Global consultancy firm

Problem: “The language we use in our organization is overly complex, uses too much consultant-speak and talks down to the customer. We’re losing business because clients don’t understand our bids, reports and presentations. We don’t know how to change our corporate language to get our message across.”

Solution: Clear Ink examined the issues in detail, developed tone of voice guidelines for the company, taught the new rules to employees and continues to provide writing and editing support as needed.

How we do it
1. Listen – met with CEO and management team to discuss the problem
2. Audit – read and assessed a selection of internal and external documents, examined company’s public profile and “tone of voice” in media and marketing materials.
3. Develop – worked with client to find the right brand voice for internal and external communications
4. Design – created a basic set of tone of voice guidelines for employees
5. Train – taught employees and managers the new rules through interactive one-day writing courses
6. Support – provided writing, editing and training support as needed for teams throughout the business

Global financial services company

Problem: “Since the economic downturn we’re having great difficulty collecting debt from our existing customers. Financial Regulators are also questioning the overly legal language we use in our letters and email. We need clear language in all our customer letters.”

Solution: Clear Ink met with management, developed letter writing guidelines for the company and created new templates for customer letters and emails.

How we do it
1. Listen – met with CEO and management team to discuss the problem, determine the purpose of each letter and actions they hope customers take after reading the letters
2. Audit –
a. read and assessed customer letter and email templates and compared to the company’s existing marketing materials.
b. Compared client documents to competitors’ materials and financial regulator’s guidelines.
c. Prepared audit report and deliver results to management.
3. Develop – worked with client’s marketing and legal team to find an agreeable and effective language for credit control letters
4. Design – created email and letter templates and a basic set of language guidelines for employees
5. Support – provide writing, editing and training support as needed

Irish health insurance company

Problem: The new CEO of a major Irish health insurance company: “I want to transform the entire customer experience from marketing brochures, emails and letters to the internet and intranet, policy documents and call centre phone calls. The language we use is legalistic, convoluted and confusing. The company is losing money and staff members are wasting time because so many customers call and email because they did not understand their documentation.”

Solution: During this three year project, Clear Ink listened to management, assessed written documentation and created listening workshops for each team. From there, we developed a searchable corporate style guide for the intranet, trained over 500 employees, rewrote all email and letter templates, brochures, internet and intranet materials. We continue to provide support as needed.

How we do it
1. Listen – met the CEO, human resources and marketing teams to explore the issues from their perspectives in separate workshops.
2. Audit – read and assessed a selection of internal and external documents, examined company’s public profile and “tone of voice” in media and marketing materials.
3. Develop – worked with client to find the right brand voice and guidelines for internal and external communications
4. Design – created a comprehensive intranet style guide for employees to use daily, wrote a mini “Guide to Writing Letters” guide, rewrote all email and letter templates, policy documents, customer-related intranet and internet pages
5. Train – taught employees, managers and call centre staff the new language rules through interactive one-day writing workshops
6. Support – provide writing, editing and training support as needed for teams throughout the business

Irish bank

Problem: “We need a milestone publication that will put our competitors’ documents in the shade. Clients no longer trust banks and we need something that will reassure them about the current crisis in a friendly and accessible way. We need to restore our credibility and highlight the importance of saving. It should explain saving and investing principles clearly and appeal to our customers. Our tone of voice has been too formal.”

Solution: Clear Ink’s team of financial journalists wrote a totally independent guide to savings and investments.

How we do it
1. Listen – met the marketing manager, PR and advertising agency staff to discuss the issues and planned marketing campaign
2. Audit – read and assessed a selection of internal and external documents, examined company’s public profile and “tone of voice” in media and marketing materials and compared with competition.
3. Design – worked with ad agency on the look and feel of the book. Emphasis on accessibility, clear visuals (infographics, charts, tables, graphs, photos) and independence of the copy. Created visual briefs for each page.
4. Write – created and edited 80-page book that outlines the world economic situation, Irish financial position, defines the credit crunch, recession, bailout and economic indicators. Book is filled with real customer case studies, quizzes and checklists. The book was published and distributed by the bank but was lightly branded. No bank products or services were mentioned.
5. Update – The book is updated after each Government budget. It is on its third edition.

Irish bank

Problem: “We’ve just been bought by a global bank and we need to adjust our communications to their corporate brand guidelines and determine our tone of voice.”

Solution: Clear Ink designed a writing skills training course and delivered follow-up writing workshops to ensure that the tone of voice was being used in all communications.

How we do it
1. Listen – met the CEO, marketing teams and PR agency to explore the issues.
2. Audit – read and assessed parent’s brand guidelines and documents and compared to Irish bank’s materials.
3. Develop – worked with client to develop a tone of voice writing skills course that would meet parent bank’s standards.
4. Train – taught marketing and human resource employees the new tone of voice and writing rules through interactive one-day writing workshops
5. Support – provide writing, editing and training or personal coaching support as needed for teams throughout the business. Write speeches for CEO.
6. Recruit – found company two full-time marketing employees who had worked as journalists and would meet the new tone of voice writing standards.