brand to Customers

Written by: Jo Kempen, CRU, communication consulting

How many times have we, as users of a service, heard the statement: ‘I don’t know, that’s what the bosses said,’ whether it’s in a grocery store or a financial institution? There is always that first line of communication with the customer, some information that the worker clearly does not consider logical or justified, and then there’s ‘that big powerful boss force that has said its piece.’

And so, a bit of ‘gossip’ ensues. It seems that there is a bond of empathy between the worker and the customer to whom they cannot explain a service, and over time such phrases are repeated. Persistently and daily, until they become that real, tangible frustration.

For the dissemination and maintenance of such information, we have everything we need: a topic, consistent communication (even if negative), an audience, and experience. And although one might conclude that there is no deeper rhetoric, evidence, or similar, the fact is that simple and short messages are easily transmitted and create opinions without context, criticism, or reflection. Because who, after all, cares about the context of someone else’s business; people have their own set of daily obligations that are overwhelming, so any analysis of some, for them, simple services is not even on their minds.

Why a Framework is Necessary

Discussing innocuous topics, giving one’s opinion along the way, and then further transmitting a constructed reality is completely natural and human. Gossip is considered an informal form of communication and is often used as an instrument for disseminating information. It is not something to be avoided or necessarily condemned. It would be, at the very least, inhumane to wish for gossip to not exist. However, its consequences tarnish reputations, magnify negative traits and information, and often carry a negative connotation.

In a business context, a framework is therefore necessary. All employees, especially those who communicate directly with customers, must be aware that they are responsible for what they say. To ‘protect’ people from themselves and poor behavior that may stem from good intentions, there is an ethical code. And while there are individuals in every organization who consider it unnecessary, the ethical code is one of the best tools to ensure that all employees have a common framework to adhere to behaviors aligned with the company’s values.

Whose Influence is Crucial

Remember how your parents taught you something when you were a child, or how you taught your children – through repetition; sometimes even fifty times wasn’t enough. As information develops, it is extremely important to know how to explain the context. Thus, in systems, everyone needs to fully understand their role in the collective and their importance in the process.

The simplest example is road traffic: let’s remember, when we step onto the street, that there are participants (from pedestrians to cars and public transport), signals, and traffic rules. If everyone knows their role and the rules, the possibility of a traffic accident will be minimal. By introducing a large number of bicycles and scooters into that traffic, for which there are no clear rules or exist but most participants in traffic do not know them, the likelihood of accidents, stress, vehicle damage, and worst of all – human casualties – increases.

Similar rules apply in business. Every individual must know their role, the rules, the context of the environment, and the process. Following that, they can be good ambassadors for the brand/employer. The influence of management and human resources/potential experts and internal communicators is crucial. They are the ones whose vision must be shaped into clear goals and information. Any mystification of business decisions and the expectation that field managers will understand everything intuitively is unrealistic.

It is human nature to explore what interests them, but also to, if possible, use the minimum effort. It should be taken into account that behaviors are undoubtedly repeated and copied. Therefore, the stance of ‘that’s someone else’s task/job’ easily finds its way through the organization and becomes a blank excuse.

And while most employers will not be able to notice every heavy sigh from an employee at the checkout that a customer encounters or eye-rolling during service delivery, the rules must be clear – just as the limits of tolerating what we will interpret as ‘authentic’ behavior. There is no reason for any service delivery – from car servicing, package delivery, hairdressing to bread sales – to be a burden for the customer. Moreover, that is the image that the customer perceives as the identity and quality of a brand.

In Direct Contact with the Customer

Aware that customer experience increasingly influences the success of the company and the key roles of employees, this is a challenge that must be approached seriously. It is important to systematically develop communication skills and provide tools that will allow them to respond professionally, empathetically, and effectively to customer needs.

One of the fundamental skills that needs to be continuously strengthened is active listening. It leads to understanding, just as the ability to express oneself clearly and concisely does. Customers appreciate when they receive simple and concrete information. It is important to relieve them of professional jargon and ambiguous messages. They do not have time to ponder internal problems or internal processes of a service provider; that is not their job, nor a problem they can solve.

In addition to clear and concise expression, empathy is important. Emotional intelligence and kindness are often the key to resolving customer frustrations. The same information or solution can be presented to customers in different ways, and often the manner achieves the effect. It is important for the employee to react calmly even in more demanding situations and to practice assertiveness; specifically, to express their stance clearly and professionally while showing respect for the customer.

This also establishes healthy boundaries and simultaneously develops conflict resolution skills. The focus is on solutions, tensions are calmed, and compromises are found. With such an approach, employees more easily adapt to different types of interlocutors.

Stress is an Excuse for Everything

Stress has become a daily excuse that serves instead of setting boundaries or avoiding responsibility. This ‘facade’ cannot be a conclusion and a generally accepted alibi. There is a way to manage stress – self-regulation. And if we go back to some earlier years, we will remember how our parents taught us to deal with stress: ‘Breathe, count to ten, say what the exact problem is, how you can solve it…’ Then they taught us to say ‘no’ or to grit our teeth and do something we really don’t want to do, but it will bring relief once we accomplish it.

Over the years, we have forgotten to set healthy boundaries in time and to be grateful for new experiences. Daily life is, on one hand, quite repetitive, but it carries new challenges and opens up opportunities for us to develop. In a work environment, resilience to stress can be practiced through various trainings, group workshops, but, as needed, also through individual coaching.

It is essential to encourage the continuity of people’s development and to create a work culture that nurtures open communication. By strengthening employees’ communication skills, the employer invests in customer satisfaction with the quality of service, and at the end of the day, this brings change. By investing in employees, we invest in the strength of the brand.