Those words are spoken twice in the Paul Newman film “Cool Hand Luke”. The first time it is the “Captain” or warden of the prison, played by Strother Martin, then again at the end of the film by “Luke” played by Paul Newman.
Now I must admit I am guilty of failing to communicate last week entering my weekly blog. My apologizes are extended, in no way an excuse, but I was traveling working out of a different office. I should have taken the few minutes to sit down and allow my thoughts to be put to electronic type, but I failed.
But in our world of customer service communication is the key to successful customer relationships. But it doesn’t stop at dealing with our clients we have to be in a constant state of communication.
I spoke with a co-worker in another office that is also a dear friend personally. It was in our friendship relationship that this communication took place, a venting as it were about other colleagues. Finding out information about a position change for one colleague of hers and two new employees’s transferring in to her department and she is the administrative director for her department. Doesn’t it always seem like the one person that should be in the loop is the last one brought in the loop? Now I am sure we have been in situations similar to this on one side of the situation or the other. Depending on which side we are on influences our response to the situation, but should it? No lack of communication is dangerous on many levels. How would that reflect if our clients heard about it?
I returned to my office to find a voicemail from a client on my phone with a question about a piece of monitoring equipment left on his site by one of my colleagues. He was told I would be making arrangements after a few days to come to the site and remove the equipment. I would have gladly been to the site and done so except I had no clue any equipment was installed that needed to be removed. Why this simple bit of information was over looked I do not know. But it reflects a poor internal communication which is not the image we want to present.
Communication is one of the easiest yet hardest tasks to take on it seems. Don’t think so? Drive down the highway and drive for an hour, how many speed limit signs do you pass? Now ask a law enforcement officer how many speeding tickets are written in that same stretch of highway. The speed limit was communicated, most of us know what the speed limit is when we are traveling yet we push it and try to ignore the communicated law. I remember a police officer addressing a driver improvement class made a funny yet effective communication of this very situation. He stated to the class, “I am not blind folks, I know when I take an exit on the highway it is like the green flag is dropped at the Indianapolis 500!” Funny, yet all these years ago I remember this statement.
Communication is vital to any relationship. Don’t speak to your spouse or significant other for 15 minutes when you see them next, before the 15 minutes is up I would guess you will get a comment like, “Is everything OK?” Communicate, you were just communicated to about how important you are to them and your well being. Three little words say a mouth full doesn’t it. Yeah that phrase normally is used with three other little words, but in either situation it does speak volumes. Just don’t use it with the police officer, it doesn’t help.
Did you know in Florida if an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle, guess I better go feed the meter.
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