1.

(a) Clearly define the word: Communication

The general view of communication is that it is an interaction within a social context.

Communication usually involves a sender (source) and a receiver. It involves the interlocutors
exchanging signals. These signals could be verbal or graphic, it could be gestural or visual
(photographic). In essence, communication involves using codes that are done with the eyes,
body movement or sounds made with the voice. Whichever way it is done, there is always a
process in which someone initiates a meaning intent that is passed to the interlocutor (receiver).
Giffin & Patten (1976) also state that communication is the process of creating meaning as well
as ascribing it. It is the exchange of ideas and interaction among group members. The Oxford
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English (2004) defines communication as the activity
or process of expressing ideas and feelings or of giving people information. One can safely say
that communication is the act of transferring information and messages from one place to another
and from one person to another. In addition to this, communication is also seen as a means of
connecting people or places. Communication can be defined as a field of study concerned with
the transmission of information and broadcasting. It can involve any of the various professions,
which have to do with the transmission of information such as advertising, public relations,
broadcasting and journalism.

1. (b) What are the implications of the above definition of communication?

Good communication also improves relationships, both with employees and in your personal life
with friends and family members. Listening carefully and offering quality feedback helps people
to feel heard and understood. This, in turn, nurtures mutual respect. Communication may
contribute to organizational success in many ways. It: Builds employee morale, satisfaction and
engagement. Helps employees understand terms and conditions of their employment and drives
their commitment and loyalty.

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Communication is significant for managers in the organizations so as to perform the basic
functions of management, i.e., Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling.
Communication helps managers to perform their jobs and responsibilities. Communication
serves as a foundation for planning. When communication is effective, it leaves all parties
involved satisfied and feeling accomplished. By delivering messages clearly, there is no room for
misunderstanding or alteration of messages, which decreases the potential for conflict.

Communication in the workplace is an integral part of an efficient and successful business.

It ensures everyone understands their duties and responsibilities, helps build quality client and
employee relationships and keeps employees engaged and productive. Employees are more
motivated when their leaders keep them up-to-date and regularly share important company
updates. Additionally, organizations in which employees are constantly connected see higher
levels of productivity. According to McKinsey, productivity improves by up to 25% in
organizations with connected employees

By fostering a dialogue between rural people and other sectors of society, communication
processes can empower both women and men to provide information and knowledge as a basis
for change and innovation, take decisions concerning their own livelihood and thereby increase
their overall involvement in development. More specifically, communication processes can give
rural women a voice to advocate changes in policies, attitudes and social behaviour or customs
that negatively affect them. The same processes can help women exchange experiences, find
common ground for decisions, take more control of their lives and add value to their role as
active partners in rural and sustainable development.

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 1. (c) Why do people communicate in business?

Communication is obviously necessary to do any kind of business. We communicate with customers,

employees, suppliers, other businesses, and the community at large. Small businesses don’t seem to have a
consistent communications strategy. The importance of business communication to your company’s
success cannot be overstated. Think of the way you communicate as your brand image, and treat it with that
level of strategy.

With every public or private communication, you give away information about your brand, whether you
realize it or not. That’s why it’s important to establish a company policy on how to talk to customers. Is your
company friendly, upbeat, and relaxed? Or do you want a serious, professional tone without a lot of
chat? The tone you take with your customers should depend on who your customer base is. A software
company whose customers are financial professionals would speak an entirely different language than a
store retailing surfboards. The key is to know your customers. Who they are, how they speak, and what they
want. With customer knowledge in hand, you can develop an approach to communications that defines and
reinforces your brand. This voice, or brand persona, should be consistent across your message, your
marketing, and every aspect of communications.

