Exploring below below-the-line communications

I've recently been undertaking a communications audit for a major software company on the day-to-day emails they send out to prospects.

The good news was that the new business team are very on the ball when it comes to responding to online registrations and queries. However, different members of the team were writing and sending their own emails and there was inconsistency in the quality and messaging.

How could we maximise on the effort invested in the website and other communications in raising awareness and interest? How could we transform the enquirer’s first contact with a named person and fully exploit the opportunity to present the business as friendly, professional and focused on their needs?

Streamlined communications

Working with the lead marketing manager, I conducted an audit of current communications – turned out there were something like 26 emails being sent out – to see how we could streamline and simplify them. We reduced the number to just three, giving the team a mix-and-match set of options that they could easily tailor to the particular audience and situation to cover most scenarios.

The emails set the scene for a follow-up phone call and provided a small number of carefully chosen links for ‘in the meantime’ reading.

We also created a tailored service, whereby they could quickly have a customised email written for them if a unique situation arose.

Result!

The result is that the customer receives a prompt, well written response to their initial enquiry, while the new business team are now free from crafting emails to focus on the follow-up calls which genuinely need their skills and experience.