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Communications used to be such an underappreciated element in supply chain management. But with the pandemic disrupting the way we do business, came the improved perception on supply chain communications.
Comms Room Channel sat down with Elyse Glenn, a supply chain comms expert to chat about how effective communication can lead to successful supply chain management.
Elyse is a seasoned professional in the public relations and corporate communications spheres. She has helped some of the most iconic brands in the world transform their culture, increase engagement and build brand recognition.
As the Head of Global Supply Chain Communications at Schneider Electric, Elyse develops thought leadership material, offers strategic communications guidance to executives and senior management and makes sure that internal and external audiences are connected to her organisation’s supply chain story.
Read along as Elyse unloads nuggets of communication wisdom below.
What communication technology/tool are you most thankful for in your current role at Schneider Electric? Why?
Microsoft Teams. My team is based across time zones, and it’s made collaboration and communication so much easier. Now, we’re launching Teams to our 40,000+ factory and distribution employees. It’s exciting because this is the first time they are connecting to a digital communication channel so they can be included, connected, and engaged in new ways. It’s great for internal communications, but equally helpful to improve HR processes and operational efficiency. We are on track to roll out to all 180+ sites by the end of next year.
What is the link between communications and supply chain management to ensure organisational competitiveness?
Everybody has a new understanding of the importance of supply chains – before it was something we all took for granted that just happened in the background. After we all saw empty shelves in our supermarkets, we’ve experienced how they are the engine of global economies. Now in many industries it’s not demand that’s driving sales, it’s a company’s ability to meet that demand. The companies leading in end-to-end supply chain management, from suppliers through to customers, are beating their competition.
Every communications leader needs to understand what the current supply chain environment means for their business – from customer experience to employee engagement. We know supply chain professionals have been doing it tough for the last two plus years, and customer-facing employees are working harder than ever to manage and meet customer expectations. On the internal side, supporting your employees’ wellbeing as well as giving them the resources they need to support customers is critical. On the external side, communications leaders must know how the supply chain situation is affecting customers and manage brand reputation through this.
Take your corporate communication strategies to another level by joining us in our 8th Corporate Comms Leaders Summit where Elyse will be speaking.
How can organisations best protect their brand reputation in the disruptive world we live in today?
Firstly, I’d tell organisations to listen to their comms people! Great comms people have their finger on the pulse between sales, operations, supply chain, customers and brand. One of the things I love about comms is that it is truly transverse and connects you with people from across the whole business.
For comms leaders, protecting the brand through disruption is a balance between being agile and steady. We need to be agile to respond to the changing environment – we have all seen this year how global crises can change things very quickly – and being an even keel in a sea of disruption. Every business needs a tailored approach based on the impact of disruption to their customers, but the comms teams who have built systems to be both agile and calm in their communications approach are better set up for success.
Where do you hope to see global supply chain communications in 5-10 years?
A lot of companies, Schneider Electric included, are not just responding to the challenges now, but are investing for greater resilience in their supply chains in the medium and long term. Companies that had already invested in technologies of the fourth industrial revolution for their supply chains, like AI and automation, before COVID-19 have weathered the storm better than those that hadn’t.
We’ve continued to see massive acceleration of 4IR technologies, and there’s compelling results for operations and sustainability. But many companies are right at the beginning of their 4IR journey, and so over the next 5-10 years we’re going to see the reality of 4IR manufacturing and supply chains at scale.
What does this mean for communications? Well, it’s a great story! And while comms will always continue to support with crisis and issues management, I think we will also see the benefits of the lessons that have been learned.
For employee communications, we are right at the beginning of digital connectivity for factory and distribution center employees. There are exciting things to come in this space over the next 5-10 years.
Read also: Award-winning marketer Antonia Vann on shaping a “voice of trust” (commsroom.co)
Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.
