Finding our voice and tone
Define a clear, relatable, and consistent brand voice that reflects who we are and how we want to engage with our users at every point of contact.
Summary version
Redefining our voice and tone was a fundamental step for Nowports to not only offer a cutting-edge logistics solution, but also a consistent and human experience in every word. Below, I describe the journey we took, the key decisions, and the results that guide all our communication today.
* Some figures and data have been adapted for illustrative purposes to protect strategic and confidential information.
1. Diagnosis: Understanding the Starting Point
Before proposing a new manual, we collected examples of emails, platform notifications, support messages, website text, and marketing materials. We identified repeating patterns:
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Excessive technical language that could overwhelm non-specialized users.
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Cold and distant tone in critical communications.
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Inconsistent messages between channels (email, chat, docs).
This diagnosis showed us clear opportunities to strengthen brand clarity, closeness, and alignment.
2. Co-creation workshops: internal and external voices
We brought together Product, Marketing, Support, and Growth teams in 2-hour sessions to map:
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Key stakeholders : who reads, what they expect, and how they perceive the message.
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Use cases : onboarding, system alerts, growth campaigns, and post-sales support.
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Target emotions : calmness, confidence, urgency when appropriate, and optimism.
Using real-life examples, we co-created draft messages and discussed words, structures, and attitudes.
3. Definition of voice pillars
Four pillars emerged from the sessions that summarize how we want to sound:
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Clear and direct : We avoid ambiguity. Each sentence provides valuable information.
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Warm and approachable: We speak as an ally who understands the client's business.
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Trustworthy and professional : We convey expertise without boasting.
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Proactive and inspiring : We lead to action and celebrate results.
These pillars inform both the writing of an activation email and the copy for a tooltip within the platform.
4. Tone guide: adapting to the context
We don't always speak the same way. We define how to modulate our tone according to the situation:
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Onboarding (enthusiast) : “Welcome to Nowports! We’re ready to help you every step of the way.”
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Critical alerts (serious, empathetic) : “There was a delay in your shipment. We know this matters; here’s what we’ll do.”
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Regular updates (news, live) : “Your shipment departed yesterday at 2:32 PM. Status: In transit.”
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Growth campaigns (inspirational) : “Discover how you can reduce your costs by 20% with our financing tool.”
5. Tools and practical examples
To land the guide, we prepared:
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Synonym tables : recommended words and alternatives to avoid.
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Before/after examples : actual paragraphs rewritten in the new voice.
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Message templates : Snippets ready for email, chat, and SMS.
6. Implementation and training
We launched training sessions with all in-house writers and partner agencies. These sessions include:
Role plays of common situations.
Group rewriting exercises.
Publishing checklist: tone, clarity, alignment to pillars.
7. Results and next steps
Since implementation:
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+30% open rate on activation emails.
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25% reduction in support clarification requests.
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Campaign messages with 15% more CTR.
Design with our DNA
Today, the Voice and Tone Guide is a living document: we update examples every quarter and gather ongoing feedback to ensure our communication remains as dynamic as our platform.
With a defined voice and adaptable tone, Nowports speaks consistently across every channel, building trust and making our users' daily lives easier.