Relationships, especially with customers, are incredibly important in today’s business world.
Communication is key when it comes to building strong relationships and will ultimately benefit your
business. Using positive language in emails and negotiations is a good way to keep a potential customer
happy and feel comfortable with you. Sending personal notes or offers to a prospect on their birthday or
another significant date (without attempting to sell them anything) is a great way to build a solid client
relationship and keep them content while doing business with you. Grabbing the top spot, or even the front
page on Google search is not easy. There’s a lot of competition and everyone wants the same spot. How can
a small business compete?

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Giving your employees and customers the freedom to express ideas without the fear of judgment is
important when it comes to business communication. This way creativity and innovation can develop and
good business ideas can become great ideas. If something is not working as it should, the problem is only
likely to come up if your employees feel comfortable sharing feedback. Open communication is also crucial
when it comes to creating new promotional sales, improving products and services, analyzing customer
feedback, making informed decisions, and sustaining business.

Encouraging feedback from employees and customers is incredibly valuable to maintaining and improving
your business. Customer reviews can also put your business out there to new potential customers and help
your company grow and profit. Communicating with your customers about their experience with your
product or services not only gives you the opportunity to develop further, but also helps build trusting
relationships and returning business.

Customers are not the only beneficiaries of effective communications. Your employees benefit as well, and
it shows in the numbers. In general, small businesses are more personal and communications are simple,
and as a result, 80% of people who work for small businesses feel valued and heard, and that makes them
happy. The increased employee engagement that comes with open communication can positively impact
your bottom line

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 2. Using practical examples, describe the PASS Framework and its importance in

communication.

The problem solution framework was originally designed in 2010 as a process-based conceptual
framework to assist decision making and management of adaptation projects through defining
the different problem solution components of the adaptation process. Since then, the framework
has been developed further and aspects of it refined. This framework draws heavily on
observations of adaptation practitioners over a number of years. It also draws on a wider range of
practitioner and research knowledge in sustainability, business innovation, emergency
management and the arts, where dynamic and unbounded situations are common. PASS is an
acronym for Problem, Analysis, Solution and Successful. A framework is just a process flow on

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how to tackle business challenges. Problem solving models are used to address the many
challenges that arise in the workplace. While many people regularly solve problems, there are a
range of different approaches that can be used to find a solution. Complex challenges for teams,
working groups and boards etc., are usually solved more quickly by using a shared,
collaborative, and systematic approach to problem solving. The lack of clarity regarding an
overall process for adaptation planning and implementation has confused many practitioners,
who are often presented with numerous unfamiliar actions and little insight as to how the overall
picture fits together.

Problem
The problem phase process is diagnostic and its purpose is to identify what the problem is. This
is done by identifying the risks associated with potential climate change impacts and prioritising
them. The primary framing that directs the frameworks and tools used is risk. Knowledge during
this time is collected and synthesised to enable understanding, ownership and decision making.

Key questions associated with the problem phase are:

 What is the problem?
 Who is affected by this problem?
 Who is responsible for this problem?
 How are they affected by this problem?
 What are the priorities?
A good example is long meandering queues in banks in Zimbabwe. For us to be able to manage
these queues, the first think is to establish the cause of these queues. We will need to answer,
why are people queueing in the bank? This will be a challenge that will need critical and quick
reaction to avoid losing clients and ultimately loss of deposits. Another example is when a food
outlet has client`s complaining about stomach problem after consuming food prepared there. It is
important for the management to be able to identify the real cause of this problem. The out mate
go is to be able to provide good food to its customers. A lot need to be considered in a bid to try
and establish the root cause of this unpleasant situation after clients` consumption of their food.

