How to acknowledge complaints without actually saying "sorry"

You are the CEO of a manufacturing company of children’s shoes for indoor use.

Lately, school principals are calling and emailing to say that their students’ shoe bottoms are leaving unsightly permanent marks on their gymnasium floors. Someone starts up a Facebook page regarding the issue, and more and more people are signing on as members. Twitter is afire with complaints from the cash-strapped educational sector.

As CEO, you have two choices: ignore the issue, or respond. What are you going to do?

Not all executives are keen to acknowledge
complaints. They believe that in doing so, they
are admitting that they were wrong. (They also
worry that they will have to fork out money to
set things right.)

However, there is a way to acknowledge a
complaint without being overly apologetic,
and retain the business of those who feel
wronged.

Think of it this way: in life, perhaps more than
anything, people want to be acknowledged
and appreciated. This applies to one’s personal
life as well as business. The art, however, is in
how you frame what you say to your customer.

Use the following as a paragraph-by-paragraph
guide for writing a public statement (e.g., for
your website):

1. Emphasize how much you value/appreciate
    your clientele

2. Without going into too much detail,
    acknowledge what the issue/problem is

3. Show your clientele that you understand their
    needs

4. State what you are going to do to rectify
    the problem

5. Again, emphasize how much you value the
    customer

6. Close with a statement that encourages your
    client to continue their business with you

Did you see #4? Acknowledging a problem also
requires fixing it. So, before you do or say anything,
you need to identify the steps you will take to rectify
the issue. Your solution does not have to be set in
stone and it could even just be a temporary solution.
But you still need to include one.

To summarize, when you acknowledge complaints:
be humble, and be helpful.

It’s just smart public relations.

Statistically speaking, you may be wrong

Statistics are mighty nuggets of proof that can further any argument or cause. They tell nay-sayers where to shove it. And journalists love them for two reasons: statistics make headlines, and they simplify the message for media consumers.

The problem lies in those who—whether intentionally or not—incorrectly interpret and communicate statistics to those they wish to influence.

As an example, your organization’s mission
is to help save the whales. You come across
a fantastic statistic that supports your cause:
saving the whales is a top-five environmental
concern among Canadians. Perfect! The statistic
becomes part of your key messages, and you
always make sure to share it during media
interviews. Journalists eat it up, and pretty soon
your organization is experiencing a surge in
financial donations.

You may be able to argue that the statistic is
technically accurate. But what you have chosen
not to mention in your interviews is the following:

- “saving the whales” was number five of seven
   options provided to those polled;

- “among Canadians” actually refers to a small
   number of random people who were not
   representative of the entire makeup of the
   country (e.g., in terms of ethnicity, financial
   status etc.); and

- the statistic came from a source with whom

   you are not familiar.

As you can see, when it comes to credibility,

context can giveth or taketh away.

Sadly, part of the problem lies with the general

public. Too often, we rely on statistics as fact
without knowing or even stopping to consider the
context. Perhaps this is a symptom of living in a
fast-paced world of information overload—we
simply have no time to question validity, and instead
scan the news for “nuggets” that we can store in
our minds and share with friends over drinks.

However, I ultimately believe that organizations
need to take responsibility for the messages they
distribute. It is simply unethical to intentionally
mislead audiences—and even if organizations are
unaware they are doing so, they should always question
the validity of any statistic before they disperse it to
the masses.

Handout: Using Statistics
Statistics Can Be Misleading
Health Statistics Can Be Manipulated

What we can all learn from Ted L. Nancy

If you’ve never heard of Ted L. Nancy, you’re missing out on two things: first, a bunch of belly laughs; and second, a fantastic lesson in writing and customer service.

A couple of years ago, my husband introduced me to Letters from a Nut, a book of off-the-wall prank letters written to various companies under the pseudonym of Mr. Ted L. Nancy (who for years people mistakenly believed was Jerry Seinfeld).

Among some of Nut’s best letters, I encourage you to check out the Harper Collins Canada website, where you can browse inside a good chunk of the book. Among other things, Nancy asks a hotel to find his missing tooth. He also contacts
Nordstrom to inquire about the purchase of
a window mannequin that uncannily resembles
his deceased neighbour.

Nancy’s letters, inarguably, are absurd. The first time
I read them (and I highly suggest you read them out
loud to someone you love), I was thoroughly
entertained. But the second time I scanned through
the book, I realized something else: the great care
that these companies took in responding to Nancy by
mail.

It is highly possible that not one recipient of Nancy’s
letters took him seriously. Despite this, if you read some
of their responses, you will see that each letter clearly
conveys respect for the client, an appreciation for their
message, and a high-quality commitment to customer
service.

In a previous job, I was responsible for responding to
hundreds of inquiries from the general public. Perhaps
not surprisingly, none were as ridiculous as those
published in Letters from a Nut (although a couple
came pretty close).

Regardless of the source, I always ensured that every
response was appropriately worded so the client felt
“heard.” Tone plays a big part in that. So does
understanding the value of your client, no matter how
crazy they may seem. Why? Because they represent
your bottom line. (Not to mention that there is no
reason to be unkind.)

Not everyone has the flair for writing that Nancy’s letter
recipients demonstrated in their responses. We should all
aspire to follow their lead.

Words, graphics and photos: make them “mesh”

I am not a graphic designer, but I generally know what looks good. And when I see something that doesn’t quite look right, I believe my client deserves to know.

