The Consumer Rights Act was an important development in the rapid and ongoing transformation of the consumer landscape. Social media activism, regulatory intervention, and an increasingly informed consumer all mean that fairness, transparency, and simplicity in corporate communication are under the spotlight.
The words in your email, brochure or report may be brilliant, but if your document is not supported by good design you’ll lose your readers from the start. Here are some tips for design that’s appealing to look at and easy to read.
Corporate lingo, management jargon, business speak … whatever you choose to call it, just don’t use it. It’s confusing, alienating, unproductive and embarrassing. (Guest post by Simplified business writing trainer, Melissa Davidson) Read more
It’s just not enough for companies to send only operational staff on plain English training. Leaders and managers must attend too so that they can properly support company-wide plain English initiatives. (Guest post by Simplified business writing trainer, Melissa Davidson) Read more
You been on Simplified business writing training, you loved it, and you can’t wait to get back to work and change the way you write. But it can be overwhelming to do everything at once. Together, these small steps can become a giant leap to more effective business writing. (Guest post by Simplified business writing trainer, Melissa Davidson) Read more
Plain English is when a reader can find, understand and use the information they need from a piece of communication. Plain English includes a range of elements such as the use of everyday words instead of jargon and legalese, and short, active sentences instead of long-winded passive sentences. But plain language isn’t only about words and grammar. How well a document or website is structured, how easy it is to navigate, the visual design, and the usefulness and relevance of its content all form part of plain English. Read more
Simplified has helped remarkable companies to put in place programmes that simplify communications and transform complexity into clarity ‒ all with the overall purpose of improving customer experience and treating customers fairly. Here are seven factors that predict success in clear communication in business – these apply equally well to a small plain English rewrite and an enterprise-wide clear communications programme.
Marketing and Legal departments in financial services firms need to work closely together to produce documents that meet the clear communications demands of UK laws and regulations, such as the Consumer Rights Act and Treating Customers Fairly.
In a recent FCA Discussion Paper, the Financial Conduct Authority reiterates its expectation that firms:
We support this move from a compliance to a customer focus, and also recognise just how difficult this process can be − both for start-ups and traditional financial services firms. We help our clients adopt long-term improvements as well as quick-wins to each of the focus areas highlighted by the Financial Services Authority:
The Consumer Protection Bill is expected to change what most South African companies say to their customers and the way they say it. It obliges companies to communicate with consumers in a way that is fair and easy to understand. Read more