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Analysis
Information collated in the previous phase is synthesised and analysed. Risks and impacts are
then prioritised. In the above examples of queues and unpleasant reaction including running
tummies, in this stage we then go deeper and invest in research of the real causes. In terms of
queues it might be a matter of checking on every client what have brought them to the banking
when banks are going digital for every service that they are providing. In the case of the
restaurant, it will be a case tracking everything involved in preparing the meal and check where
they are going wrong. In some cases, the completed assessment is reviewed by an appropriate
expert to ensure its quality and identify possible gaps in the data or analysis. Methods for
synthesising data are still developing, and which one you use will depend upon the type of
assessment being undertaken. Risk prioritisation may require costs to be allocated at this stage,
requiring some form of economic analysis. It is worth noting that many current frameworks may
underestimate the cost associated with climate impacts due to secondary or flow-on costs not
being able to be fully ascertained. Also many intangible (non-monetary) costs are hard to value
and so are often not included as a result at this stage. Frameworks are still being developed to
quantify these, however it is important to describe all values at risk, even if they cannot be fully
costed.

Solution

The solution phase begins by reflecting on the problem and understanding the priority areas to be
addressed. The development of solutions requires a shift in focus to envisioning current and
future conditions, and exploring possible solutions. A number of possible actions are explored
during this phase and then assessed. This can be undertaken in different ways and will depend
upon the type of risks and impacts identified during the problem phase and the current
organisational agendas. One method that can be used during this step is to present the key risks
identified in a workshop situation where a number of key stakeholders work together to develop
possible solutions to mitigate risks and manage impacts. The scenarios used during this phase
may differ from previous scenarios as they provide projections of the future with different
options as a basis to explore potential solutions and the context it will be applied in. Stakeholder

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involvement is important during this phase as it assists development of solutions that are relevant
to the context they are being developed for and helps ensure appropriate buy-in for the option to
be actioned. It is also important during this phase to assess the possible consequences of how
potential actions may play out over the long-term to ensure that a short-term solution will not
result in maladaptation. For example, a technological solution that treats a risk for a limited time
period might result in people ignoring the risk which is still increasing, leaving them more
vulnerable as a result. One of the key tasks here is to evaluate what the benefit and value of
particular actions offer. Currently a number of different types of frameworks and methods are
being used to achieve this, with the most common being cost benefit analysis. This is a useful
method for calculating direct monetary costs, but cannot fully value the intangible costs most
commonly associated with valuing environmental and social areas. As frameworks are still
evolving that are able to cost both intangible and tangible costs, it is important to list these during
this phase so they are part of the decision-making process.

Successful

In the fourth step, we evaluate all the selected, potential solutions, and narrow it down to one.
This step applies two key questions;
i. Which solution is most feasible?
ii. Which solution is favoured by those who will implement and use it?

As there are often multiple levels of framing for adaptation activities, dividing these frames into
specific levels can help with the identification of available tools and methods. In the problem
phase for example, an organisation may undertake a project focusing on impacts and hazards for
a local fire authority and use risk mitigation frameworks. Alternatively, in the solution phase, the
action might be to improve community attitudes relating to fire safety and use social and
business innovation in a local community.

The problem solution framework provides a conceptual approach that can be used to guide us. It
provides a foundation that can be built upon as adaptation practice progresses and allows for the
addition of new stages and interpretations. In application, it allows for practitioners to choose

8
what is most appropriate for their context and task. Key to this framework is the crossover from
the problem to the solution phase and how this directs the framing and the tools that are used and
how they are used.

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 3. (a) Explain the Customer Communication Model.

A communication channel, is the term given to the way in which we communicate. Daniel
(2010) describes it as a medium. There are many examples of channels of communication. These
include face-to-face conversations, telephone calls, text messages, email messages, the internet
(which has to do with social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Skype, Twoo, Badoo,
etc.), radio, television, written letters, brochures and reports. Craig (2000) explains that channel
refers to a selection from a particular array of options for sending and receiving information
while medium refers to a particular configuration of physical, technological and institutional
characteristics that constitute a distinct form of communication such as face-to-face interaction,
commercial television or electronic mail. The different channels as outlined by Craig include the
five senses of vision, hearing, touch, and the telephone, fax, letter, email, interview and/or a set
of different television channels, the use of which may or may not involve the use of different
media and codes for communication.

