Why Use Plain English in Customer Communication?

We are committed to helping you deliver results to your customers because we know how important customer service is to the success of your organisation. Our Plain English courses offer new insights in communicating effectively with your customers.

Plain English uses active language to explain what things mean and what customers should do.

Our language experts have designed Plain English courses that will benefit you immediately by improving your interaction with customers.

Our Plain English standards will work immediately, making it easier for your organisation to:

• Help customers easily learn about products and services that are complicated. For example:

  Financial products	Mortgage contracts, funds, bonds and other financial instruments.
  Insurance	Life policies, general, home and medical insurance.
  Mobile and Internet services	Mobile phone contracts, Internet subscriptions and connection instructions.
  Freight and courier services	Tracking shipments, freight forwarding agreements and customs requirements.

• Respond effectively to customer complaints and enquiries.

We will help you use Plain English to deliver the information your customers need by making your marketing materials:

• Easier to read by writing in short sentences and using plain words and simple verbs.
• Easier to understand by writing in a modular style and using active language.
• Clearer and more concise by using techniques of Plain English.

Your customers will really appreciate material written in Plain English such as:

• Marketing

  - Brochures

  - Newsletters

  - Websites, and

  - Posters.

• Correspondence

  - Emails, and

  - Letters.

You will find Plain English is important because:

• Regulations may require companies to use Plain English to protect customers from making bad purchases and investment decisions

  Example
  In 2009, Bank Negara Malaysia required banks to use Plain English to explain their products and services to customers.

• Customers want company information in Plain English because it is easier to understand

  Example
  OCBC Bank in Singapore uses Plain English to explain home loans to their customers. This was after a 2010 study revealed that unclear information was one of the top 10 barriers for customers to purchase financial products and services.