Customer Communication Guide for Marketing and Advertising: Ogilvy

This report serves as a comprehensive guide for effective customer communication within the marketing and advertising industry, particularly for organizations like Ogilvy Australia. It emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing customer needs through various communication tactics, highlighting the role of verbal and nonverbal communication, conflict resolution strategies, and cross-cultural communication skills. The guide also identifies common communication barriers and provides actionable solutions to enhance customer relationships, improve customer satisfaction, and ensure long-term customer retention. Ultimately, the aim is to equip employees with the necessary skills to build strong, fruitful relationships with customers, leading to increased profitability and scalability for the company. Desklib provides access to similar solved assignments.

Running head: CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION GUIDE
Customer communication guide
Name of the student
Name of the university

1CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION GUIDE
Executive summary
The purpose of this report is to present a guide for effective communication with customers in a
marketing and advertising industry. This particular sector is completely customer oriented and
employees working in such companies are required to communicate and interact with employees
on a daily basis. As such, they would have to educated about and made aware of the various
aspects of customer communication, namely the use of communication tactics for identifying
customer needs, conflict resolution, the role of verbal and nonverbal communication and cross
cultural communication. Apart from this, the report also highlights key issues and provides
solutions for the same.

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Discussion:.......................................................................................................................................3
Customer needs and problem identification................................................................................3
Communication barriers..............................................................................................................4
Role of verbal and nonverbal communication.............................................................................5
Conflict resolution in customer service.......................................................................................7
Cross cultural communication.....................................................................................................8
Recommended strategies for effective customer communication:..............................................8
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................9
References:....................................................................................................................................10

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Introduction
In business, it is imperative to develop good rapport and build clear lines of
communication with customers since that would increase levels of customer satisfaction and
retention. If a customer feels that a specific company pays heed to their individual problems,
they are more likely to return, thus increasing the overall profitability of the firm (Paul, 2014).
The purpose of this report is to provide a guide for communicating with customers, which forms
the foundation of healthy and fruitful customer – company relationships (Blazevic et al., 2013).
For new employees, interacting with customers can be intimidating at first. Yet, in marketing and
advertising organizations like Ogilvy Australia, the entire running of the operations relies on
customer. However, this guide serves to familiarize the new employees with communication
tactics and solutions to problems that might be encountered while communicating with
customers.
Discussion:
Customer needs and problem identification
One comes to realize in due course of time that in marketing, acquiring and retaining
customers should be the primary focus of any company. In fact, keeping customers happy and
satisfied on a long term basis would positively affect the scalability and longevity of the
organization. As such, it can be said that effective communication skills are instrumental when it
comes to meeting the unique needs of individual customers (Stein & Ramaseshan, 2016). Every
customer with an intention to purchase goods and services from a company would expect
premium levels of service. That can be assured only by effectively communicating with the
customer. This would be beneficial for both parties; while the customer would be aware of the
company’s stance on matters of concern, the latter would be able to gain better insight into
customer needs, demands and expectations. They can align their business goals and objectives
accordingly. In the initial stages of the relationship, effective communication would ensure that
the services provided by the company are adequate to meet customer needs (Khodakarami &
Chan, 2014). With the passage of time, regular and continuous communication with customers
would help the company grow and adapt to the evolving needs of customers.

