ORDER AND REORDER: A QUICK TRIP TO A SUCCESSFUL LIST

Getting your thoughts down on paper is only one part of the listing stage. But don’t worry! The next stage is equally easy: imposing some sort of order on your list.

One of the fastest ways to list is simply to drop your points on the page, numbering as you go. Say you work for a health insurance company. The one factor that distinguishes your company from the competition isn’t cost (the government determines that), accessibility (your biggest competitor stares from the glassy windows across the street), or size (you’re the biggest in the state), but customer service. In writing a letter about your customer service representatives you’d certainly mention these points:

The next step is extremelyimportant. Ask yourself which points would interest your readers most. Then shift your list by simply crossing out old numbers and writing new ones beside them, making adjustments for each new audience. Remember, since your readers typically pay closest attention to information in the first few lines, make sure you intrigue them immediately. A dry, uninteresting opening point will surely be a one-way ticket to the wastebasket for your document.

Asks and Don’t Asks When Reordering Your List

Ask Yourself

	Which points most benefit my readers?
	Which points address current concerns?
	Which points distinguish my company from the competition?

Don’t Ask Yourself

	Which points interest me most?
	Which points does the company usually accentuate?
	Which points are easiest to write about?

Because writing is an unnatural act. Think about your normal thought processes. You usually jump from point to point, thinking first of your department’s budget, then about a difficult coworker, then about what you’ll have for lunch, and back again to your department’s budget. In conversation you probably do the same, talking about the movie you saw over the weekend, your vacation plans, then about a newsletter article you read two weeks earlier.

This ricochet process is normal enough. Unfortunately, when you write, your thoughts bounce around the page in a similar fashion. Yet your readers want a smooth, logical flow of information. After all, they can hardly rely on your gestures, the rise and fall of your voice, or their own participation in the discussion to carry them from point to point. Nor can they interrupt, ask questions, or ask you to repeat a point when you’ve shifted from one subject to another. That’s why you must impose some sort of order, however unnatural, to your thoughts.

Now, take a look at why.

Here’s how your letter would look:

Dear _____,

You’ve been there. Calling another company for answers to your health care questions. You get put on hold, wait, and wait some more. Finally, a nameless representative says she’ll call you back later. When? The next day. Or the day after that. Now — with HealthRight Insurance — wait no more.

Our representatives have at least five years of experience in numerous health insurance areas and regularly attend classes on everything from industry changes to new regulations. That means you’ll get your vital information fast — usually within a single phone call. And they’re available more often than most other companies’ representatives — from 7:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. every weekday and 9:00 to 5:00 on weekends. Need help other times? Just call our 24-hour hotline at 555-1212. Regardless of when you call, our representatives will be courteous and calm — so you can feel calm, too.

If you would like to know more, just call our office at 555-1213.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann Lonner Manager, Customer Service Department

Now, look at a second way of ordering the list. The audience: still customers. Your reason for writing: to show your customer service representatives’ level of professionalism. Your order: most important to least important information. The information: identical to that in the first letter. Only now, the scenario is different:

The city newspaper nearly bubbled with excitement over a recent scandal when a customer took a health insurance company — not yours, fortunately — to court. She claimed her interactions with customer service representatives were so horrible that the stress exacerbated her illness and interfered with her work and family life. She cried emotional and physical damages. Little came of the suit except an investigation into the industry’s customer service practices.

To reassure your customers, you send a letter, organizing the points in this way:

1.Calm disposition even during crises . Your customer service representatives calm heated situations faster than the New York City fire department. They ensure that every situation gets resolved quickly and easily, with minimal customer involvement. That’s why this point gets front-row seating.
2. Willingness to work overtime for the customer . Your customer service representatives are so committed, they are, as the old rock-and-roll lyric goes, there when you need them. Keep this point close to the top so your readers can see and remember it.
3. Thorough knowledge of service . Obviously, knowledge means a lot. Yet, knowledge is different from problem solving. By positioning this point third down the line, and stepping into the shadows, you’re putting the verbal spotlight where it belongs.
4. Friendly manner on the telephone. Yes, yes, yes, we’re glad your representatives are friendly. And yes, yes, yes, we appreciate their phone manner. But come on . . . we’re upset and want immediate answers. That’s why this otherwise vital nicety belongs at the bottom of your list.

All pieces in place, your letter would look like this:

Dear _____,

We can help. Whether you’re undergoing a routine procedure or emergency surgery, we’ll make your health insurance experience easy so you can focus on recovering.

We do this by providing longer customer service hours than any health insurance company in the state — from 7:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M. each weekday and from 9:00-5:00 on weekends. If your situation is unusually complex, our representatives will work overtime, contacting physicians and locating important documents until the process is complete. Need help other times? Just call our 24-hour hotline at $555-1212.

Regardless of when you contact us or why, you’ll receive clear, comprehensive, and accurate information. Our representatives have at least five years of experience in numerous health insurance areas and regularly attend classes on everything from industry changes to spoken and written communication skills.

If you would like to know more, just call our office at 555-1213.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann Lonner Manager, Customer Service Department

TRY THIS! Practice writing lists for letters or other documents that you consistently send to customers. Fiddle with each until you find one or two alternatives you like best. Then bring the lists to work and write the letters based on that order.