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Get started on your communication audit: there's no better time than the present.

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If you've been thinking about doing a communication audit, now's the time. The challenging economy is likely just the catalyst you need to take an objective look at your communication organization and activities to determine if they are as effective and efficient as possible. What better way to demonstrate to management that you are focused on return on investment and not falling into the trap of making assumptions or stale thinking?

Just ask Wendy Heshka, ABC, a partner at Communication Solutions. Based in British Columbia, her firm hired a consultant to conduct an audit and survey clients, prospects and influencers. What they learned made a real difference--in dollars and cents.

"The findings shaped considerable changes and facilitated strategic growth for our firm," says Heshka. She said the audit pinpointed the attributes their clients most valued and how the agency differed from its competitors.

Heshka and her team made a number of changes. They refined the language they used to define themselves, reworked their web site and redecorated the office to reflect their brand personality. They reorganized the agency, emphasized cross-selling, and set up quarterly "coffee chats" with clients, prospects and influencers. One of the real benefits, she says, was that the audit opened communication with their client community--and brought new business opportunities.

"We've grown 100 percent [in revenue] in the past year," she says, "and the audit was a significant facto,."

Audit or assessment?

An audit is often referred to as a snapshot of an organization's health. But it's...

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