Voice & Tone

At Procurify, we have many different ways we communicate with our clients. From emails, to phone calls, to marketing materials - there are many different types of messages we’re looking to convey. With such a wide range of communication to cover coming from different people, how do we make sure we sound like we’re all on the same page, and properly representing Procurify’s image?
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This is where Voice and Tone comes in. With a defined set of guidelines, we can ensure that we all have the tools we need to make sure we’re (literally) all on the same page. This page.
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But before we can discuss Procurify’s Voice and Tone, we first need to understand the difference between Voice and Tone.

What is Voice & Tone?

Voice
Our voice is what we say - it’s the message we’re communicating. Our voice should be consistent, and reflect our personality, our values and beliefs, and who we strive to be as a company.

Tone
Our tone is how we say what we’re saying. This is dynamic, and changes depending on the situation or purpose of our communication.

Let’s look at an example that shows the difference between Voice and Tone. We’ll take one song, sung in two completely different ways.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper
‍Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Greg Laswell

This is the same song, with the same lyrics, but both versions give off completely different impressions. We can think of it this way:
Voice = Lyrics
Tone = Music

At Procurify, we have a song to sing, but how we sing it will change depending on the situation - you might not want to listen to a sad song when you’re feeling happy, just like how we wouldn’t write an onboarding launch message the same way we would write a collections notice. 
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Choosing the right Tone makes sure we give off the right impression, and having a unified Voice ensures that our message and image is consistent.

Who are we?

Now that we know what Voice and Tone is, we can start to look at how these concepts can be applied at Procurify. Let’s start with our Voice.

Our Voice - Our Personality
Our Voice - our message - should reflect our personality types. At Procurify, we like to think of ourselves as inquisitive and empathetic, with a quirky charm. 
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Understanding our clients allows us to share their emotions with them. When we do this in a friendly, laid-back, personable manner, we connect more deeply with our clients. We have conversations instead of interrogations. Talking to us isn’t a drag, even when we’re getting into the nitty-gritty. 
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While we want to make sure we’re properly representing Procurify, there’s also a bit of wiggle room to let our own personalities shine through. When choosing your Voice, keep Procurify’s traits in mind, but be genuine and comfortable in your communication. Be Kate from Procurify, or Kyle from Procurify, not Procurify Employee #285. 
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The ability to be ourselves while representing Procurify will show that we are genuinely unique, but thematically harmonious, like a choir. Find comfortable ways to work these traits into your communication, and if you do, our clients will feel like they’re talking to Procurify as a whole.

Our Traits

Inquisitive, not interrogating
Not only do we want to understand our clients, it’s something that we must do. If we understand their goals and challenges, we’re going to be able to get to the root of their struggles to provide them with the best possible solutions. We want to be their medicine, not the bandage.
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So don’t be afraid to ask questions! We can’t walk a mile in our clients’ shoes if we don’t know where they keep them. But remember, we’re not interrogating our clients. Make sure your curiosity shines through in your questions. We’re not asking questions to validate ourselves and prove that we already have all the answers, but rather, to better understand our clients’ situations.

Do this:‍

Wow! You work in the aerospace industry - that’s super cool! I bet there’s all kinds of strict rules and regulations you have to follow in order to maintain compliance. Could we discuss some of the hoops that you have to jump through to make sure Procurify can help make them a little easier to clear?

Don't do this:‍

You work in the aerospace industry? Are there federal regulations? Do you have international regulations? What about internal regulations? Do your regulations have regulations?

Empathetic, not sympathetic
Empathy might be the most important part of our personality. It’s what allows us to be human, and connect emotionally with our clients. People resonate with an empathetic approach, and will take our messages to heart if we frame them from a place of understanding.
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Have your communication show that we’re going through this journey together - we’re like that friend that supports them through their lows, but is also there to celebrate their highs. Sharing these emotions puts us on the same level. This differs from sympathy, which keeps us at different levels, and can make a person feel isolated. Get on their level - we can’t have empathy without alignment.

Do this:‍

I’m so glad you were able to import all your Location and Department information into the system! This sets a great foundation for us to build on. I know we have a lot of work left to do before we can finally launch Procurify, and there’s a lot of data we have left to collect, but we’re on the right track. We’ll make sure this launch runs as smoothly as it can! I’m always here to help! :)

Don't do this:‍

I’m really sorry you’ve only been able to import Locations and Departments. I’m sorry there’s still a lot more work to do, but this is something that is very important for our launch, and you’ve agreed to have it completed by next week, so please make sure you’re ready for our deadline. Thank you.

