Who They Are:

Carlyle, Inc. manufactures high-performance custom cabling and wire for airplanes, computers, networks, and other uses. Since 1970, it has been involved in the aerospace and aircraft market, building complex systems that provide vital connections for on-board entertainment systems, galleys, crew rest stations, and display systems.

 

How Writing Plays a Role:

Carlyle considers its employees' ability to write effectively, clearly, and concisely critical to keeping existing relationships solid and developing new ones as business opportunities arise. Sales letters, emails to customers, and letters to suppliers play a vital role in keeping the lines of communication open and functioning smoothly. A review of the documents employees wrote indicated several weak areas:

 

• Lack of professionalism in emails

• Lack of proofreading for grammar and spelling errors

• Inappropriate word choice

• End results did not meet the goal of the document

 

The Solution:

Business Writing That Counts! provided a customized training to senior buyers, a division manager, sales reps, engineers, production managers, and several supervisors. The workshop consisted of eight hours of training, one-on-one coaching, and completion of two online modules with written feedback. Workshop topics included getting organized quickly, learning to walk in the reader's footsteps, and using the Power Number System to start writing without delay. Email etiquette, tone, style, and rules were also discussed in detail.

 

Results of Training:

Participants cut their writing time down anywhere from 10 percent to 35 percent. Most spend far less time writing and feel their correspondence sound more professional and are easier to understand. This translates into a savings of $64,667.95 annually. Carlyle intends to use this savings for continued profitability. The Human Resources Director commented that employees are more efficient and spend more time on value-added tasks rather than on writing. She continued by saying, “Employees can focus on their position and help us continue to grow.”