businessinfomag.uk magazine 10 CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS Each year, new words are added to the English dictionary, slang terminology becomes more widely accepted and text abbreviations take on new meanings. It can be hard for brands to keep up. Not only do they need to understand how the use of language is changing, but they need to know who is receptive to more modern uses of vocabulary, as well as where it is appropriate to engage with customers in this way. Brands communicate across a multitude of channels, including marketing emails, chatbots, call centres, emails and live chat exchanges, and they need to know how their customers want to engage in each environment. So, what are the preferences of today’s consumers? Twilio, provider of a Customer Engagement Platform (CEP) that enables brands to build personalised relationships with their customers, surveyed 2,000 UK consumers to find out. It identified five key trends. q Consumers opt for colloquial communication. In general, customers are happy for brands to use informal language when communicating with them. In fact, over half (54%) are open to brands using emojis and 48% are open to the use of slang. Complicated language and overly formal language are pet peeves of 66% and 47% of consumers respectively, highlighting the need for brands to use more Watch your language straightforward language to engage customers. But it’s a balancing act. Almost two thirds of consumers (61%) draw the line at text talk and abbreviations, so brands must be mindful not to overstep the mark with inappropriate informality. w People want brands to mirror their language and communication style. Consumers today have a high benchmark when corresponding with brands, with 50% expecting them to mirror their own communication style with similar length messages, formality and use of abbreviations and emojis. This is particularly true of younger generations, with 67% of 16-24 year-olds and 65% of 25-34 year-olds demanding this of brands. Consistency is key. Over three quarters of consumers (77%) expect brands to maintain the same style across different communications channels, including WhatsApp, email and live chat. Brands need to ensure customer data insights don’t sit in a silo but can be leveraged across customer engagement channels. This will also enable AI tools to assist contact centre agents in generating ‘mirrored’ responses. e Shorter, snappier exchanges have become the default way to communicate. The efficiency pillar of the ‘E3 formula’ (efficiency, expertise and emotion) reigns supreme in brand-customer engagements, with 51% of consumers expressing a preference for short, easily digestible messages in customer service scenarios. This reflects a desire to get to the point and reach a solution in a timely manner. Almost nine out of ten consumers (85%) expect timely and fast responses from brands and over 70% are irritated by small Twilio research highlights five customer communication trends brands must take note of in 2024 talk and delayed responses. r Multilingual consumers increasingly switch between different languages and expect brands to do the same. Almost half of consumers (49%) expect to be able to specify their preferred language and over a third (34%) want brands to be able to switch seamlessly between languages. Almost three quarters of consumers (72%) expect brands to be able to accommodate different abilities, ages, regions and cultures in their communications, with 28% anticipating that AI will assist with this level of personalisation. t Accurate writing remains important. Over half of consumers (54%) expect brands to deliver wellwritten communications. The payoff for doing so is clear, with consumers stating that well written communications make brands look professional (69%), competent (58%) and trustworthy (51%). Poor grammar, such as the incorrect use of apostrophes or the incorrect application of 'there', 'their' and 'they're', is a pet peeve of 50% and 65% of consumers respectively. Brands should consider implementing AI tools that enable personalised interactions and ensure communications are well written and grammatically correct. Commenting on these findings, Sam Richardson, CX Consultant at Twilio, said: “Engagement styles in customer service and marketing can make or break relationships with customers – especially in scenarios where customers may be dissatisfied or reaching out with a complaint. So, understanding customers’ language preferences presents a worthwhile return on investment for brands looking to ensure they can meet consumers’ increasingly high expectations.” www.twilio.com Sam Richardson
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