Quirky Charm, not wacky
We’re a little bit out there, and we’re not afraid to be different - in fact, we embrace it. We’re goofy, we’re weird, and we’re friendly. It’s what sets us apart and makes us memorable in an industry known for its blandness. While there’s always going to be moments that we need to be straight-faced and serious, that’s not our baseline. We’re not afraid to push the limits of what's acceptable, but we won’t step over the line.
When there’s opportunity for it, be sure to let that quirkiness out, but don’t go too far - we don’t want to come on too strong and seem wacky or outlandish. Be friendly, relatable, personable, and interesting.

Do this:‍

Attention all Junior Rocketeers - Welcome to Procurify! Our Head Astronaut, Dash, will be your leader to liftoff, walking you through everything you need to prepare for takeoff. With his help, you’ll be flying high in no time!

Don't do this:‍

WEEE-WOOO-WEEE-WOOO - THAT’S THE SOUND FOR LAUNCH! Hurry, there’s not much time! Get on your spacesuits and strap in, because this ship is about to launch and you don’t want to be left behind! *Arnold voice* Come with me if you want to Procure! FOLLOW THAT SLOTH, AND *Arnold voice* GET TO THE CHOPPA!

How much personality is too much?
You might be wondering how to properly apply our three main personality traits to your communication. When it comes down to it, our clients are working with us to reach a goal. How we help them reach that goal is important, but our personality should be supporting our solutions, and not taking center stage. We’re here to help first and foremost, so don’t lose sight of that.
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If you feel confident in being able to sprinkle in the right amount of personality to your messages already, great! We trust you. But if you’re looking for some structure to help make sure you strike the right balance, consider using a 10 / 80 / 10 approach.

10% Quirk
80% Work
10% Quirk

Structuring your communication in this way allows us to present ourselves in a lighthearted manner, but still makes sure that the purpose of the message is clear and productive.

Example‍

Aww yeah, we got your request for a demo - high five! 👊
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One of our awesome team members should be reaching out to you within 24 hours to set up a call where we can show you how Procurify can start helping you reach your goals. We’re going to be asking a lot of questions to help make sure we’re the right fit for you, so make sure you bring your thinking cap, as well as any questions you might have for us.

(By the way, this is our mascot, Dash. As you can tell, he’s super excited that you’re interested in finding out more about us. And trust us - as a sloth, he doesn’t typically get up for much, so this is a pretty big deal!)

In this example, we start and finish lightheartedly, but our intent is clear. Because our main message is sandwiched in between two small, quirky pieces, the overall feeling presented accurately represents our personality. 
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At the end of the day, how you choose to express our quirkiness is up to you. What you write should feel comfortable to you. Forced feelings feel forced, and your readers will pick up on it. And always remember - our personality is important, but don’t let it get in the way of actually being helpful. If you follow the Quirk / Work / Quirk flow, you’ll be fine.
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If you find it hard to show quirky charm with words, it’s ok to use exclamation marks, emojis, gifs, and our in house illustrations. Sometimes the right picture can be more effective than words. As with everything we’ve discussed so far, make sure to use these in moderation. Not every sentence needs an exclamation mark, not every message needs multiple emojis, and one gif is more than enough. Remember to let your message be the star. Frosting can be great, but don’t forget about the cake.

Do this:‍

We’re really excited to have you along for the ride! 🚀

Don't do this:‍

👋Hey!!!👋 We’re really 😱 excited 🥳 to have you 👈 along 👫for the ride!!! 🚀🍻🌝⭐️🎇🎉

Our Tone

Our Tone - Our Feelings

By this point, we should have a good idea what Procurify’s Voice is, so let’s talk about our Tone. As discussed earlier, our Tone dictates how we’re perceived, and how our customers feel about us. 
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Our Tone should take our audience’s emotional state into account, so do your best to be empathetic when choosing a Tone. This is where we can really let our empathy shine. Tone is what makes us human, so let's make sure we’re not communicating like robots. Keep these points in mind when choosing your words.

How we want to be perceived:

Modern, not old fashioned
We’re modern, we’re young, we’re hip. We’re here to fix the issues with old, out-dated processes. Our vocabulary should represent that. Aim to speak to your audience like you would your team members. There’s no need to be overly formal - no sirs or madams, no to whom it may concerns, no sincerelys. Be familiar.