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 The employees in charge of customer service should be able to gain clarity into what
exactly the customer might be looking for. For instance, if a customer has certain doubts
about a specific issue, the customer care executive dealing with him would need to
decipher the exact requirements of the customer. This can be done by framing the
questions in such a manner that the customer is able to explain his problem clearly. Once
the problem has been identified, the employee would also have to keep the customer
informed about the measures the company intends to take with respect to the solutions
(Naeem, Bilal & Naz, 2013).
 It must be remembered that the relationship with the customer does not end with the
provision of the service. The employees are expected to follow up with the customer at
regular intervals so as to ensure that the service provided has satisfied customer needs.
For instance, if the customer has been facing certain issues, they could communicate the
same to the employees who would then take quick actions to solve them. This lays the
foundation for successful, long term relationships which lead to customer retention.
 In the highly dynamic environment that marketing companies function in, customer needs
are ever changing and constantly evolving. Failure to live up to the changing needs of the
customer would affect customer satisfaction levels. Instead, it is imperative to stay in
touch with the customers, keep them updated about new services, carry out regular
surveys and ensure that customers provide feedback on services provided. This would
help the employees anticipate customer needs and expectations as well.
Communication barriers
In marketing services, the customer interactions mostly take place face to face, through
telephones, emails and through video chats (Melero, Sese & Verhoef, 2016). In all these
instances of communication, chances of misinterpretation and miscommunication are high. The
communication process mainly consists of three elements – sender, the message and the
recipient. The sender is the person conveying the information whereas the recipient is the person
receiving the message. The way the message is communicated plays a key role in how it is
perceived (Berger & Iyenger, 2013). Thus, it is mandatory for employees to communicate their
messages with clarity so that the customers can understand their point of view. Nevertheless,
there are a number of barriers to effective communication with customers. Some of them may be
discussed as follows:

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 Language barriers in customer communication are common. The employees might not be
familiar with the language or the culture of the customers. These are known as semantic
barriers. In that case, an escalation procedure would have to be implemented. For
instance, there should be a team of employees, who all speak different languages in the
customer service team. This would ensure that a wholesome customer service is
provided.
 A negative organizational climate, the absence of a proper communication policy and
high levels bureaucracy may also act as communication barriers. If a customer has to go
through several layers of the company management in order to have their issues
addressed and solved, it can leave a negative impression on the customer.
 Personality and perceptual differences are examples of communication barriers as well.
When a customer reaches out to an employee, he expects a certain level of service and
attention. If the customer care experts appear to be inattentive or indifferent, it would not
only leave a negative impression on the customer but also affect his intentions to return
(Quintanilla & Wahl, 2015).
 Halo effect is a major communication barrier which most employees have encountered at
some point or the other. It must be remembered that using the same communication
tactics which worked on one customer might be ineffectual for others. Thus, employees
need to be quick, tactful, smart and adaptive when it comes to dealing with customers.
 In face to face meetings, body language, gestures, posture or voice tone can prove to
communication barriers. The way a person behaves with the customer, the way he is
seated or positioned, his hand movements, his style or manner of speaking and the
gestures he exhibits is proof of his intention towards the customer. If the customer
perceives the body language of the employee as indifferent or nonchalant, it could have
an adverse impact on customer service delivery.
Role of verbal and nonverbal communication
Verbal communication refers to the utilization of auditory language in order to exchange
messages and information. It would involve the use of words and speaking. On the other hand,
nonverbal communication is entirely based on wordless cues. When two people are in a mutual
space, they are bound to communicate either consciously or subconsciously. Nonverbal

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communication would include eye contact, body language, hand gestures, posture and facial
expressions (Bonaccio et al., 2016).
Verbal communication is a soft skill that every employee must possess. It is not restricted
to just speaking; on the contrary, verbal communication refers to the art of effectively conveying
messages to the customer (Keyton et al., 2013). Here are some verbal communication skills that
employees would need to demonstrate while speaking or interacting with customers:
 Annunciating clearly
 Advising them on their next course of action, with clear details on the path to be
undertaken.
 Asking and clarifying
 Anticipating their needs and concerns
 Open ended questions which fuel dialogue
 Assertiveness and patience
 Employees should be able to calm anxious or restless customers by assuring and
reassuring them
 Use of concise, precise, crisp and formal language. Verbosity should be avoided at all
costs.
 Clear enunciation of words in case of telephonic conversations.
 Planning communication strategies before interacting with customers.
 The ability to receive and accept criticism
 Listening skills
 Refraining from interruption
 Requesting feedback
 Confidence and use of captivating language
Nonverbal communication too plays an important role in customer-employee
communications. It is not only important for employees to control their nonverbal behavior
(Phutela, 2015). They need to be aware of the nonverbal behavior on part of the customers as
well, so as to get better understanding of what the latter actually wants.

