In today's business world, there are an innumerable amount of client relationships through partnerships and outsourced services. While oftentimes the term 'outsourcing' brings up thoughts of overseas workers speaking different languages, a great deal of outsourcing actually occurs domestically. Yet, while in the U.S. these different partners speak the English language, each company creates its own terminology. Thus, there still is a need to understand other languages, even within one traditional language such as American English.
Providing 'value add' to a client's or partner's operations goes beyond asserting position as an industry knowledge leader or collecting multitudes of information. Yes, being an industry knowledge leader brings instant credibility to an organization. Likewise, an organization able to gather a variety of useful information is one that can help itself and other organizations. However, it can be quite damaging to a relationship with a client to speak too much in code. That is, the knowledge or information is only helpful if it is understandable.
A common pitfall in providing client services (and advice in general) is to talk over people's heads using unique terminology that is internal to the consultant but foreign to the clients being helped. In such situations where clients express dissatisfaction or call into question the credibility of their outsourced partners, the outsourced partners further emphasize their terminology, as if to assert the validity of their processes. While this may make the outsourced partners feel stronger, the overuse of internal terminology actually creates distance in the client relationship. The clients are looking for help to understand the market environment. That which sounds like gibberish--whether it is gibberish or not--will be treated like gibberish. Instead of adding value and building trust, such antics eliminate trust.
Communication skills go beyond being able to sell stuff, giving instructions, or having casual conversations. Communication skills are needed to process information and translate the information from one organization's language to another organization's language. Therefore, in reporting back to clients and partners, it is critical not just to speak in one's own language but to make the effort to speak in the other party's language. Here, communication does not have to be perfect; communication just has to be effective. Likewise, communication should be efficient. In the end, the effectiveness and efficiency of client communications shows the effectiveness and efficiency of outsourced partnerships and the client services provided.
Providing 'value add' to a client's or partner's operations goes beyond asserting position as an industry knowledge leader or collecting multitudes of information. Yes, being an industry knowledge leader brings instant credibility to an organization. Likewise, an organization able to gather a variety of useful information is one that can help itself and other organizations. However, it can be quite damaging to a relationship with a client to speak too much in code. That is, the knowledge or information is only helpful if it is understandable.
A common pitfall in providing client services (and advice in general) is to talk over people's heads using unique terminology that is internal to the consultant but foreign to the clients being helped. In such situations where clients express dissatisfaction or call into question the credibility of their outsourced partners, the outsourced partners further emphasize their terminology, as if to assert the validity of their processes. While this may make the outsourced partners feel stronger, the overuse of internal terminology actually creates distance in the client relationship. The clients are looking for help to understand the market environment. That which sounds like gibberish--whether it is gibberish or not--will be treated like gibberish. Instead of adding value and building trust, such antics eliminate trust.
Communication skills go beyond being able to sell stuff, giving instructions, or having casual conversations. Communication skills are needed to process information and translate the information from one organization's language to another organization's language. Therefore, in reporting back to clients and partners, it is critical not just to speak in one's own language but to make the effort to speak in the other party's language. Here, communication does not have to be perfect; communication just has to be effective. Likewise, communication should be efficient. In the end, the effectiveness and efficiency of client communications shows the effectiveness and efficiency of outsourced partnerships and the client services provided.