Arts Entertainments

Don’t go changing: how to communicate change

An old maxim says that the only constant is change. Over the past decades, the concept of change has spawned entire industries dedicated to managing the change process.

Whether it’s hours of service, evolving technology, or company ownership, to paraphrase Bob Dylan, “times are a change.” I do not mean to criticize the change in business. Innovation is synonymous with progress and keeps the competition on its toes.

The challenge of change lies in how you communicate. People are creatures of habit and any alteration of those habits can be painful. How can you minimize the pain of change and reap the expected benefits?

The following tips can help companies communicate change effectively to their employees and customers.

1.) Determine who needs to be informed. Many internal procedure changes do not involve customers and should be communicated only to internal staff. Do your customers really want to see signs warning that exterminators are coming Friday night? Keep such change notices for employee eyes only.

2.) Self-interest is a fact of human nature. Will the change affect employees’ work hours, their income, the location of cubicles, or their reserved parking spots? Be prepared to answer these questions as soon as the change is announced.

3.) Redundancy and repetition are important. Staff meetings, newsletters, voice messages, emails, websites, US mail, and niche advertising items can all be tactics used to communicate change.

4.) Give sufficient notice. Few things are as frustrating as embarking on a routine experience only to find that the rules, schedules, or procedures have changed.

5.) First share information about a change with employees. While privacy and legal considerations come into play with many transactions (mergers, acquisitions, IPOs), few things are as uncomfortable as an employee driving to work and hearing that your company is merging with another organization. Have a plan to inform employees before the news is released.

6.) Offer assistance during the change process. Help can range from a customer service kiosk to a toll-free hotline or online helpdesk.

7.) Show flexibility when practical. A communications company I worked with was afraid to notify a large client that their account manager was moving to Minnesota. By arranging for the employee to telecommute, the communications company supported both the employee and the customer.

8.) Provide a feedback vehicle to allow customers and associates to weigh in on the change. This could include a survey in an employee newsletter or on a customer statement or just calling a few customers to discuss the change and answer any questions they may have.

9.) Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and change doesn’t happen overnight. Begin communicating the change well in advance, re-communicate it, and evaluate it.

Years after Dylan’s famous anthem, singer-songwriter Billy Joel crooned, “Don’t change to try to please me.” Maybe he just needed better communication to understand the benefits of the change.

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