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 Employees need to be good listeners and focus entirely on the customer and what he is
saying. Taking notes and consciously using body language that shows eagerness are
examples of nonverbal communication skills (Halberstadt, Parker & Castro, 2013). For
example, nodding one’s head, inclining one’s body towards the customer, maintaining
eye contact are some favorable non verbal cues.
 Similarly, it is important to keep in mind that facial expressions too are an integral aspect
of nonverbal communication. For instance, raised eyebrows, relaxed mouths and smiles
are perceived as favorable whereas furrowed brows and wrinkled noses can make the
customer feel unwanted and unappreciated. Hand gestures are important as well. The
employees should be relaxed and demonstrate natural hand movements, instead of trying
to control their gestures. Furthermore, a slouched posture would indicate nonchalance
and indifference whereas a straight posture would be more preferable as it would indicate
a desire to provide service to the customer (Mandal, 2014).
Conflict resolution in customer service
When it comes to marketing services, conflict and confrontations are inevitable. It must
be remembered that customers and employees might have different opinions on how a service
should be delivered. For instance, while planning a marketing campaign, the customer might
have his own idea on how to proceed with the campaign whereas the company might have
different plans. In such cases conflicts are common. The key is effective resolution of conflicts
that have surfaced. Guidelines for conflict resolution would be as follows:
 Employees should allow the customers to talk. The customers are likely to have their own
ideas and concepts and should be allowed to express their opinions (Saarijärvi,
Karjaluoto & Kuusela, 2013).
 Empathy is instrumental in effective resolution of conflicts. Irrespective of how upset
customers are, they would expect a degree of empathy from the employees. It is
important to make the customer understand that their feelings complaints have not fallen
on deaf ears and that they have been taken into account.
 When it comes to conflict resolution, it is important to be neutral. While the employees
are expected to acknowledge the opinions of the customers, they are not supposed to
agree or even disagree with the clients in order to avoid further conflicts.

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 During conflict management, customers often tend to be tangential. In other words, they
tend to deviate from the main issue. It is then the responsibility of the employee to
redirect the conversation back to the concerned problem.
 Another important aspect of conflict communication is the response. Irrespective of the
tone used by the customer, the employee cannot lose his patience or composure and react
in a negative manner.
Cross cultural communication
While working in the marketing sector, it is expected that the employees would be
interacting with customers and clients belonging to different cultures and traditions. Each
customer has a different viewpoint and follows a definite set of beliefs which is largely due to
cultural differences (Merkin, Taras & Steel, 2014). The diversity management policy at the
company dictates that an inclusive working environment must be created, which extends a
degree of tolerance and respect for the myriad cultures and traditions that the customers belong
to. Failure to take into account the cultural differences in customer service can result in
frustration, chaos and confusion. It is important to think in terms of low context and high context
cultures. Countries like Australia are low context cultures, which are characterized by less
formalities and attitudes which are explicit, assertive and more direct. However, if Australian
employees are interacting with customers belonging to high context cultures, they would have to
change their communication styles accordingly. For instance, a more formal communication
strategy may have to be adopted (Ang & Van Dyne, 2015). While Australians tend to be more
friendly and extroverted, other cultures might find such behaviors unacceptable and overbearing.
Recommended strategies for effective customer communication:
 Communications training is mandatory for new employees. Such training sessions would
entail role plays and cross cultural communication, which would educate the new
employees about potential challenges and how to solve them. The training sessions would
also prepare the employees for all possible situations and the appropriate communication
tactics during these events.
 Awareness about nonverbal communication and their implications. Most body gestures,
hand movements and facial expressions are involuntary and cannot be controlled.

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Employees need to be made aware about these nonverbal cues and how they could impact
the quality of customer service.
 Scripts and templates can improve quality of customer communication. In marketing,
several communications are repetitive and generic. In that case, standard templates or
scripts would help employees provide quick and effective customer care. These templates
would be tried and tested, and would prevent chances of errors or miscommunication
(Stone & Woodcock, 2013).
Conclusion
To conclude, it can be said that communication with customers is a sensitive issue in any
organization and due attention must be paid to the various aspects involved in it. For instance,
communication is mostly subjective and different people have different perspectives with respect
to it. When it comes to communicating with customers, a certain decorum must be maintained.
Additionally, it is important to respect individual perspectives, points of view, cultural views and
beliefs. As such, the level of customer satisfaction and the customer’s intention to return would
depend on their interactions and relationships with the company and its employees.

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