Communicaitons Protocol

The Minerva Group is committed to a productive and satisfying work environment that operates efficiently and effectively. We believe that clear, respectful, accurate, coordinated and timely communication between co-workers, clients and vendors is very important. This policy is intended to provide a framework for good communication within the work environment.

INTERNAL

Internal communication is an exchange of information which occurs within the organization, between employees, managers and Minerva Group contractors.

The Minerva Group uses the following internal methods of communication:

Slack App: For internal communication, this is the preferred method. Groups, pictures, attachments and emojis can be used to communicate with each other.

Email: If a message is longer in nature, requires multiple attachments, or if you are forwarding a previous email from a client, email is appropriate.

Phone: When needed, to address more complex issues or to be more personal, please call each other (each staff member has their own extension)

The Minerva Group Phone Number: 303-218-7887

Texting: Please limit texting to emergency situations, and know that an emergency on your part does not necessarily constitute an emergency for anyone else.

When communicating internally please use the following guidelines:

• Respond to each form of communication as soon as possible, but no later than before the end of the business day.
  • If communication comes in during the last hour of the day, please respond first thing the next morning.
  • A response is not necessarily an answer or resolution to the communication, but may simply be an acknowledgement that the message was received and that you have it on your list of to dos.
  • Unless otherwise appropriate, respond with the same form of communication that was initially used. (i.e. you receive a call asking for a report, your response would be to send that report via Slack or email.)
  • If you are out of the office, please notate that on your company calendar and have an automatic reply message so other team members can quickly see that you are out and understand why you have not responded.
• Each team member has their own clients and responsibilities. If you need assistance from another member, remember that it may take them some time to complete a task for you.
  • It is important to clearly state any deadlines or expectations during the first communication so that other team members can confirm or decline a request from the beginning as to not delay a project.
  • If you need assistance on a project, but you have not been able to secure that assistance from another team member, contact Joseph or Lisa to help coordinate.
• If you have a question, please ask someone!

EXTERNAL

External communication is an exchange of information which occurs between our Team and external parties; such as clients, vendors, client employees and client vendors.

Email: Email is our primary external communication method. As such, please ensure that an out of office message is in place if you are not working on a specific day The Minerva Group would typically be open.

Always include a signature on external emails (use the Email Signature Guideline document to reference appropriate signatures for new and replying emails).

Phone: When a phone call is needed, please feel free to use the Freedom Voice mobile app or website to initiate phone calls so it will show The Minerva Group as the caller ID and your Cell/Home number remains private.

Always use appropriate phone etiquette and speak clearly with clients and vendors. When possible repeat back important information or have important information repeated back to insure accuracy.

The Minerva Group Phone Number: 303-218-7887

Fax: When necessary, we do have a fax number. We can both receive faxes and you can send them through the Freedom Voice website.

The Minerva Group Fax is the same as the phone number: 303-218-7887

Letters: Letters may be appropriate from time to time. Please use company letterhead when needed to formally communicate information, and when time is not an issue.

When communicating externally please use the following guidelines:

• Respond to all communication within 8 working hours (unless there is a clear understanding that a response is not necessary or is not needed until a later time).
  • A response is not necessarily an answer or resolution to the communication, but may simply be an acknowledgement that the message was received and that you have it on your list of to dos.
  • If there is a delay in your answer to the initial communication and the client/vendor has not heard from you in the last 48 hours (or within a previous deadline), send additional follow-up to ensure they know what is going on.
  • Unless otherwise appropriate, respond with the same form of communication that was initially used. (i.e. a client emails you requesting a report, they were not clear about what they were looking for. It may be necessary to call the client to get clarification.)
  • If you are out of the office, have an automatic message set up on your email and v-mail so clients and vendors know the timeframe you are unavailable and the earliest you will be able to respond.
• Clients and vendors have hired us to help them; they do not work for us. It is our job to keep them informed of deadlines and help them understand the urgency of our requests. Do not let a deadline pass on a client’s account without their acknowledgement of the potential risks of missing the deadline. This may take several attempts at communication, but we never want a client to come to us and say “they didn’t know” or that we “didn’t inform them”.
• When communicating with a vendor, client, or other external contact; please do not blame or throw another team member under the preverbal bus. None of us are perfect and we need to support each other when it appears that something has been left undone.
• If you are one of several people on an email, be sure to fully read through the email to determine if a response is needed by you. If the answer can be provided by your or another person on the email, be sure to coordinate your response with the others on the email as to avoid duplicate or miss information; do not assume the others will take care of it.
• When it comes to communication, more is better.
• If you do not have an answer, forward the communication to Joseph.