During the pandemic shutdown, Martha set up a living spot in one of the empty silos on her family’s farm. Just let COVID try to reach her there.

It worked for a while. She had her laptop to connect to the outside world but had no physical contact. But others could not relate to how she chose to ride out the pandemic. So, Mary focused only on herself and shut out the naysayers.

Extreme example? Sure. But do you get a visual of what happens when businesses build their own business communication silos?

What are Business Communication Silos?

Picture working in an office setting. The company has multiple departments with different functions. Now, picture each in its own silo (like cubicles with walls surrounding the groups).

• The business silos house individual groups, each with its own goals and objectives.
• Business communication silos form when the groups do not talk to each other.
• The groups do not share the same vision.

Sound familiar? It’s even more challenging as more employees work remotely.

Business silos have their place in organizations by delivering the following benefits.

• Structure – silos identify functions (Human Resources, Sales, Accounting).
• Specialties – each department specializes in its function (some better than others).
• Answers – the structure and specialties guide you to where you need to go for help.

A problem occurs when silos operate separately and do not deliver the same message. Often, the root of the problem is a failure to communicate.

Business communication silos can exist in small businesses or sole proprietorships, too. Silos form around inconsistent messaging.

The following offers three signs of silos and provides suggestions for improving communication.

 

Sign #1 – Mixed Messages

Have you ever heard something from one customer service representative only to have another tell you he could not do that? Frustrating (to put it mildly).

So, business communication silos can exist even within the same department.

Another example of mixed messages comes from the age-old battle between sales and service.

• Sales promises the world.
• Service cannot deliver.

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

1. Have a central source for documentation.
2. Develop clear guidelines for sales and service.
3. Collaborate with all stakeholders regularly.
4. Create protocol for decision-making on exceptions.
5. Establish audit processes and procedures.

If your company size is one (only you), mixed messages can happen in your business communication, too.

• Inconsistent language in rates or available products/services
• No clear purpose in your messaging
• Posts with opposite views (with no explanation for the change in your position)

If you are flying solo, try the following.

• Create a purpose for your business.
• Develop a clear brand that supports that purpose.
• Identify the message you want to deliver.
• Check regularly for consistency in branding and messaging.

Mixed messages deliver one message to customers - your business is unreliable. Share on X

Sign #2 – Dueling Priorities

A favorite mantra of staff in the corporate world is the following classic.

Poor planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

You are sitting in your specialized silo of marketing and communications. A Request for Proposal (RFP) for a potential client has to go out the door today.

• Next thing you know a salesperson rushes into your office.
• He demands you create an original PowerPoint deck for a sales presentation scheduled at 2 PM.
• What do you do? Which priority takes precedence?

Depending on the situation, a variety of responses can occur.

• You take on both assignments, skip lunch, and become extremely stressed – both final products suffer as a result.
• Or you refuse to take on the sales presentation – World War III breaks out and the company misses the RFP deadline.

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

1. Have the salesperson and marketing representative discuss priorities.
2. Work collectively toward a solution (e.g., reassigning tasks to another team member).
3. If unable to resolve, call in a decision-maker.
4. Establish a process and timeline for RFPs and sales presentations.
5. Develop templates to simplify and improve production.

The sole proprietor deals with the same situation when deciding priorities. The only difference may be you get to talk to yourself, which could be a more pleasant experience.

Align business communication priorities to see the bigger picture - the customer. Share on X

Sign #3 – Missing Information

Imagine you have the following conversation.

• Customer – My XL7 crashed. I am in urgent need of XYZ part but cannot find it online.
• You – I checked, and we have that part. I can overnight it to you today.
• Customer – Thank you! You are my hero.

Sounds great, right?

Now imagine that you find out that the part is out of stock. Ouch.

• Manufacturing knew it.
• Sales knew it.
• But the person who updates the database is on leave.

If you are that customer service representative, you do a slow burn that so many people knew about it except you. And you just made yourself look like an idiot.

The response you repeatedly receive is, “Hey, it’s not my job to update the database.”

• I guess their silos don’t have windows.
• They cannot see the bigger picture.

Sole proprietors can cause a similar situation when they fail to notify clients of changes to a project or timeline.

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT

1. Use tools like the RACI chart to assign who is Responsible, Accountable, Informed, and Consulted.
2. Develop a system that alerts all stakeholders of critical information.
3. Have a plan for backup of all assignments.
4. Regularly meet to discuss workflow and identify issues.

Missing information leads to missing customers. Share on X

Final Sound-off

Have you noticed how many problems in life and work circle back to communication (or the lack thereof)?

Businesses spend endless hours working on their brand then forget to get employees on the same page.

Install a window in business communication silos to see the customer outside. Share on X

How do you open the window to better business communication? Share your ideas in Comments.

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Note: In 2015, SSB took a year-long alphabetic journey for better business communication. Each post contained an A-to-Z topic for creating better business communication. This ‘S’ post originally published on September 21, 2015, and this June 14, 2022 version updates it. The plan is to update each alphabetic post. Hopefully, it will not take a year to complete. 😊

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