Consumers have grown weary of inflation, and they’re twice as pessimistic about the economy than at any time since 2020. Despite this, people are still spending. 

A recent report from Forrester said consumers saved significantly in the past two years and were eager to get out and spend. However, it still found that 64% of US adults were concerned about the economy. Forrester’s prediction? Consumers will set a high bar for brands before they decide to buy. Those purchasing decisions are not just fueled by cost; Gallup found that 70% of consumers buy based on emotional factors. This makes quality brand experiences and tone critical for 2023.

The value of authentic brand experiences

Disposable income is on the rise, but consumers are purchasing with caution. Brands that authentically connect with customers via consistent, quality messages and emotional intelligence will lead the pack.

It’s essential to prioritize tone when responding to changing macro conditions that impact consumer mindsets. For example, in 2020, Grammarly analyzed data from more than 30 million users and found that during unprecedented uncertainty, people shifted their tone to be less formal and more personable. Customer service teams also switched from an optimistic tone to an informative one. Winning over customers meant a stronger focus on how teams communicated with them, not just what they communicated. 

Companies miss the mark in vital moments without a dynamic approach to tone in customer-facing messaging. The challenge is that traditional, static brand guidelines don’t help teams uncover “in the moment” opportunities to reflect the brand well. 

Tech to enhance teams’ talent and time

AI that offers in-line communication assistance can augment team skills. Grammarly Business helps organizations respond quickly to changing external circumstances without needing to train teams on new style guide requirements. When messaging pivots, leaders can update custom style guides to automatically integrate new rules into the writing suggestions. This maximizes efficiency by reducing the need for reworking and oversight.

Grammarly Business also helps teams adapt to the moment with in-line writing suggestions that adjust their tone for more positive and confident interactions. Brand tones go further, helping teams context-switch to the right tone depending on which external parties they’re messaging. This technology allows customer-facing teams to pivot their delivery for the most effective customer communication. 

Static guidelines fall short as organizations scale 

Hitting the proper tone can be a challenge for an individual knowledge worker or group. So context-switching becomes increasingly difficult to manage as organizations grow and scale. While marketing teams may develop rules for adjusting tone in static brand guidelines, no static tool can offer the sort of nuanced assistance that teams need to hit the right tone reliably across an ever-increasing number of channels. 

For example, writing for social media requires a specific style and tone of voice that you wouldn’t use when writing emails. While both can be conversational and confident, an email may require a more direct or informative tone. AI tools remove some legwork by offering real-time suggestions to ensure proper tone use in each instance. 

With the brand tones feature, teams can build custom tone profiles within Grammarly Business and assign them to different groups, creating distinct and appropriate voices for every channel. Reinforcing tone accelerates workflows and response times. Speed matters: 90% of consumers rate an immediate response time—that is, within 10 minutes—as important.

AI empowers teams for quality customer touch points in 2023

Heading into a year when authenticity and quality will win customers, leaders must equip teams with tone guidance and the right tools to hit the mark every time.

AI-powered writing assistance is how organizations can effectively respond to changing circumstances and meet consumers with quality communication at scale. Grammarly Business offers powerful solutions that enable teams to write on-brand communication that consistently strikes the right tone.

Give your team a communication advantage in 2023; help it get ahead of the competition and stand out to increasingly selective consumers. Let’s talk.