One of the best pieces of advice I’ve had is to listen first, then talk.  Actually it was a little more brutal than that, suggesting that as I have two ears and one mouth, it would be sensible to use them in that proportion.  A little stinging as a chatty teenager, but  great life long advice in many situations, especially in the business world.  

In today’s environment, staying attuned to the mood and needs of employees and customers is vital. Listening first is key to this. Many organisations do indeed listen to these audiences, but in my experience they are receiving a filtered or sanitised version, rather than warts and all truth. Interrupting this filter or sanitisation by undertaking research with someone outside the organisation who asks the right, and often trickier, questions and is more detached is likely to be much more enlightening.

This can be a scary prospect as real feedback is likely to be both positive and negative. We regularly undertake research with our customers. With a world class net promoter score of +91, this feedback is usually very positive, but it also picks up any issues. In the short term this can be challenging, especially for a motivated team who always wants to give their best. Importantly though, this approach means we can tackle any issues early.  This feedback also helps us understand and do more of what customers actually like, rather than what we think they like.      

Perceptions can indeed be quite different to reality. It is only possible to close this perception gap if you know that it exists in the first place. We often undertake a perceptions audit of an organisation to benchmark their reputation amongst target audiences before starting any work. This helps give a true picture of where the organisation is now, so ensures any future efforts can be more carefully targeted and effective. 

For example, we worked with a global organisation which had made a significant investment in positioning it as innovative and environmentally friendly. The senior team had assumed that this was how it was perceived by customers and potential customers. However, having spoken directly to these audiences, it was clear that these messages, while true, were not landing effectively and this was far from how the organisation was perceived. By understanding this starting position clearly, we were able to refocus future marketing, saving hundreds of thousands of pounds in wasted efforts. This ensured future marketing expenditure worked harder. Just over a year later we helped the same organisation win a prestigious industry award, for their innovative and environmental approach. 

Conducting research with employees is equally important, helping monitor the internal health and issues in the organisation. Employee satisfaction and engagement are critical for productivity and overall company performance. Regular research enables organisations to assess employee sentiment on a range of issues. It is only with this insight that organisations can take the most effective action.

As with customers, research with employees means organisations can address issues early, before they lead to resignations; very costly in terms of both lost talent and recruitment. Employees who feel heard and valued are more likely to be engaged, productive, and committed to the company.

We have recently undertaken some annual employee research with a client. This has helped get under the skin of their progress since last year and focus future efforts most effectively. .An important discovery was understanding how employees’ priorities have changed in relation to company benefits.  Without such research, it would have been more difficult to adapt the organisational offering to employee needs and wants, ultimately helping with retention of talent and skills in a very competitive market.   

It does take some confidence, and a little bit of bravery, to listen to warts and all feedback, but the two ears and one mouth approach could stand you in good stead.  

Julie Moulsdale is Managing Director at Perceptive Communicators