Intuitive, easy to understand
Procurify is quick to learn and easy to use, so frame your communication in the same way. Our communication shouldn’t be confusing or overly technical. Be concise and matter of fact. There’s no need to take 3 paragraphs to explain something that can be said in a few sentences. Do your best to get your message across as quick as possible without sacrificing understanding.

Flair, not gaudy
We like to stand out. We have that je ne sais quoi that sets us apart from everyone else. We do things our competitors would never dream of doing. We don’t apologize for who we are, and we’re proud of it.
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Don’t be boring. Take risks with your communication. Step up to the line, but don’t cross it. We want our competitors thinking “I wish we had the guts to do that,” not “I can’t believe they thought that was a good idea.” Be relatable, with a bit of an edge.

How we want our audience to feel:

Assured
We want the best for our clients. We know that, in coming to us, they’re looking to improve the way they work. Our inquisitive and empathetic personalities naturally lead to our customers feeling assured. Knowing their story and aligning empathetically with them will make them feel like, even if we don’t have the answers for them now, we’re the right people to help find their solutions.
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Acknowledge your audience’s concerns, let them know that you understand what they’re going through, and tell them how you’re going to be able to help them through the tough times. You’re the seasoned expert, you’ve done this before. Let them know, and they’ll be feeling better already!

Elevated
Procurify is designed to fit into our customers’ existing workflows, while making them easier to complete. We’re here to help take our clients where they want to go, not where we think they should go. We support, we advise, we educate, but at the end of the day, remember that we’re doing this for our clients. Don’t lose track of their goals.
Listen, ask questions, and check for understanding. Know what they want, and help them get it. Be a leader, not a boss.

Choosing the appropriate tone

As we discussed earlier, choosing the right tone is incredibly important when looking to communicate with our clients. Just like how we would pick the right music for the right situation, we must pick the right contextual tone for our messages.
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To do this, we must anticipate how our clients are feeling in any given interaction. Sometimes people will tell us how they’re feeling, other times we have to make educated guesses. While we never want to make assumptions for people’s emotions, it’s important to pick up on subtle hints to narrow down how they might be feeling.

A cold email
These can be annoying. You know it, they know it - don’t be afraid to address it. Get to the point, but don’t be generic. Stand out from all the other emails flooding the inbox while respecting their time.

Example:‍

Hey Jim! I know what you’re thinking - great, another damn sales person trying to get my business. While that is true, I know how annoying it can be to get unsolicited emails from companies that, deep down, know you aren’t going to be interested. That’s why I only send these to people I know I can help. I don’t want to take up too much of your time without you being on board, so let me know if you’re interested in hearing more about how we can solve those pains you’ve been having with getting your s**t approved. If you’re not, you’ll never hear from me again. It’s all good, no hard feelings. 👊

A support email
When people reach out for help, they could be feeling frustrated. Look for keywords and phrases like broken, time-consuming, annoyed, never works, etc. Offer support and assurance that you’re there to elevate them. Address their emotions when you’ve uncovered what they are, and tell them what you’re going to do to alleviate their ailments.

Example:‍

Hey Mary, I totally understand that this has been a frustrating experience for you. The last thing we want is for you to have to re-do any of the work that you’ve already done. We want to be the wind beneath your wings, and when we’re acting more like a bag of sand, we know how much more difficult that makes it for you to soar. That’s not what we’re here for, so I will make sure we address this situation as quickly as we can. I’ve already let our engineering team know the severity of this bug and how it’s affecting you, and they’re working on a fix as we speak. When I have more information, you’ll be the first to know.

A blog post on the importance of credit card reconciliation
It can be hard to determine how people are feeling when posting one-way messaging. We can’t rely on feedback from our readers to let us know how they feel, so we have to guess a little more. We can take the topic as our starting point to make some educated guesses (credit card reconciliation = money being spent = stress), but ultimately, with unaddressed messaging, we can really let our personality shine.
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Try to draw on all aspects of our tone and personality traits. It might not be a bullseye for every reader, but we’ll be true to who we are as a company and attract the customers that respect the work that we do.

Conclusion

Having a defined Voice and Tone are critical for our success as we grow as a company. Our communication must be on the same page. As we add more team members, both locally and globally, these rules ensure that no matter where our messaging is coming from, it will sound like it’s coming from Procurify.