Email Communication Guidelines
All email communications with customers must be approved by the customer's Content Project Manager (CPM) beforehand. For formal discussions, use email and always include the customer's CPM for transparency. If approval is not obtained, keep all communications within Slack.
Email Scenarios and Best Practices:
- Project Details: For any discrepancies like a brief mismatch or reassignment of completed pieces, clarify with the customer via email, CCing your CPM.
- Handling Changes: If customer requests exceed the original brief or require significant adjustments, discuss options and provide recommendations directly.
These communication best practices ensure that our content meets and exceeds customer expectations, boosting the effectiveness of ClearVoice’s content production.
Situations and Courses of Action
Scenarios to Email the Client
In the following scenarios make sure you CC your CPM in every case. If you do not CC them they will not know what is going on with the account.
A piece is only halfway done, has followed the brief perfectly, and is already at the minimum word count.
The writer has begun the piece and noticed that the word count required will be considerably longer than the spec sheet asks for. (LINK TO THE BRIEF SPEC) We can either trim the spec sheet to include less content or increase the length of the piece to _____ words. Which would you prefer?
We are happy to follow whatever you think is best!
The brief link doesn’t match the title of the assignment.
We noticed the brief spec for piece (s) _______ (LINK TO BRIEF SPEC) doesn’t match the title of the piece. Could you please take a look and let us know if the content calendar or the brief spec need to be changed?
Note: This scenario only applies if/when the customer is providing their own briefs and linking to them in the content calendar.
A piece listed was already done in the past
We noticed the piece titled ________ was already done in (MONTH and PIECE #) Can you please take a look and let us know which topic you would like us to change it to?
A product/service/offering that is featured in the piece no longer exists has been discontinued, or was replaced with another product.
We noticed the product listed in the piece titled ________ does not appear to exist anymore. Can you please take a look and let us know if you would like to find an alternative product or cancel the piece entirely?
A brief spec/google doc is restricted
We noticed the brief specs/google doc for the following pieces are not viewable. Can you please update the permissions so they are viewable by everybody with the link?
- Document title, Link to document, Piece title in the platform
Multiple editors on the customer side are asking for conflicting edits.
I’ve noticed I am getting some differing feedback from the editors in this account. Specifically, they treat <<specific scenario>> differently. Can you please provide guidance on what you would like done in these scenarios in case this arises again? Thank you.
The customer is editing pieces you haven't reviewed yet.
Thank you for being so eager to edit the piece titled ________. That piece is actually still in revision with me. Please make sure you are only editing pieces that have been marked as “Pending Final Approval.”
Scenarios to Raise in Slack
A writer refuses to do the edits on the assignment.
Tag your CPM in the Slack group and ask for their insights. If the edits are reasonable, we will possibly have the writer taken off the piece. If the edits are simple enough you can make them yourself. This is on a case-by-case basis.
A writer has not accepted the assignment after 48 hours.
Tag your CPM via Slack and inform them of the writer, the piece that hasn't been accepted within the 48-hour timeframe, and that you will be assigned to a new writer. Pull it back and offer it to a different writer. If you are uncertain as to which writer to offer, consult your CPM via Slack.
The writer rejects the assignment because they don’t have time/the pay is too low.
Reassign the piece to a writer who has the bandwidth. If you are uncertain of writer bandwidth, please consult your CPM by tagging them in Slack.
A writer is late on 2 assignments without asking for extensions or a writer continuously asks for extensions.
Tag your CPM in the Slack group, explain the situation, and have them reach out to the writer to determine the best next steps for you to take.
The client hasn’t responded to a question after being tagged and emailed.
If you have not received a response from the client within 48 hours, please tag your CPM in Slack and let them know.
The customer has expressed issues with the quality of editing done by the producer.
Tag your CPM for their feedback.
The customer is requesting information that wasn't included in the original brief.
Tag your CPM in the Slack group and let them know. Be as clear and concise as possible within your message.
A writer referenced a source that is not mentioned on the approved/banned source list.
Use your best judgment. Note and highlight the link when tagging the customer so they know you are aware of it.
You are trying to dispatch to a writer and they aren’t showing in the dropdown of available writers.
Click on the “Users” icon on the left rail, type in the writer’s name, and search. Once you find the correct writer you can click save. If there are multiple writers and you aren’t sure which one it is or you can’t find the writer, tag your talent manager in the Slack group.
The brief word count is under or over the scoped word count of the project. Example: The brief says a minimum of 2,500 words and the content calendar says 1,000 words.
Reach out to the CPM on the account via Slack for clarity. The discrepancy may be due to a typo, mistake, or scope change. Seek confirmation from the CPM before moving forward. If the CPM is unsure, they will reach out to the customer to get further insight to share with you.
A piece is listed twice on the content calendar.
Reach out to your CPM via Slack for clarification.
You are unsure how to ideate for a customer.
Reach out to the CPM via Slack on the account for more information about what the customer is looking for and insight into any learnings from the initial round of ideation.
The customer expressed feedback or discontentment around the SEO Add-On (keywords or execution).
Notify your CPM on the account via Slack. Your CPM may reach out to the customer to gain additional feedback, and your Managing Editor will gauge whether or not the content is properly optimized according to the SEO Add-On.