Damaged: A Fortune 1000 company fatally damaged its relationship with a significant Japanese firm with a single email from the accounting department. In response to a query, the company’s account representative answered with a two-word, lowercase message. The result? The Asian company went elsewhere for its purchases.
Resolution: Do a communication audit. Just think: What if you really ticked off a client and he or she forwarded back to you all your sent emails? Take a random sampling of employees’ emails and see what it reveals. From there, begin a dialogue, offer training, and develop some parameters around acceptable messaging.
Fired: ''I am a very busy person. I’m just too slammed to follow any writing rules,” said the human resources director of an international consulting firm. She continued, ''I just let it rip: no punctuation, spelling, or capitalization — those rules are for amateurs.” The result? She was fired. Why? Disrespect for her colleagues and a truculent attitude. Obviously, she does not play well with others. Can you just imagine how she treated the firm’s clients?
Resolution: Craft an email style guide as email now extends your company’s brand. First, facilitate a discussion among your teams about how they will treat clients and peers through the written word. Topics might include greetings and closings, signature block content, and time allowed before returning email messages. Then, determine what standards you can all agree to regarding writing style and tone. This guide will reflect your expectations regarding the care and treatment of all.
Sued: An employee sued her employer, a large national bank. Her suit was for sexual harassment, racism, and damaged reputation. The backstory: An employee emailed her instead of a male colleague, accidentally inviting her to attend a strip club with all the trimmings — which were graphically described in the email. The result? The plaintiff was awarded one million dollars.
Resolution: Decide what will never be put in an email. Everyone in your organization must follow this to the letter. Many companies have been burned. One Midwestern construction company prohibits any customer problem from being discussed via email. The rule? Walk down the hall. Pick up the phone. Do not put it in writing.
These stories should drive home the point that managing your risk is paramount. With email now the single most important communication vehicle today, you must prevent the damage of destructive messages that destroy careers, opportunities, and reputations.
An old saying goes like this: ''Inspect what is expected.” Do you know what your employees are writing? Do you know how much money you are losing each year due to ineffective, inappropriate, or illegal messages?
Follow these four steps for cleaning up your communication:
- Assess the current state of affairs at your organization in regards to writing.
- Audit selected missives to determine tone, style, and content.
- Develop an action plan for improving the above through training and coaching.
- Publish a style guide along with an email protocol.
About the Author
Dr. Julie Miller, founder of Business Writing That Counts, is a national consultant and trainer who helps professionals reduce their writing time while still producing powerful documents. She and her team work with executives who want to hone their writing skills and professionals who want to advance their careers. Her clients include Microsoft, Washington Mutual Bank, Verizon Wireless, and Cisco Systems. For more information, please call 425-485-3221, or visit www.businesswritingthatcounts.com.