Adler and Towne describe communication as a process between at least two people that begins
when one person wants to communicate with another. Communication originates as mental
images within a person who desires to convey those images to another. Mental images can
include ideas, thoughts, pictures, and emotions. The person who wants to communicate is called
the. To transfer an image to another person, the sender first must transpose or translate the
images into symbols that receivers can understand. Symbols often are words but can be pictures,
sounds, or sense information (for example, touch or smell). Only through symbols can the mental
images of a sender have meaning for others. The process of translating images into symbols is
called encoding.

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Once a message has been encoded, the next level in the communication process is to transmit or
communicate the message to a receiver. This can be done in many ways: during face-to-face
verbal interaction, over the telephone, through printed materials (letters, newspapers, etc.), or
through visual media (television, photographs). Verbal, written, and visual media are three
examples of possible communication channels used to transmit messages between senders and
receivers. Other transmission channels include touch, gestures, clothing, and physical distances
between sender and receiver.

When a message is received by another person, a decoding process occurs. Just as a sender must
encode messages in preparation for transmission through communication channels, receivers
must sense and interpret the symbols and then decode the information back into images,
emotions, and thoughts that make sense to them. When messages are decoded exactly as the
sender has intended, the images of the sender and the images of the receiver match, and effective
communication occurs.

SENDER (encodes) Channel MESSAGE Channel RECEIVER (decodes)

Figure 1: Communication Model (The Pfeiffer
Library Volume 25, 2nd Edition)

There are a plethora of languages used in the world. Even within the same language, people
have different conceptions of the same word. Of all types of communication, verbal
communication allows for the most immediate feedback and clarification of words. However,
no matter the mode, type, channel and style of communication, the important thing is for a
message to be sent through an acceptable channel and for it to be decoded and understood
correctly. It is only after the sender’s intended meaning has been correctly decoded by the
receiver and the expected kind of feedback given that one can boldly say that the
communication process has been effective.

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(b) List and explain five barriers to communication and suggest solutions to the identified
barriers?

Effective communication is essential but some factors can hinder it. Effective communication
requires that a number of simple conditions are met. Within the process of communication, it is
apparent that barriers and obstacles do occur, which can be avoidable and which cannot be
avoidable; therefore an individual should inculcate all the required skills, attitudes and traits
amongst himself so that he can effectively overcome all the barriers to communication.
According to Breshears (n.d.), possible barriers to communication include physical,
psychological, cultural, perceptual and language barriers. Saxena (2008) lists five impediments
to communicating effectively as unfamiliar language, relationships, bad timing, attitude and
differences such as age, gender, intelligence, and race. It does not matter how good the
communication system is, how well formed and well developed it is, barriers do occur within the
communication systems, whether it is an organization, communication between the family
members, social network, institution and so forth.

Language Barriers

Language is the means which is said to be the most effective means of communication with
others. The language provides understanding of the content that an individual is willing to
express or communicate with the others. When two persons or groups of people are involved in
communicating with each other and if a common language is used that is understandable to all
individuals then their objectives will be fulfilled and the process of communication will be made

12
effective. Within an organization, it is vital to develop a common language in order to
communicate appropriately. For example, when international students come to study in a
country, they are not familiar with the national languages, hence, English is considered to be the
common language that is understood by all and utilized for the purpose of communication. When
communicating with the other persons, no matter what kind of communication means is utilized,
whether it is formal or informal, it is vital to make use of appropriate words, vocabulary and
language; all kinds of communication should reflect decency. Language and vocabulary that is
used in communication should be understandable to the persons; if a person speaks only English
and a word is used in Spanish then, he/she may or may not understand the word, for instance, if a
person speaks only English, then it could be a possibility that he/she might have studied other
languages such as Spanish or French. Two or more persons when they are communicating with
each other should use a common language, so that everyone can understand it well. While
communicating no matter what language, the use of words should be understandable, clear and
simple; usage of complicated words might make an individual perplexed and such words should
be avoided

Physical Barriers.

