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Do
I really need to proofread my text and check my facts?
No,
why bohter? A coupel of typos here and their wont matter.
Well,
actually, yes.
They
do matter.
If
your product costs £5, but your brochure says £50, that
makes quite a difference.
Whether
you run a small business or a global corporation, your customers
need to understand what you're saying, your employees need to understand
what you want you them to do and your suppliers need clear instructions.
Correct
spelling, punctuation and grammar all have a combined critical function:
to ensure your audience understands what you are saying.
How
important are proofreading and checking?
In
some sectors, very important.
If
a patient depends upon health services and products to keep alive,
clear communication is vital. In transport, personnel in control
of high speed vehicles or aircraft need clear instructions to avoid
fatal accidents. In many other sectors, health and safety depends
on clear communications.
Elsewhere,
poor communication might not result in death or injury, but could
result in the loss of a sale, complaints from customers or legal
action from suppliers: not very healthy for any business.
But
I don't think I'm good at spelling
You
are probably better than you think. And, anyway, it's almost impossible
to proofread your own writing, because you see what you expect to
see, not what you've actually written. It's best to get a colleague
or a professional proofreader to check your text.
Will
it cost a lot? Not as much as having to reprint a brochure with
errors in it or defend legal action because of incorrect details
you've published.
Communications
that have been proofread and checked properly appear more professional
than those full of errors; they are also likely to be more effective.
They
can reduce your customer service costs: if your customer communications
are accurate and easy-to-understand, fewer customers will phone
you up to ask you simple questions which they can answer themselves.
Just think how much call centre activity could be eliminated if
every business published useful and reliable information that customers
could understand.
Reduce
costs and increase sales
Spelling,
punctuation and grammar all serve a useful purpose. For business,
they can also reduce costs and increase sales.
It's
got nothing to with being fussy or pedantic, but everything to do
with running a successful business.
• For
our latest editorial resources prompt sheet on proofreading &
checking, please click the appropriate links for web
or PDF versions.
Visit
our proofreading micro site
for details of our free trial offer
www.proofreadingresources.co.uk
Or
call or email us
0845
200 7830
hello@editorialresources.co.uk
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