12. âThank you for contacting us with regard to HP Sauce.
The essential ingredients for HP, the nationâs number one brown
sauce, include Tomatoes, Malt and Spirit Vinegars, Molasses, Spices
and Tamarind, and these have not changed over the passage of time.
In line with changes in consumer tastes, we have long been committed
to reducing added salt in recipes to meet voluntary targets with support
from consumer health campaigners. This very minor change to our
famous recipe was made in November last year, and rigorous
consumer tests confirmed there was no significant difference in flavour
between the old and new recipes. HP Sauce still tastes great!â
EXHIBIT 1
16. âThank you for contacting us with regard to HP Sauce.
The essential ingredients for HP, the nationâs number one brown
sauce, include Tomatoes, Malt and Spirit Vinegars, Molasses, Spices
and Tamarind, and these have not changed over the passage of time.
In line with changes in consumer tastes, we have long been committed
to reducing added salt in recipes to meet voluntary targets with
support from consumer health campaigners. This very minor change
to our famous recipe was made in November last year, and rigorous
consumer tests confirmed there was no significant difference in flavour
between the old and new recipes. HP Sauce still tastes great!â
âCORPSPEAKâ IN ACTION
17. âCORPSPEAKâ IN ACTION
What is it? What customers think
â Sounding like a corporate
robot, not a human being.
â Making your point - but
ignoring the points the person
complaining has made.
â Using tired, well-used phrases
that peopleâs eyes just sliiiiide
off.
â You sound remote, arrogant,
uncaring - even when youâre
not.
â Itâs like sticking your ďŹngers in
your ears and singing âla la la,
canât hear you!â
18. âIn line with changes in consumer tastes, we have long
been committed to reducing added salt in recipes to meet
voluntary targets with support from consumer health
campaigners. This very minor change to our famous recipe
was made in November last year, and rigorous consumer
tests confirmed there was no significant difference in
flavour between the old and new recipes. HP Sauce still
tastes great!â
âIT WASNâT ME, SIR!â IN ACTION
19. âIT WASNâT ME, SIR!â IN ACTION
What is it? What customers think
â Attempting to shift the blame.
â âIt wasnât us - it was those
nasty health campaigners/the
government/the catâ.
â ...that you wonât take
responsibility.
â ...that you care more about
avoiding blame than ďŹxing the
problem.
â ...that you donât care about
them.
20. âThis very minor change to our famous recipe
was made in November last year...â
THE âPASSIVE PASSâ IN ACTION
21. THE âPASSIVE PASSâ IN ACTION
What is it? What customers think
â A cunning, less obvious
blame-shift, using a neat
grammatical trick âthe passive
voiceâ.
â Something just happens - but
no-one takes responsibility:
âThe formula was changed...
you will be charged... prices
have been increased...â
â Youâre being weaselly.
â They canât trust you.
â That youâre dodging the issue.
22. âThis very minor change to our famous recipe was made in
November last year, and rigorous consumer tests
confirmed there was no significant difference in flavour
between the old and new recipes. HP Sauce still tastes
great!â
âYOUâRE JUST WRONGâ IN ACTION
23. âYOUâRE JUST WRONGâ IN ACTION
What is it? What customers think
â Telling the customer by
implication that theyâre wrong.
â Or just contradicting them
completely!
â You might as well just call
them âstupidâ and be done with
it.
â You donât give a damn about
their opinion.
â Youâre more focused on you
than on your customer.
25. GET OUTSIDE THE ORGANISATION
OPEN FAST AND CLEAR
DETAIL AND REASONS
GIVE OPTIONS
CLEAR CLOSE AND QUESTIONS
Like this...
26. GET OUTSIDE THE ORGANISATION
If you just do one thing - do this
Sound like a human - not
a corporate drone.
How are they thinking
and feeling?
What do they think about
you at the moment?
What do they need to
know and feel now?
Think from the customerâs point of view
Play it straight.
27. OPEN FAST AND CLEAR
Get to the point. Donât fudge or wafďŹe.
If itâs your mistake, put
your hand up and admit it
- no passive passing.
Itâs OK to say âweâre
sorryâ - itâs more human
than âwe apologise.â
28. DETAIL AND REASONS
Explain the reasons for
acting as you did - donât
hide behind âpolicyâ - give
real reasons
Tell people WHY youâve
done something - it makes
you seem less high-handed
Use the active voice; âwe
did this...â
29. GIVE OPTIONS
What would your customer
like you to do?
What options can you give
that solve the problem?
Where you can, give control back to the
customer.
30. CLEAR CLOSE AND QUESTIONS
Summarise what youâve said.
Wrap up warmly and
sincerely, focusing on
the customer.
Leave the door open for
questions.
32. Businesses often wonder
why customers donât behave
rationally. Itâs simple.
People arenât solely rational -
theyâre rational AND
emotional.
33. Deliver bad news and you get an
emotional reaction - often out of
all proportion to the news itself.
HOW you communicate that
bad news determines the
reaction you get. Itâs simple.
Input = output.
34. Giving customers bad news is
actually an opportunity to build
relationship. Itâs a chance for
them to see your organisation
as human, customer-centred
and authentic.
36. Get it right, and youâll
deliver bad news
without the bad taste.
Sorry. Weâll put a cap on the sauce jokes now.
37. Your everyday, operational, communications are more
important than your advertising - because they are the
communications people have to understand, act on
and use day after day.
Most organisations view material like this as an
overhead. We think differently. We believe the right
operational communications are a powerful business
asset. And we can prove it.
We focus on transforming this material - and the
process and human systems that generate it - to
reduce cost, improve loyalty, smooth customer
interactions and boost renewals.
38. We support and enable you to deliver world
class operational customer communications,
transforming a cumbersome overhead into
one of your most powerful assets.
Rubuss
Sound interesting? Get in touch.
01993 822524
contact@rubuss.com