Customer Science

Solution

CX Communications

Most of what a customer experiences of your organisation, they read. We turn complex, compliance-heavy correspondence into plain English that people can understand and act on, so fewer of them need to call you to find out what you meant.

Book a CX communications discovery callSee the case studies ↗
A writer at a desk with three printed customer letters, one marked in red pen.

In practice

What better writing has been worth

fewer extra calls after Bupa's annual rate change mailing was redesigned
90%
in Bupa contact centre savings over two years
$2m
NAB letters rewritten
2,500+
ATO staff trained in service writing, nationally
800+

Trusted by teams across government and industry

  • Australian Taxation Office
  • Bupa
  • Medibank
  • NAB
  • QBE
  • Telstra

Why it matters

A badly written letter is an expensive letter

Every message you send shapes how customers feel about your organisation, and an email, an SMS, a letter and a chat reply all count. When one of them is unclear, the customer does the only thing left open to them: they call you, and often they call angry.

That is the part organisations tend to miss. Confusing correspondence does not just annoy people. It generates avoidable demand, lengthens handling times, produces complaints and disputes, and quietly undermines the brand that the rest of the business is spending money to build.

We rewrite the words so that does not happen, without losing anything legal, risk or privacy needs the message to say.

What we offer

Clear communication at every touchpoint

Auditing

We find the gaps, risks and friction across your journeys and channels, including with CommScore.AI, which scores your service writing against the same benchmarks every time.

Journey mapping

A close look at what correspondence is doing at the moments that matter most: onboarding, collections, disputes. It usually shows both a customer problem and a compliance one.

Writing and redesign

Copywriting and template design that put clarity and a human voice into messages that had neither.

Training and advisory

Practical training for service teams, so the writing stays good after we leave.

Brand voice

A writing tone that matches what your organisation actually values, defined well enough that other people can use it.

Explainer videos

Short videos for the messages that are genuinely hard to explain in writing alone.

What changes

What tends to change, and roughly in this order

Customers understand you

  • Communication customers can read and act on first time
  • Less frustration, fewer calls asking what the message meant, and more customers staying

The operation costs less to run

  • Lower inbound call volumes and shorter handling times
  • Fewer complaints and disputes
  • Stronger compliance, and better collections outcomes

The writing supports the strategy

  • Messages that carry what the organisation is actually trying to do
  • A voice that sounds like you and not like the system that generated it
  • Teams who can write consistently without being asked twice
  • A standard new writing can be held to, after we have gone

Where this came from

The Friendly Persuasion team, now the CX Communications practice

Friendly Persuasion launched in 2014 to improve account correspondence, chat and short messaging for service organisations. Customer Science acquired the consultancy, and Peter Vierod and Tony Rambaut came with it to head up the CX Communications division.

That is why this practice reads differently from most consulting: the people doing the work have spent a decade rewriting the letters that banks, insurers, telcos and government agencies actually send.

Our experience

Large-scale correspondence transformation, across six sectors

Banks and financial institutions, health insurance, telcos, energy, government and travel.

"Friendly streamlined all our correspondence and collateral pieces making our products and services simpler to understand. Importantly, they helped bring our brand voice to life in those difficult ‘moment of truth’ communications. This was proven in research, which showed a very positive response from members."

Amy Childs, formerly Head of Member Communications, Medibank

The work

Nine organisations, and what changed

All CX Communications case studies ↗

Why work with us

Proven, accredited, and easy to engage

Proven impact. Millions saved in reduced calls and complaints, on the projects listed above.

Easy to buy. We are on the NSW Government Qualification Scheme for Performance and Management Services (SCM0005) and ICT Services (SCM0020), the Local Government Amalgamation Supplier Panel, and other federal and state panels. See our panels and contracts.

The people who pioneered this work. Peter Vierod and Tony Rambaut have led CX communications practice in Australia for over a decade.

Engaged however suits you. A standalone communications project, or part of a broader service transformation.

Insights

Related insights

All CX Communications insights ↗

Your team

Who you would be working with

Meet the whole team ↗

Send us the letter you like least. We will tell you what it is costing you.

Book a CX communications discovery call

Common questions

What is CX communications?

It is the strategy, design and delivery of clear, human and compliant customer messages across letters, email, SMS and chat that support the experience and reduce cost-to-serve.

How do you measure ROI?

We baseline call volumes, complaints and satisfaction, then track changes post-implementation. Clients typically see material call deflection, faster resolution and improved CSAT.

Can you work within strict legal and compliance requirements?

Yes. We collaborate with legal, risk and privacy teams to maintain obligations while improving clarity for customers.

Do you provide training and playbooks?

We deliver practical workshops, eLearning and voice-and-tone playbooks so teams sustain results independently.