The trickiest part of being a copywriter is writing the sorry messages when things inevitably go wrong. Be too apologetic and you sound insincere, not enough and you sound robotic. And that's before we've got to sensitive info.
We've all been there, some system has gone down meaning customers can't access their details or a system sent an email when it wasn't supposed to or there was a security breach or system migration has broken the journey meaning customers need to reregister. The reasons for saying sorry when you're in digital are endless.
It goes far beyond the 404 or 500 pages where you find cracking examples from companies all over the web (tips on how to do those later). But this isn't a catch-all. Sometimes, you need something bespoke.
1. Sorry, sir, please, sir and thank you, sir
Being polite and stoic is as synonymous with British as the chippie or football hooligans. However, the digital world, as most Twitter interactions would testify, is an impolite place. And, to be honest, you're wasting space and valuable reading time with superfluous niceties.
- Sorry - only say sorry if it's your fault. Don't apologise because of user error.
- Please - don't plead with someone to do something they actively chose to do.
- Thank you - a thank you goes a long way. They gave you money, what do you say?
2. Error messages
These are the annoying lines of copy you get when you haven't put your email incorrectly, you don't remember your password, it doesn't recognise your address or can't find your number plate.
Often written by developers, they can read 'This action is incomplete. To active enter nebulous code.' Huh? You want me to enter the what now?! It reads like it was written by a robot because coders talk in robotic language. It's not their job to keep abreast of the nuances of language. Which is a good this, as it keeps us in a job.
It needs to be clear and pithy, first and foremost. But it needs to be human and empathetic. We all get frustrated by these automated systems. So, it should read 'We can't find your account number. Check and try again.'
3. Sorry messages
These are normally dialogue boxes, banners, emails or text messages telling people that we fucked up. These are the most tricky to master. What you need to remember when writing the grovelling
- Sincerity - empathy for their situation is paramount, saying 'sorry for any inconvenience caused' is a trite statement from the pick-n-mix of standard messaging
- Honesty - people are savvy and a sweeping non-statement won't cut the mustard. Of course, you need to be careful that you don't say anything that could potentially worry people further or harm the integrity of your brand.
- Brevity - be short, sharp and clear. People don't want to read War and Peace to find out what do to next.
- Humility - a bad workman blames his tools, people don't care there was a glitch in the system or systems are being upgraded or it's for the greater good, they want a seamless, invisible service.
- Action - outline the next best action, if it's call then make sure your contact centres are prepared
4. Sending the heavies round
The worst is having to tell people that they haven't paid so we're cutting off their service or they owe us megabucks. The norm is to assume the voice of Danny Dyer, but in my opinion, it could be an oversight, grievance or people found themselves in terrible circumstances.
Just because they're not "valuable" in monetary terms, doesn't mean we should treat them like criminals. They're not and it could be a PR disaster. Outline what's happened, what they should do and offer support. Don't intimidate them into doing what you want them to do, nurture them into getting in touch and find a compromise.
