Measuring the effectiveness of communication
By Simon Oaten. Published in TelCall magazine 1999

How well do staff and managers in your call centre communicate with each other? What issues and concerns do staff have? Where are the key opportunities to improve processes or procedures. What do staff need to know and understand to do their jobs?

How do you find the information to answer these questions?

The most reliable and proven way is to conduct a communication audit which will gather information on key issues, concerns and problems in the call centre. It provides a detailed snap shot of the centre and how effective the internal communication processes are between managers and staff.

Why is communication so important?
Communication is the life blood of every call centre and crucial to its ongoing success. Effective communication is essential to ensure staff know what, how and when to do things. It also ensures management and staff work efficiently together by having a common understanding of the goals and objectives of their teams. Communication also links into many important factors: clear job roles and responsibilities, job satisfaction, productivity, team-building and the general coordination of the centre.

What is communication?
Communication is about the transfer of meaning (or understanding), not just the sending and receiving of messages. Both parties need to understand and act on what is being communicated.

Communication can take many forms - newsletters, bulletins, email broadcasts, management briefings, etc - but unless the people being given this information understand it there will be no benefit gained from these activities.

What is a communication audit?
A communication audit is a systematic process of measuring the effectiveness of internal communication in a company (or one of its departments like a call centre) and gathering information on issues and concerns that staff have about their work environment. The audit is generally a survey with a series of questions for staff to respond to. There is a mix of questions where staff rate their opinion on a scale of 1 to 5 as to whether they agree or not. In addition, questions are posed to allow staff to respond with comments and suggestions. Following the analysis of the survey results, a series of focus groups can be held to 'dig deeper' on particular issues. Focus groups are run by an independent facilitator with a group of up to 10 staff in each session. The facilitator guides discussion on particular issues where the survey 'owner' needs more information. Often a simple question as: "What can be improved with X?" will illicit a wealth of ideas and suggestions from staff.

Survey results and focus group data are then condensed into a detailed report from which the management team can develop action plans to address issues, concerns or opportunities raised by staff.

What will a communication audit tell you?
An audit is often a very revealing exercise. It can assess the internal communication system and find out who is talking to whom, about what, through what channels and with what degree of success and understanding.

Questions can be tailored to investigate particular management needs, for example: do staff get enough information from team leaders, where do staff get most of their knowledge and information from, what work practices need to be improved, etc.

When to conduct a communication audit
A communication audit is an important management tool that should be conducted at regular intervals to monitor how well staff are communicating and to identify any issues before they grow into problems. Many companies conduct audits on a half-yearly or yearly basis. Audits are also often conducted at times of organisational change such as the introduction of new functions or responsibilities and following company restructures or periods of business expansion.

Steps to conduct a communication audit
1. Identify issues to survey - hold discussions with small groups of staff at all levels to seek ideas on issues to survey. Or ask a sample group of staff to complete a brief written survey.
2. Design survey questionnaire - seek quantitative information (eg questions that ask people to consider a statement then rank their opinion on a scale from 1 to 5) and qualitative information (eg open questions that give people the opportunity to write a few lines in response).
3. Distribute survey to centre staff - this can be via paper, email or intranet.
4. Survey returned within a set time-frame - ensure confidentiality by having all responses go to a third party (eg an HR adviser) rather than a manager in the centre. If possible, use an external person for added confidentiality.
5. Analysis and reporting of results - responses to each question are analysed and key issues for staff are identified.
6. Conduct series of focus groups - it is often beneficial to further explore the key issues raised in the survey by running focus groups that will provide detailed information on the key issues and suggestions for addressing them. Always use an independent facilitator, otherwise staff are unlikely to express all their opinions.
7. Final collation of data and preparation of report - all information is presented in a report that highlights key issues, concerns and opportunities identified by staff. Ensure that all staff receive a summary of the survey results...no matter how positive or critical.
8. Develop change strategies - it is vital to produce results by using the information to address issues and make changes to processes, procedures and the way of doing business in the centre. Set action plans with priorities and deadlines and share these with staff. Identify 'quick wins' where you can resolve issues and demonstrate that action is being taken based on staff and management suggestions.

The business of communication
The effectiveness of any business relies on the ability of its staff and management teams to coordinate and exchange information. Every day decisions, recommendations and service solutions are based on information that is communicated between individuals using a variety of communication channels.

Regularly checking your internal communication processes ensures that meaningful information is getting to the right people at the right time. To do this, a communication audit is a helpful and proven management tool to measure the true effectiveness of communication in your business.