During my internship with the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, I was opportune to work in an exclusive section called the Apron Control.
On one of my night shifts, the Vice President of Nigeria flew in and activities on the airfield were grounded, no flight was allowed to take-off in what the Air Traffic Control termed “sterilizing the airport”
Flights that were ready to take-off were put on hold and I can remember a pilot calling the Air Traffic Control to enquire the reason behind the delay. After waiting for some minutes without proper feedback, he called in again, this time demanding to know how long this process would take.
This scenario is what David Epstein described as the Gate Agent Problem (GAP). Gate Agent Problem is a situation generally marked by a lack of response for an extended period of time, especially in cases where immediate response is needed.
This phenomenon stems from the gate agents at boarding gates of airports who sometimes leave passengers in a state of assumption as to why their flights haven’t left instead of communicating to the passengers the issue at hand.
Similarly, when you apply this situation to the work environment, it leaves little to be admired. Lack of response for an extended period of time is frustrating! If a client has to reach out to you to ask for updates throughout the duration of a project, they’ll tend to feel like it was those requests that kept you on your toes in order to get the job done, and you won’t get the recommendation you deserve.
Conversely, fast communication signals care and attention to details and in the long run helps you keep control and in charge. Gap in feedback creates opportunities for assumptions to kick in. Communicating with clients or colleagues about the current status of events even when there are no updates creates a bridge between current and future expectations. It is worthy to note that quality customer service is the backbone of every business and effective communication is the essence of that service.
Clients’ value constant updates, letting them know that you’re working on the project, even when you don’t have a solution yet can create a positive experience for them. Silence creates voids that tend to get filled with negative assumptions and the last thing you’d want is to create the notion of incompetence in the mind of clients.
How to Eliminate GAP in Communication
According to James Clear, he said “waiting to reply because you don’t have an answer yet makes the situation worse. Silence frustrates and confuses people”. And I’m sure you can relate to this; especially in those moments when you urgently need answers to the emails you send to colleagues and they’re yet to acknowledge receipt not to talk of replying. Gate Agent Problems exist in almost every facet of life and most especially in business.
How did you feel the last time you sent a message to your colleague expecting immediate feedback but didn’t get it? This is an example of Gate Agent Problem existing between colleagues. We can also extend this to our everyday relationship, and I’m sure that at this point you must have been thinking of several scenarios where you’ve either been on the receiving end or at the forefront of this problem.
The following steps can help you eliminate the Gate Agent Problem and set you on the course for a better communication with clients and colleagues.
- Acknowledge the situation at hand
84 percent of consumers consider customer service to be a key factor when deciding whether to make purchase. If customers have one bad experience that remains unsolved, they’ll write off the brand completely.
You need to be as honest as you can, customers prefer brands that own up to their mistakes and take active steps to correcting them. So, instead of keeping mute because you made an error or can’t deliver by a due date use the following phrases to clear the air of silence:
- “I’m currently working on the task, I’ll get back to you shortly”
- “I can’t respond to this right now, can I call you back?”
- “I’m sorry the project can’t be completed at this time, however, I’m working on it as we speak”
Lying to clients is like shooting yourself in the foot, if they find out they’ll lose interest in you or may even spread negative feedback about your business. Negative feedback spreads like wildfire especially in this age of social media.
The same approach is applicable to colleagues. We know that sometimes you can have much on your plates at work that you won’t be able to respond to issues instantly. Acknowledging receipt of the message or request and then rescheduling will go a long way to helping those who need immediate feedback from you.
Never leave a message unattended be it from colleagues or clients.
- Carry clients along
In today’s world where competitors are lurking around to pounce on unhappy clients, you’ll be doing yourself a disservice if you create a void in the form of silence.
In order to avoid the occurrence of Gate Agent Problem (GAP), you need to collaborate with clients, make them feel involved. This has a ripple effect, the more updates you provide, the quicker the project will end.
The observations, corrections and last minute input that always comes along with projects would have been taking care of along the way. Clear communication creates confidence and builds trust. There’s no trait that improves customer experience as transparency.
How do you carry clients along?
- Send daily, weekly or monthly updates as the case may be
- Call your clients
- Request for feedback
- Suggest recommendations each step of the way
Going out of your way to please your clients will leave a lasting impression about your services. Negative feedback can spread fast, so also can word of mouth testimony. About 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family above all other forms of advertising when making a purchase decision. Friends and family want to know if someone who is similar to them had a good experience with a brand or product.
Effective communication may not be your strongest point, but in order to satisfy and win the trust of customers, you need to show them how much you value them and that starts by providing updates every step of the way. Immediate feedback can be the reason a client will become a repeat customer and eventual brand advocate.
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