Updated on Mar 27, 2020 4:10 PM EDT — Published on Mar 5, 2020 6:43 PM EDT
From Wuhan to the rest of the world, Covid has changed our daily lives.This global outbreak is here, and it might be with us for longer than we would want. Its effect on the global economy has been devastating on a large scale with partial to complete disruption of many business activities. The pandemic’s effect on the translation industry can be characterized as one with mixed consequence as we experience a surge in medical (life sciences) translation demand while interpretation services demand is on the decline. In the blog post, we would explore the need for effective communication plays and ways to improve communication during a crisis.
The need for effective communication during a crisis
The current sequence of events is novel to just about everyone as most nations, businesses, and individuals are only just beginning to adjust to the new order. The simple truth is, there has never been a better time for effective communication than right now. Insufficient or lack of proper communication breeds misinformation, which can cause negative ripple outcomes during this period. In our previous blog post, Mariolina emphasizes the need to establish professional lines of communication and provide accurate information that can help clients navigate these times.
Ways to improve communication during a crisis
Just Communicate: The current crisis should not be an excuse to neglect customer communications. A major way to grow customer loyalty is to ensure that as a company or business you are willing to go out of your way to let your clients know that you understand their frustrations and concerns during this difficult time and that you are available to address most of these concerns.
Be Transparent yet sensitive: In the grand scheme of things, establishing communication with customers is just one part of it, businesses must ensure that all communications are transparent and clear to its target market so that all parties involved are on the same page no matter how unpleasant the situation may be. For instance, an airline operator should be direct when communicating information related to flight cancellations or refunds. It is important to stress, however, that communications should be carried out in such a way that is sensitive to the plight of customers.
Adopt the right communication measures: Effective communication needs to be precise. Businesses must ensure that the right emotions and nuances are conveyed with every message passed especially when dealing with foreign clients. This can only be achieved by using appropriate transcreation and localization practices.
Establish more lines of communication: In a time of crisis, panic from customers are bound to happen. There is no better approach to addressing customer concerns than ensuring that there are multiple channels of easy communication. A typical example of this could involve a travel agency going the extra mile to set up a virtual over-the-phone interpretation service for its international customer base.
Industries would always change and disruptions to norms are bound to happen, so it very important for companies to accept such changes. Businesses that are open to changes that could potentially occur gives them the opportunity to gain additional market share or at the very least maintain current market share. For example, supermarkets have seen an increase of their online shopping orders. Businesses need to be prepared to operate online more than ever to survive. During turbulent times like this, what you need for your business is a reliable translation service provider with a team of experts that are ready to work round the clock to effectively communicate all the necessary information with your desired target market. TranslationsinLondon is just the service for you.