The area, the environment where the communication is taking place should be clear and not
over-crowded. Noise pollution can be a barrier to effective communication, this is obvious,
where there is noise, a person cannot efficiently communicate, therefore places and areas with
lesser people, proper ventilation is required for effective communication. It is vital to eliminate
the unwanted distance within the communication system, if the condition requires it, for
example, it can occur in telephonic communication. If two persons need to discuss an important
matter and one of them is in Lilongwe, whereas other one is in the Harare, then telephonic
conversation may not prove to be very effective, then they can send each other details through
the system of email. Within an organizational structure, it is vital to have team spirit and
individuals should work in coordination with each other and be cooperative towards each other.
Formal and informal means of communication occurs within an organization. One of the crucial
factors is proximity within an organizational structure. There is a system of hierarchy and those

13
individuals who are placed at the higher levels of the hierarchy have closed doors, offices and
cabins and are physically placed at the distance; their subordinates are in this way unable to
communicate with them and this is a physical barrier to effective communications. Noise is the
most common barrier which occurs everywhere, for instance, when family members are
communicating at home, constant noise comes from busy neighbourhoods, or at the workplace
too while working on the computers, people may get engaged in informal conversations, hence,
that leads to emergence of noise levels. It is necessary to identify the sources of noise and then
formulating measures in order to eliminate those sources.

Psychological Barriers

It is vital to understand each other’s mindset and mental capacity; this applies in every case
whether it is a professor giving a lecture or a conversation between the employer and an
employee. If someone is communicating with the other individual or a group of individuals with
an attitude of disinterest or unwillingness then the process of communication will not be
effective. In this case, it would have believed to be that attitude of the communicators is
inappropriate for the purpose of making the process of communication effectual. It is therefore
considered crucial to overcome the psychological barriers. At times it happens that people do
not develop interest in communicating with their fellow employees due to the feelings of fear,
mistrust, anger or annoyance, that may arise within their minds and these are stated to be
emotional barriers. Anger or Frustration is a barrier, the reason being that when an individual is
angry or frustrated then no one shows interest in communicating with people with this kind of
an attitude; the reason for unwillingness to communicate with angry and frustrated people is that
in these kinds of approaches people tend to communicate in an inappropriate manner. During
communication, the speaker is required to make effective use of body language and not depict
ones emotional state; for example, if the speaker is upset due to some reason than he should not

14
portray his distress in his speech, the listeners might misinterpret the information if it is
delivered by a speaker in a distressed mood.

Cultural Barriers

A cultural barrier occurs when people of different cultures are unable to communicate with each
other efficiently and this inability may be due to diverse factors such as different backgrounds,
languages, customs, viewpoints, ideas, notions and so forth. Communication also takes place
between people belonging to different nationalities, religions, castes, creeds, races and
ethnicities. In other words, when two persons are communicating with each other, there may be
differences in their cultural backgrounds. It is vital to overcome all the barriers that might occur
within the course of communication. Within an organization, individuals belonging to different
nationalities, regions, cultures, religions, castes, creed and different status groups are employed
together. These people at times do familiarize themselves with other people’s cultures and
backgrounds, whereas other times they are even unaware. In academic institutions such as a
university; there are different departments, each department has a chairperson, professors,
students and other staff members. Communicating in an effective manner is extremely crucial
within the university or in any other academic institution. For example, a professor teaches a
topic and some students within the class may have differing viewpoints so that does not mean
that the professor will not instruct or communicate with those students. Within the university,
there are different cultures, subcultures, nationalities, traditions, norms and values. In one
classroom, it is a possibility that out of so many students, there may be few Muslims, Christians
or Hindus, they all have to develop mutual ties and communicate effectively with each other
which is essential in acquiring academic learning. It is crucial to make people aware of one`s
own culture with whom they are communicating. In the form of communication, it is vital to
form an understanding and acceptance of another person’s culture.

