Partner Article

The cost of carelessness

A year ago this article on the BBC website suggested that a single spelling error on a website could cut online sales by 50 per cent, making it clear that there is a cost attached to poor spelling and grammar in business communication. Earlier this year Top Shop took it a stage further and included a spelling error on a T-shirt. (They used a quote from ‘Romeo and Juliet’, but misspelled Shakespeare’s name.) And in a previous job I held, a celebration cake with a spelling error was delivered.

Add to that the twin facts that a recent poll identified that many people rely on auto-correction and cannot spell even quite simple words, and that few businesses employ a professional writer directly, and where does that leave companies wishing to avoid loss of business due to preventable errors?

There are a number of steps you could take. You could pay for one or more members of staff to complete a course in proofreading and/or copyediting. You could introduce a process for ensuring everything is carefully checked before it becomes visible to customers (for example, first draft, feedback, final draft, proofread, where the drafts are handled by the same person but the feedback and final proofread ensure two more sets of eyes see the document). Alternatively you could hire writers, copy editors and proofreaders only when you need them.

Whatever approach you take the figures and the feedback suggest that you should do something positive, as it will help to attract and retain customers, especially online. In such tough economic times, any advantage is surely worth having.

Miscandlon & Lewthwaite Writing Services summer sale

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Julie Lewthwaite .