The Joys of Text ...
Consumer Champion James Walker “fighting for your rights”
No matter how hard you try, it’s often the things that you don’t expect that have the biggest impact.
A couple of weeks ago, my Resolver newsletter prompted one of the biggest responses we’d ever had. Was it a controversial subject? Had I mentioned something that got everyone talking? Nope. I used an emoji. Just one. But that was enough to prompt a huge response!
Opinion was divided. Many users sent us their own emoji-laden messages in support. Others, however, felt that the inescapable text language was yet more evidence of dumbing down, or simply represented a step too far away from the English language.
No matter whether this is making you LOL or want to write a strongly worded letter, the way we communicate with people is incredibly important – and everyone’s opinion matters. This is particularly important if you’re trying to stand up for your rights or make a complaint.
For many people, making a complaint is a serious, formal act. Of course, many complaints involve horrible or highly distressing situations, so it’s vital that businesses are sensitive to the needs of each person who gets in touch. But it’s hard to fi nd a form of communicating that works for everyone
But even writing someone’s name can be loaded with diffi culties. A good example of this can be found in the titles we use to describe ourselves. I spoke to one woman recently who was upset that she’d been asked on a form for her partner’s name. “I don’t have a partner,” she told me. “I have a husband”. For her, it was political correctness forcing itself on a title that defi ned her. On the other hand, I’ve listened to both transgender women and women with deep voices about the insulting comments they’ve had about their titles from call centre staff who don’t accept their gender or fail them during security checks.
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And it’s not just language and terms that cause problems. There’s a real push by many businesses at the moment to move into new technology. Texting information, social media updates, interactive apps and much, much more to come. I love technology – but even I have to admit that this isn’t for everyone. So, it’s vital that we all continue to off er a range of ways for people to speak to us and ask for help. And nothing beats chatting to a human.
Huge numbers of the people I speak to tell me that they don’t think their language skills or legal/ specialist knowledge is strong enough to beat a big business at their own game. Others tell me they don’t feel that they’re clever enough or are able to express how they feel in a way that makes sense. So, fi nding ways to help people express themselves in a way that makes them feel good is more important than you might think.
On our free complaint app, we ask users throughout the process how they feel by asking them to click on a range of faces showing emotions so we can get a feel for how satisfi ed (or not) they are with the fi rm and us. There’s loads of research behind why people respond to these emotional faces that runs pretty deep, and there’s evidence they help people with autism and Asperger’s too.
Ultimately, if we want to get a complaint sorted out in a way that makes us happy, we need to tell businesses how we feel so they understand the impact. So, if you want to make a point, do it however you feel works for you - send it in a letter or tweet an *unhappy face* emoji. It doesn’t matter. If they’re listening properly, they’ll understand.
You can fi nd out more about your rights or make a complaint using Resolver for free at
www.resolver.co.uk. A completely free service recommended by Martin Lewis, founder of
MoneySavingExpert.com
To advertise in thewire t. 07720 429 613 e. fi
ona@thewireweb.co.uk
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