Perceptual Barriers

It is important to understand various perceptions of a situation or of an issue or a problem. There

are different levels of perceptions that are involved when communicating about a particular

15
topic, condition, problem, issue, situation, dilemma, stress or a concept. Lacking understanding
about different levels of perceptions may prove to be a barrier. In order to implement effective
communication, it is vital to gain the ‘perception of reality’ which means information about
facts, knowledge, figures, actuality and what is true. While communicating, it is important to be
open, flexible and transparent. – These are the barriers which arise due to differences of opinion
between two people, differences of the viewpoints does prove to be a major barrier, therefore
these differences do generate a requirement for effective communication; any kind of
disagreement between two persons is not healthy for the functioning of the organization. Within
the organization when individuals are recruited, their performance, qualifications, skills, abilities,
knowledge, attitude should be taken into consideration; there should be proper training and
development programs, employee selection procedures and individuals should possess effective
communication skills especially regarding the English language, they should be fluent in
English, in speaking as well as in writing

In the conclusion, there are number of barriers that do come within the course of communication,
these are language, physical, psychological, cultural and perception Within an organizational
structure, many barriers arise and there have been formulation of certain measures and
procedures for overcoming them, the most effective and successful means of overcoming
barriers of effective organizational communication is by forming an optimistic approach within
the workplace and it is regarded as mandatory to develop politeness, good manners and respect
within ones approaches and attitude.

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 4. Critically evaluate the role and relevance of communication in customer service?

Communication is not just part of customer service; it is the most important part of customer
service. That is because good customer service requires listening to a customer's needs and then
telling him/her how you plan to meet those needs, in other words, communicating with your
customer. Communication is the bread and butter of customer service as every interaction
between your company and your customer is a communication exchange. Communication in
customer service refers to the exchange of information between a customer and a company while
resolving the customer’s issue. From email responses to social media updates and phone calls –
there are so many different ways to communicate with your customers and offer assistance.
Excellent communication in customer services requires skills like speaking and writing clearly,
effectively, efficiently, and politely. You need to employ empathetic listening when you’re
communicating with customers. Remember, communication is a two-way street. Good
communication and effective customer service are intertwined. Several factors can impact how
you communicate with customers and deliver customer service.

A single bad experience can affect how your customers perceive your brand. In fact, one-third of
consumers say they would consider switching companies after just one instance of bad customer

17
service. Being able to convey a message effectively is critical to offering excellent customer
support. Without communication, there’s no customer service possible. Listening to the
customer, being patient, displaying empathy, and understanding the issue or problem are skills
that help you communicate effectively with the customer and are a must-have while working in
customer support.

Better business communication also means better customer satisfaction. If there’s poor
communication within an organization, two things happen when it comes to customer service
and satisfaction. First, employees in customer-facing roles won’t have the information they need.
Second, customers will sense the low employee morale and have a negative experience. In
fact, one study found that employee attitude has a significant impact on customer satisfaction,
which then results in an increase in revenue.

Good communication also improves relationships, both with employees, friends and customers at
large. Listening carefully and offering quality feedback helps customers to feel heard and
understood. This, in turn, nurtures mutual respect. With team members feeling more confident in
their work and in their understanding of what they need to do, they become more engaged with
their work as a whole. This increase the mood for employees to be able to serve customer with
the intention to provide good quality memorable experience. According to a recent
study exploring the psychology of employee engagement, only 15% of adult employees are
engaged with their employers. By prioritizing effective communication, you can increase
engagement, and thus boost satisfaction, among your team members and customers at large.

Giving your customers the freedom to choose the communication channel they prefer is part of
an excellent customer experience. In fact, according to Microsoft, 54% of consumers worldwide
favor brands that respond to customer service questions or complaints on social media. Offer
support through the channels of communication your customers use the most and make it easy
for them to contact you. For example, if your customers belong to a younger demographic, you
might want to consider offering customer support through your social media and mobile-first
messaging channels such as WhatsApp and LINE.

