Organisational body language

Body language helps us to understand people by what they say, write or how they behave in a face-to-face situation. As this has already been discussed in a previous column, let us pay some attention to a relatively new topic; organisational body language (OBL).

The term was first introduced by Cartwright and Green in their path-breaking book “In charge of customer satisfaction” published in 1997.

The authors have proved that not only individuals but also organisations use body language to tell the customer what they are. The term “organisation” includes any firm, company, corporation, department, institute or any other organised body. For instance, when you enter a particular organisation, you get the feeling that you are not wanted there. On the other hand, you might want to come again. All this is due to OBL.

When you enter the building of a particular organisation, you see officers who ignore your presence. The receptionist is talking over the phone and considers you a nuisance. When you look around you see walls not white washed for years.

The staff behind the counters are busy with their own work. You try to draw the attention of somebody in the organisation but fails miserably. You see another customer trying to park his vehicle, but the vacant space is reserved for office vehicles, when you entered the building you thought that the customer is king, but it is not so.

All these are negative signals of OBL. Those who are running the organisation fail to see that it is the customer who pays their salaries, bonuses and dividends for shareholders.

However, many organisations do not alow customers to park their vehicles inside the premises. They have to be security conscious. But leading organisations at least must find an alternative parking space for their customers if they wish to remain in business.

In some organisations the reception desk or inquiries counter is unmanned, maybe the receptionist or any other officer at the inquiries counter does not want customers to disturb them. Once I went to a Land Registry office only to find two elderly women at the far end of the office. There was no receptionist or security guard to make inquiries.

In certain organisations officers’ tables are arranged in such a way that they can avoid the customer’s gaze. As a result, the customer had to wait till somebody from the office to come out. Once I went to a divisional secretary’s office to get a copy of my birth certificate.

Although there were a dozen male and female officers, nobody asked me why I came there. I found that most of them were busy answering phone calls and talking to each other.

Customers are a nuisance for them. Even if you try o speak to one of them, they pretend to be busy. Unfortunately this is the situation of many organisations managed by the government.

In most government organisations the telephones keep on ringing but nobody cares to answer them. Everybody seems to think, “It’s not for me!” Even when a customer leaves a message, nobody cares to call him back. They are unwittingly offending the customer.

When a customer walks into an office the first person he meets is the receptionist. However, the receptionist’s desk is manned by a member of the minor staff or a junior officer who does not know much about the organisation.

As a result, he tends to give wrong information damaging the reputation of the organisation. Meanwhile, some receptionists have to answer telephone calls, accept payments and issue receipts in addition to greeting new customers. This is too much for one person to handle.

Successful organisations pay close attention to OBL. They ensure that the customer is treated well. Once I attended an interview at the Marketing Institute of Sri Lanka. The receptionist, a male, politely asked me to take a seat and asked me whether I would like to have a drink. Within minutes somebody appeared before me with a glass of orange juice. I think that marketing people practise what they preach.

The first impression the customer gets about an organisation is important. If he gets a good initial feeling, that will lead to a ‘halo’ effect, which will colour his subsequent visits. On the other hand, if he gets a negative impression, he will be on the horns of a dilemma. If he is completely dissatisfied, he will go elsewhere.

Negative communication is another aspect of OBL. Sometimes, the customer sees funny signboards at the entrance to an organisation “Do not spit” or “Spitting is prohibited” can be seen in hospitals and railway compartments. I think that today’s patients and commuters are too civilised to spit inside the buildings and compartments.

At the entrance of a bookshop there was a signboard: “No credit; no donations; no advertisements.” Customers go to a bookshop to buy books and stationery, not to ask for donations and advertisements.

I found two other negative sign boards at two other organisations. One sign board read “No dogs” and the other “No children.” I do not think any customer will bring his dog to an organisation. However, can a mother leave her child outside the building? For that matter, the British Airports Authority has gone to the extent of providing baby facilities in male and female toilets. That is real customer care in practice.

OBL can be improved with a little more care and imagination. For instance, all the buildings and the surrounding area should be properly maintained to give a clean look. The organisation must be located in a safe area easily accessible to the customer. Whenever possible, parking facilities should be made available to the customer. Priority should be given to customers more than the staff.

Since OBL is a relatively new subject most organisations pay scant attention to it. However, it is encouraging to see organisations in the private sector regularly train their staff in customer care. In fact, customer Relationship Management is a subject for certain professional examinations.

It is high time that government institutions too paid some attention to customer relations on par with the private sector. The OBL factors discussed here help an organisation to build up its ambience, which means the overall impression gained by the customer. If a customer is impressed, he will come again for his transactions. If he gets a negative impression, the organisation

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