Hey! How are you doing, good? Good! Welcome to Replayed’s new and improved tone of voice breakdown, we’ll try and make this as p a i n l e s s as possible! This is used internally for training, but we have opened it up to the public (hello world) so you can hold us on our word!
We know that, at the end of the day, we’re all just humans randomly flying around and bumping into other humans at whim, and our mission here is to try and cushion those bumps as much as possible.
TONE OF VOICE - THE START OF A JOURNEY (...introduction)
In short, we want to keep things friendly and relaxed, without losing sight of the fact that we’re providing a service for the creators we collab with - the way we talk to each other is a big part of that service.
So what does this mean? Yes, we’re a business. But we’re also not robots. We want the creators we work with to feel confident in our ability to deliver a quality and professional job, without feeling as though they’re talking to a bunch of corporate aliens reading from a script. Let's keep it... smart casual.
HOW TO AVOID BEING AN ALIEN - CUTTING THE BEEF
Avoiding big, beefy paragraphs when talking with each other is important. Condense what you’re saying as simply as possible. It’s less confusing and also shows you have a strong understanding of what’s being said.
On the other hand, being too vague can also be pretty rude and annoying. Think of it like this: you need someone to do something for you, and you also need to explain why they need to do that. Two lines or less. Simple and clear.
DON’T BE TOO COOL - LEAVING CLIENTS IN THE DARK
We all like to be the mysterious recluse that rarely replies to their WhatsApp family chat, but leaving clients hanging on team servers is not a good look.
Community is our most important value. Even if you don’t work with a creator directly or aren’t the lead editor, if you spot them asking a question, respond! If you do not know the answer, simply let them know that you have seen the message and the right person will get back.
Sometimes a video might need a deadline extension. If you have a clear and consistent line of communication with the client, and you let them know about this, then that's okay! However, if you don't keep them in the loop and the video misses its deadline... that's just bad service. No tip!
If a creator leaves because of communication issues, nobody wins :(
BEING CONSIDERATE - KEEP THE GOOD VIBES VIBIN’
We care about our creators and sometimes keeping your communications all #BUSINESSTALK can be tiring. Ask your people how they’re doing!
Keep your messages positive! We all work best in a friendly atmosphere, throw in a nice word of support or a smiley face every now and again :) But don’t do this too frequently; we want to be encouraging, not fake. This isn’t Disneyland.
DE-ESCALATION - KEEP THE BAD VIBES AWAY
As we’ve said before, we’re all humans. Humans make mistakes. Sometimes we fall behind schedule, and that’s OK. Our clients will understand that, too, as long we approach the situation in the right way.
If you appear stressed in your communications, then you’re giving the client a reason to feel stressed, too. Let them know you’re keeping your cool!
[X] ‘Here’s the video, sorry for the delay!’
[:)] ‘Thanks for your patience, here is the video :)’
EMOJIS - THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE RISKY
At the risk of sounding like your cool art teacher, we get that emojis are just part of how we communicate today. We would be a bunch of dummy dumb heads to reject their use in how we communicate.
However, in the same way that we monitor our language when talking to clients, we should also be selective of our emojis (yes, seriously).
We don’t want to sit here and outline what we see as ‘good’ emojis and ‘bad’ emojis, but we believe that our choice of emoji should reflect the way in which we usually communicate: positive, friendly, and respectful.
Consider what a ‘smart casual’ dress code may look like if applied to an emoji (again, yes, seriously). This may sound silly, but we want to avoid being too casual with our clients: friendly, but not disrespectful.
KEEP IT SIMPLE - WE’RE WORKING ACROSS THE WORLD
Replayed works with a number of people all across the globe, so when it comes to communication, we want to keep it simple.
Culturally, certain phrases and metaphors might not translate and cause unnecessary confusion. We don’t want a member of staff from the UK exclaiming ‘Bob’s your uncle!’ only to result in an American client simply explaining that they don’t know anyone called Bob.
Alright, I think you get the idea! Apply your own judgment to this document, we can’t tell you what to do. We’re not your grandma. As long as you're being kind and respectful, you’re doing things right!