A corporation’s hiring manager does not return a phone call to a former colleague about a job opening after a lengthy discussion about it the month before. The applicant previously worked in a similar role at the company and left to be a stay-at-home mom. She knew the company inside out. In fact, she performed many of the job functions very well. She left on good terms. But in the end, her enthusiasm for this new job opening ultimately is met with silence from the hiring manager. The manager never follows up and a bridge is burned. The hiring manager forgot about how this lack of communication affects her company’s brand. Maybe she did not know how to handle the situation when she decided to hire someone else. But her lack of communication and follow up resulted in the company losing a long-time customer. This erased the applicant’s great experience as a former employee and brand enthusiast.
Silence is an informal mode of communication snuffing the life out of a customer’s experience. Not returning an email or phone call, even if it’s not a direct customer experience, impacts how people view your company and brand. Employees are the face of your brand and every interaction (or lack thereof) with the public makes a difference. Whenever people reach out to your company, whether by resume, voicemail, email, Facebook post or direct Tweet, they expect a response. Silence kills the buzz your marketing and communications teams work so hard to create.
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