General Advice and Policies for Written Communication and Proper Terminology
General Tips to Improve Communication to Customers
These are items that are not necessarily "wrong," but should be done a particular way for consistency or clarity.
- Be As Specific As Possible. You will find it useful to read over your emails and other communication, replacing words like “it” with the thing “it” refers to. Doing this makes sentences much clearer. Be very accurate when discussing anything with customers. Make sure your language is clear and not open to interpretation.
- Avoid over-use of exclamation points and hyperbole; e.g., "That would be perfect!" It's inappropriately casual.
- Avoid overly casual phrases for technical terms. For example:
o "jump on" a user's
computer for logging in remotely. We remote in, log in, or connect.
o "I was wondering” when asking a question. It sounds whimsical and unprofessional. Say instead, "I am inquiring..." or "I'd like to ask..."
- More generally, be very accurate when discussing anything with customers. Read over what you have written to ensure sure your language is clear and not open to interpretation.
Customer-facing Usage of Service and Product Names
- ScreenConnect (one word, S and C uppercase)
Consistency of Terminology
Consistency of terminology means using the same words or phrases throughout a document, conversation, or system to refer to the same concept, process, or item. This applies across industries, but it’s especially important in technical fields like IT, where precise language prevents confusion.
Consistency of terminology is important for:
- Processing of automated workflow and email parsing rules
- Professionalism in client-facing documentation
Consistency in Customer-Facing Service and Product Names
- ScreenConnect (one word, S and C uppercase)
- AutoElevate (one word, A and E uppercase)
- AdminByRequest (one word, A, B and R uppercase)
Gerunds (or, Avoid "ing")
To consolidate your time entries, please avoid the user of gerunds (nouns ending in "ing") when unnecessary. For example:
Instead of: "I completed the process of installing the software."
write: "I installed the software."
The second is more concise.
Here is another example:
Instead of: “He is recommending…”
write: “He recommends…”
Active Vs. Passive Voice
When entering time entries and other notes, use the active voice rather than the passive voice. This makes it clearer who did what. For example, do not say, "The computer was rebooted ." Say, "I rebooted the computer."
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