Consistent Messaging vs Human Words

Etsy's Robert Kalin has written an inspiring post about the lessons learnt from running the huge online craft fair.  The whole thing is a must-read but one part that caught my eye was the challenge of consistent messaging versus letting humans be humans: "There is no “Etsy” in the monolithic sense of a single identity or being. Etsy is the several dozen employees of Etsy, Inc. and even more, the several hundred thousand members of the community.  As I see it, large corporations try to sanitize all their outgoing messages for the sake of keeping face. It is very easy to identify this kind of behavior. Whenever you read something and it sounds like a series of pre-made phrases strung together, instead of a human being speaking, this is sanitized communication. To me, this stuff sounds inhuman.I want Etsy to stay human. This means allowing each person’s voice to be heard, even if it’s squeaky or loud or soft. I will not put a glossy layer of PR over what we do. If we trip, let us learn from it instead of trying to hide it; when we leap, let’s show others how to leap."

Comments

[Joe]

It just isn't always the case that:
Whenever you read something and it sounds like a series of pre-made phrases strung together, instead of a human being speaking, this is sanitized communication.
Often it is tested copy, copy that works. Sometimes what "humans" say "naturally" is more likely to turn customers off than to get them to buy. It isn't always the case, but it is why my colleagues who provide virtual receiptionists have to make sure that they have scripts for answering the phone - the kind of things the real people who answer the phones would make up off the top of their heads just won't cut it, not when they have to work for many different clients.