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Consistency means that the service experience doesn’t change depending on who is offering
support or the channel of communication. For example, when customer support personnel
communicate with your customers, you want them to use consistent guidelines and refer to
unified customer records to ensure that customers don’t face any breaks in their experience. If
your company sells luxury products, you’d want your personnel to provide a little bit of the VIP
treatment. You can do this by viewing a customer’s previous interactions across channels and
accessing their order history to get up to speed on their issue. By gathering context beforehand,
you can give the customer the impression that you know exactly what they are going to talk
about. This can help you offer fast, context-rich, consistent assistance that is nothing short of VIP
treatment. It’s best to ensure that your brand voice shines through in all interactions. Brands also
need to be consistent in the vocabulary they use across all channels, and personnel should have
the skills to use it precisely during interactions for a better service.

The experience of talking to a person using a script versus communicating empathetically with
someone is entirely different. Customers will feel heard from the beginning if you can relate to
their needs. When we contact customer support, we are looking for someone who can understand
what we are looking for and help us with a quick resolution. Personalizing the experience by
introducing yourself, addressing the customer by name, and trying to gather context about the
customer’s issue beforehand is part of excellent customer service communication. Ultimately,
you want your agents to be supportive when it comes to wanting to help your customers. This is
the best personalization experience you can offer. Going the extra mile with a customer is a
fantastic way to delight your customers. Anticipating potential issues that your customers may
face and providing a solution can save them a headache. For instance, you can communicate
foreseeable issues in advance via email, instant messenger, whatsapp, twitter or call centre and
offer help instantly when customers are showing visible signs of frustration using website
widgets. Proactive communication can play a major role in ensuring why your customers stick
to your brand.

Clear communication prevents customer frustration by ensuring that there are no

miscommunications. Successful customer support reps can explain what’s going on in simple

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terms that don’t leave customers wondering or confused. Develop command over your language
and product knowledge to inspire trust in your customers. Clarity requires you to break down
complexities into concepts that are easily digestible for your customers. For example, while they
don’t need to know the nitty-gritty of what caused a bug, you may need to explain what really
happened in simpler terms.

Many companies wait until a customer contacts them before worrying about customer service.
This is a mistake, as it only focuses on one of the many types of communication in the full
customer service experience. Businesses that truly recognize the importance of communication
skills in customer service instead look at all interactions with their customers and try to make
each step as effective and positive as possible. When you want to improve customer service
communication, do not just look at the end stage where an irate shopper gets in touch when
things go wrong. Every aspect of customer service is filled with communication between the
customer and the company. While the most obvious customer service communication examples
would be those between a customer who has a problem and the customer service agent assigned
to help him, a customer does not need to reach out to the customer support department in order to
communicate with the company.

A call to customer service is often the first human-to-human exchange between your customer
and your brand. “For better or worse, that representative becomes your brand until that call
ends,” says Matt Doyle from Forbes. After that, your customer and your company will be
communicating with one another, and so you must develop the best skills possible to make your
customer service communication a success.

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REFERENCES

CICRM Customer Communications Module

Introduction to Communication Theory. (n.d.) Retrieved June 16, 2015

Lunenberg, F.C. (2010). Communication: The process, barriers and improving

effectiveness. Schooling, 1.1:1-11

Oluwanisola, Seun. n.d. “The Importance of Feedback in Communication”

Saxena, V. (2008).“Communicating Effectively: Five Impediments to Communication.”

Skills You Need. (2011). Barriers to Effective Communication. Retrieved June 18, 2015 from
http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ips/barriers- communication.html

The Importance of Communication. http://prezi.com/7wwis6vnlsuj/the -importance-of-

Communication

www.free-management-ebooks.com/news/six-step-problem-solving-model/

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Zaineb, A. (2010). Barriers to Effective Communication in an Organization and Overcoming it.
Retrieved June 17, 2015

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