Returning recently from a vacation, my husband and I took a connecting flight out of Chicago to Baltimore. Once we arrived at O’Hare, we checked the monitors along our way to the gate, and saw that the flight was scheduled to depart on time. When we got to the gate, the sign said the same. We settled into the waiting area chairs and watched the minutes tick by.

It soon became clear that our flight would not depart on time, despite the sign that still told us it would. Several people went up to talk to the customer service representative at the desk. Soon after, she got on the microphone and said, “Attention, passengers on Flight XXXX, we don’t know where your plane is, and we don’t know where the crew is so we can’t tell you when the flight will leave.”

Really.

A low rumble of grumbling ensued. One woman near us declared to her husband that she was going to go get a beer. I know you all have been in this waiting area.

Lots of Questions. No Answers.

My husband and I just looked at each other. Was the plane delayed in Bali? Boston? Having mechanical difficulties? Would it ever arrive? And what about that crew? Were they all sick? Lost? On strike? Should we rush to reschedule? Sit tight? Burst into tears?

B. headed to the desk to talk to the customer service representative. When he came back, he was smiling but it wasn’t a “problems all solved” kind of a smile, more of a “what the heck?!” kind of a smile. It turns out that the plane was coming from a hangar and the crew was in the airport just not to the gate yet.

Next thing we know, she comes on to tell us that exact information and then that there will be “decision time” at the original time of take-off. Decision time? What did that mean? The flight had a plane and a crew. And a whole bunch of passengers who were all decided. What more did we need?

Soon after, the plane arrived, the crew arrived, and we took off about 45 minutes later than scheduled.

Writing for Your Customers

Why am I writing about this? Because it’s a textbook example of how not to communicate. Instead, when you are writing to your customers/clients/supporters, do this:

1. Give them the information they ask for. Don’t engage in vague generalities or feel-good (or, in the case of the airline representative, feel-bad) statements. If you don’t have the information, they need, explain why and then how you will get it.

2. Tell them what you are good at in concrete terms. Stay away from overused words, such as innovative, groundbreaking, pioneering, excellent. Instead, illustrate. To showcase your staff’s experience, for example, tell readers how many years combined experience the staff has. If you want your readers to know how innovative you are, provide examples. Rather than writing “compassionate” over and over again, offer testimonials that illustrate that compassion. Use statistics to highlight how you are better than the competition.

3. Support your customers/supporters/readers by helping them. What kind of advice can you offer? How can you help them choose your business? What can you do to encourage new volunteers and support those you have? How can you engage potential supporters/customers?

4. Answer their complaints and acknowledge their suggestions. Set an example so that others see that they can trust you to correct mistakes and be straightforward and upfront.

5. When the news isn’t good, it may be better to lay it out than to speak in frustrating generalities. It was far better for us to hear the plane and crew were there but delayed than to hear that seemingly no one knew where the heck either was.

Take a lesson from our hapless customer service representative. Communicate honestly. Be specific. Tell your readers what they want and need to know. They will thank you.

If you want to know more about communications strategies and methods, email Sherri Alms.