A couple of years ago, I wrote the brochure copy for a small non-profit that provided free “telecounselling” to local citizens.

The key objective of the brochure was to promote the client’s many helpful services—referrals and counselling, among others—to a wide range of ages.

Writing the copy was the easy part. The challenge came when I was asked to review my words in layout.

At first glance, the brochure looked good. The design was clean, and there was a nice balance of text and visuals on each panel. The client and graphic designer were pleased with the outcome. But upon taking a closer look, I had some concerns.

In essence, the photos and graphics did not support my text nor the main objective my client was trying to achieve. For example:

- On the inside of the brochure, the client had selected a photo of an elderly man holding a phone. There was no way to determine if this man was supposed to be a caller or a volunteer. Moreover, his face registered nothing but ambivalence; this did nothing to illustrate the “friendly” or “helpful” image the client wanted to portray.

- The cover was another story. The client had opted for a photo of a young, attractive woman wearing a suit jacket. Sporting a headset, she looked professional and efficient. The main problem was that the photo was “too corporate.” Someone in need of counselling would likely walk right by the brochure, mistaking it as an advertisement for a business call centre.

Moreover, sad to say, there are a lot of sick people out there. The last thing the agency needed was for lonely men to call their free 1-800 number, hoping to speak to this woman or others who looked like her. (By the way, in case you hadn’t already guessed, the woman was a model from a stock photo website)

- The agency also had a very outdated logo: a rotary phone, with curly cord intact. To be fair, some elderly callers still use rotary phones. However, the elderly only comprised a part of a very diverse caller base including youth and post-secondary students. Add the logo to the photo of the elderly man on the inside of the brochure, and the client was about to alienate anybody under the age of 60.

Thankfully, the client took my concerns to heart and—with the help of the graphic designer—made changes to better meet its objectives and match the copy I had written.

So what does this story tell you?

Reviewing text in layout is not just about looking for spelling errors. It involves looking at the entire product with an analytical eye, ensuring it meets the client’s objectives and that the visuals “match” the words and that everything "meshes" on the page. Some may call this a value-add, but I believe it should be integral to professional writing and editing.

I believe my client deserves a high quality of customer service—and therefore, I deliver it.

Consistent messaging: how integrated marketing communications builds trust

In personal relationships, we generally begin to trust people when we feel we know them. Conversely, if during each interaction a person changes the details of their life story—even just the finer details—trust diminishes.

The same can be said about the business world. Simply put, you cannot expect potential clients to put their trust in your organization—and more importantly, invest in it—if your messages do not match across your online, print and other promotional materials.

When businesses approach target audiences with inconsistent messaging, they run the risk of appearing disorganized, disjointed and even dishonest.

This recent article shows that most senior-level marketers consider it vital to consolidate key messages across an organization. However, despite this belief, few businesses actually follow through on making it so. Granted, it is a major undertaking for any organization to ensure all messages are consistent across all materials, every single time something needs to be updated.

But you can’t put the onus on your audience to figure out themselves which data are “right” or the most up-to-date. Generally speaking, everyone in the free world is busy with work and family obligations. That leaves little time to absorb every piece of information we receive in a given day.

This is all the more reason to make integration a priority. A consolidated, clear message stands a much better chance of attracting your audience’s attention, holding their interest, and making a profit.

By integrating all communication tools so they speak consistently with one voice all the time, every time, you will realize that the sum is truly greater than its parts.

Trust me.

Ask a stupid question, get...an enlightened answer?

If there's one thing I have learned in my career as an editor, it is this:

There is no such thing as a stupid question (in editing, that is).

Too often, writers are so close to the content they have written that they are unable to think from the point-of-view of a newcomer.

An editor will look at what you have written and ask the questions that need to be asked: often, the simplest...and thus, sometimes perceived as the "stupidest."

I have seen a lot of copy in my career, and despite the best of the writer's intentions, there have been countless times when I have actually had to ask who their target audience is, what they are trying to sell, or how their product works. Yes, the words are there on paper (or the computer screen), but the text is equivalent to Pig Latin. Worse, actually.

I used to be afraid to ask the stupid questions for fear of looking like I didn't "get it." Now, I realize it's just part of my job; and if I don't ask the questions, it's likely that nobody else is going to either. For that very reason, bringing a pair of fresh eyes to the editing process should be seen not as a nice-to-have, but a must-have.

So be nice to your editors! Despite their stupid questions, we wordsmiths are actually a lot smarter than you may think.

Case studies: getting the most out of your marketing-communications budget

To get the most out of your publicity dollars, few communications tactics are as cost-efficient as a customer case study.

Also referred to as “customer stories,” “customer profiles” or “success stories,” case studies are a wonderful tool for promoting your product or service—and you can use them for many purposes, over and over again.

For example:

• Post them on your corporate website, and encourage your customer to do the same on their website for cross-promotion. 
• Promote the case study in social media (e.g., through your company Twitter account), to draw traffic to your website. 
• Include pull-out quotes from the case study in your print promotional materials (e.g., brochures).
• Use as event collateral at trade shows and conferences.
• Send your case study or an abbreviated version to specific journalists (or trade journals) who may be interested in publishing the story or interviewing the customer further.

Cash-strapped companies—particularly small businesses just starting out—can save a lot of money by hiring a writer to create a few case studies. And as an extra bonus, your customer will also be thrilled at the extra exposure…a strong indication that they will be back for more business.