Page 29 - Warwickers Communication Counts v2015
P. 29
KEY internal 29 INTERNAL COLLABORATION
TOPIC
collaboration
Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working
together is success. Henry Ford
The important thing to know is that all employees, whether coming in direct contact with the
customers or not, have an opportunity to make a difference. Once a company adopts this
philosophy, there is no stopping them. You need to get internal customer service right too.
Functions need to recognise they serve the internal customer well to support the frontline
delivery to external customers. This is the starting point for employee engagement. Businesses
need to foster a culture where people appreciate each other and how to best work together to
achieve win-wins for the greater good of their customers. Everyone says they care about the
customer but are you putting pressure on each other without realizing it.
How well do you work with other departments? Do you get wars between departments
where poor teamwork, poor communication and myopic thinking have led to a hardening of
positions over time – and nobody really knows why? When it's time to communicate with
others from different departments do you take a deep breath, or smile and relish a chance to
renew contact with colleagues from elsewhere in the company? Do you relish or dread
committee work with other departments? Does it seem their aims are contrary to your
department's? When other departments contact you for help do you regard it as a nuisance,
a distraction and a drain of your valuable time? Can you see the greater good that comes
from helping them solve their problems or fulfilling their needs?
The delivery of the customer experience spans many areas of the business. Whilst many excel at
their role in silos – what matters is the sum of the parts i.e. when they come together. Many
organisations struggle with getting teams to collaborate due to competitive cultures, strong
leaders, geography, communication channels and structures. Is your business designed with
collaboration in mind? What structures are in place to make it work, what are the barriers and
what does you culture depict in the way you do things i.e. the difference between what you say
and what you do? Your employees take more notice of what you do than what you say. How do
you harness technology to help with this?
TOPIC
collaboration
Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working
together is success. Henry Ford
The important thing to know is that all employees, whether coming in direct contact with the
customers or not, have an opportunity to make a difference. Once a company adopts this
philosophy, there is no stopping them. You need to get internal customer service right too.
Functions need to recognise they serve the internal customer well to support the frontline
delivery to external customers. This is the starting point for employee engagement. Businesses
need to foster a culture where people appreciate each other and how to best work together to
achieve win-wins for the greater good of their customers. Everyone says they care about the
customer but are you putting pressure on each other without realizing it.
How well do you work with other departments? Do you get wars between departments
where poor teamwork, poor communication and myopic thinking have led to a hardening of
positions over time – and nobody really knows why? When it's time to communicate with
others from different departments do you take a deep breath, or smile and relish a chance to
renew contact with colleagues from elsewhere in the company? Do you relish or dread
committee work with other departments? Does it seem their aims are contrary to your
department's? When other departments contact you for help do you regard it as a nuisance,
a distraction and a drain of your valuable time? Can you see the greater good that comes
from helping them solve their problems or fulfilling their needs?
The delivery of the customer experience spans many areas of the business. Whilst many excel at
their role in silos – what matters is the sum of the parts i.e. when they come together. Many
organisations struggle with getting teams to collaborate due to competitive cultures, strong
leaders, geography, communication channels and structures. Is your business designed with
collaboration in mind? What structures are in place to make it work, what are the barriers and
what does you culture depict in the way you do things i.e. the difference between what you say
and what you do? Your employees take more notice of what you do than what you say. How do
you harness technology to help with this?
