Corporate communications agency | Tone of voice | Writing

The problem with your customers and colleagues is that they’re people.
Irrational, emotional, fickle people.

Well, we love that.

Lots of projects in business and communications fail because they don’t take account of how human beings really tick.

We do. We’re a team of psychologists, writers and trainers who use behavioural science and tone of voice to improve your customer experience, comms and culture. Then we measure the difference it makes. We can even train you to do it, too.

So if you’ve got a business problem, give us a call. We can get your response rates up, push complaints down, or change how your people work.

And because we have no project managers, no account managers and no juniors, you’ll always talk to the people who’re really doing the do.

What we think

Be polite, please (and why rules are there to be questioned)

We do lots of work with people who write to customers. Especially angry customers who’ve had a lousy ‘customer experience’ and have put pen to paper, or typing finger to Twitter, to rant and rave. (We’ve all been one.) This week, I was getting a group of customer service people…

What to watch for when you have emoji in your tone of voice

We often get asked if emoji belong in a tone of voice. And of course they can. Monzo is one of the best examples of getting them to fit right in. Once you’ve defined your tone it should be fairly obvious whether you’re the 🎉 type or not. But how…

You don't know how much you don't know

How well do you understand a toilet flush? Your kettle? The fridge? You pull a lever and water runs. You flick a switch and water boils. You open a door and it’s cold. We get these things; we use them every day. Right? Rozenblit and Keil would tell you you’re…

What sticks in politics

By Neil | September 27 2019

The language of politics is heating up. Does the Prime Minister using phrases like ‘surrender bill’* coarsen public debate? Your answer might depend on how much you think the public actually listens to our politicians. So last week we did some research to find out, and talked about the results at our Language & Behaviour […]

Planes, trains and altering no-deal

By Nick | August 8 2019

During World War II, the RAF were losing a lot of planes to anti-aircraft guns. When they studied the planes that came back from missions, they noticed some areas tended to have more bullet holes than others. So they decided to make sure any new planes were reinforced in those areas. But a clever statistician […]

Straws and paws over emissions and politicians

By Joe | August 6 2019

You’re turning down plastic knives and forks at Pret. You’re putting your recycling into the right bin at home. You’re carrying a water bottle wherever you go. Yup, like most of us, you’re probably doing your part to solve the plastic crisis. We’re all much more aware of plastic than we were three or four […]

*And if you're wondering what Schwa means,
it's the most common vowel in English.
If you don't believe us, have a look at Wikipedia.

Get in touch

To talk about how we could help you, call +44 (0)20 3890 7910 or email info@schwa.consulting

The problem with your customers and colleagues is that they’re people. Irrational, emotional, fickle people.