Photo credit: Luna Vieria/IRC
Signpost can be seen as a compassionate call-centre. People can get in touch with us online and be treated with respect, dignity and empathy throughout their whole experience talking to us. Our users’ trust is key to our success. If people don’t trust us then our information is worthless. As a Signpost digital community liaison you might be in touch with people who are having emotional reactions such as anxiety, fear, anger, excitement, uncertainty, feeling overwhelmed and much more. Sometimes people need to express themselves and release their emotions before turning to a more logic-based discussion. This is where your role is to really listen to the person, help create a sense of safety and calm, and stabilize the individual so that you can connect them to the help and resources they need.
Answering comments and messages shouldn’t feel like a box ticking exercise. We are here to talk to people. Our job is to make them feel as relaxed and at ease (as possible) whilst they are talking to us. At the same time, it is important to manage expectations and not to make specific promises. For example:
- Instead of saying: “Please tell us what you need and I’ll help you…”
- Instead say: “Please tell us about your problems and we will try to help you/do our best to give you the right information.”
Every interaction is a chance for us to make a positive imprint on a users’ day, by showing them we are listening and care about them as individuals. Before sending every response take a moment to think about the person you’re writing to, think about their age, their situation, their gender, etc. and try to understand how they feel and what they need from us.
Informality
Social media is an informal space, so we need to talk to people in a way that doesn't feel out of place or overly formal. To do this you can think about how you communicate when texting people and using social media yourself and draw on this when developing your responses. We’re not authority figures, we’re peers with a bit more information than them. We speak to people in a friendly manner but we’re not their friends.
Below are two general rules of thumb for communication on social media, however so much of communication style is dependent on cultural context, so the below guidelines should be examined for appropriateness for your context and audience.
1. Using emojis
Emojis set us apart and reflect what we’re like as people (friendly, modern, empathetic, and approachable). Here’s some rules for using them:
- Identify if using emojis in your Signpost instance is appropriate: While emojis can add a personable element to our interaction with users, they are not appropriate for every Signpost instance. Before committing to using emojis please check with your teammates.
- Use emojis to add context, not replace words: Don’t use emojis to replace words, instead use them to add flavour and context to our conversations.
- Think about the situation you're using an emoji in and how it may be perceived: Think about how people will feel getting this news, and which emojis (if any) will help get the right message across. Make sure you consider individual users and our wider audience.
- Mirror our users' speech: If they’re using emojis in their communications, use them back. But if not, it might be better to steer clear. Remember that different groups may use emojis differently, just like they use their languages differently.
2. Using the Unified Voice
Speak to users as your Signpost instance, by using the word “we”. This means saying “We don’t know” instead of “I don’t know.”’ As with emojis, unified voice is not appropriate for every context or Signpost instance. Please check with your teammates about using the unified voice.