Let’s talk about not-so-good news
Sometimes we have to tell our customers news they may not want to hear or might be disappointed by.
Here’s where we step in with empathy and our voice principles, especially helping customers navigate highs and lows, as well as letting them know we’re listening and learning right alongside them.
In general, we want to avoid sounding transactional. We don’t want to say things like, “Unfortunately, you didn’t qualify for… .” Be sympathetic, warm, and positive.
Some examples of bad news
Examples
- The customer didn’t qualify for a particular tax break.
- The customer owes taxes.
- The customer’s payment was declined.
- We’re sunsetting a feature.
- Service has been or will be interrupted.
- The product lost data or failed in some other way.
- We overcharged the customer.
To be clear, bad news is not the kind of info we present in error messages and other in-product alerts. Those come with their own unique challenges, like brevity and utility. If that’s what you need to write, follow the error message guidelines.
Guidelines for writing bad news
Who’s the audience for these guidelines? Anyone who needs to break bad news to customers.
What problem are we solving for them? We’re helping them get the best possible outcome in bad-news situations.
Consider how all the channels can work together.
Before you start writing, take a look at the problem and how best to solve it using a variety of channels. Should the message appear in the interface? In an email? In a notification?
Don’t copy and paste your communications.
One size doesn’t fit all, and there isn’t always a simple solution. Every issue is an opportunity to flex your communications muscles. How are you going to write your way out of this one?
Deliver the bad news upfront.
Get to the point. Be direct, efficient, and clear.
Don’t dance around bad news.
Maybe with some fancy wordplay and sleight of hand you could spin a bad news story your way, but this isn’t an opportunity to trick the reader.
Focus on the solution.
Always focus on solving the problem, not just talking about it. Let the user know they’re in safe hands and that we’ll work with them to fix whatever’s broken. For example, if a customer doesn’t qualify for a particular tax break, let them know that we’ll check for other tax breaks.
Don’t make our problem their problem.
Just fix what needs fixing. Don’t expect the customer to jump through hoops to solve a problem we created.
Stay calm.
Take it seriously. If immediate action is needed, deliver both urgency and action in the messaging.
Don’t drum up urgency if it’s not critical.
If we see something wrong, be proactive and guide the customer in a better direction. We’re not alarmist and we never panic.
Be transparent without being confessional.
Inform and guide at the right time without creating additional obstacles or oversharing.
Don’t detail the problem.
Stay focused on the fix without going into all the messy details. Remember, our customers have better things to do than read about how we’ve messed up, what lessons we’ve learned, and how it will never happen again.
Respect, understand, and consider the customer.
Customers might not like what’s happening, but they should understand why it’s happening.
Don’t trivialize their frustration.
A respectful, straightforward acknowledgement of customer feelings can go a long way. Mention it and then move to the solution.
Empathize.
Remember, you’re dealing with a real person and their livelihood. They’ve invested time, effort, and trust in us. We should do the same for them.
Don’t dehumanize.
Our customers are not shameless, faceless numbers on the page.
Give customers the benefit of the doubt.
Don’t assume customers are trying to defraud us because of an error. If a customer made a mistake, show them a way out of it.
Don’t judge.
Avoid judgmental “you” statements. Even if the customer is at fault, stay neutral.
Be comforting and reassuring.
Assure customers that they’re in safe hands. Use a bad-news situation as an opportunity to confirm our commitment to our customers and their best interests.
Don’t mention security.
Be mindful of how people feel about security. Even if you’re talking about new security features, any mention of the subject can raise concerns (“Weren’t we secure before?”). If you do need to talk about security, always run content by your legal partner.
Saying sorry
We recommend saying sorry and/or please only when we make the user do extra work for something that’s our fault.
But be aware that the word sorry can be considered an admission of guilt. So in some cases, you might want to apologize not for what we’ve done, but instead, for the effect it’s had.
Either way, we can always craft our content to sound empathetic for the customer and what’s happened.
Keeping language positive
Where possible, avoid can’t, won’t, don’t, and no. To a customer, these can sound like obstacles. Remember that financial setbacks happen—help build resilience by meeting the moment with empathy and realigning the next step back to their goals.
We want to show how willing and able we are to help. We want to assure our customers that they’re in safe hands. Don’t focus on what they or we can’t do. Instead, talk about what can be done.
- That might be a problem, but here’s what we can do instead.
- Make sure we got this right before we begin.
- Sign out so we can help.
- Let’s find a better target for your needs.
- Looks like we can’t cancel that for you right now. We’re working on adding more services, check back soon.
- CJ, your progress will ebb and flow. That’s part of the process!
- Sometimes things come up. This month, you’ve spent $1,000 on utilities when you usually spend $800. Let’s double-check your utilities spending.
- We can’t do that.
- We can’t start until we get confirmation.
- We can’t help unless you sign out.
