Voice and tone
How to use the Twilio Voice and tonal qualities to communicate effectively in our products.
Voice makes us — Twilio — identifiable, consistent, and familiar.
Tone enables you to choose words, structures, punctuation, or syntax appropriate to the scenario.
Voice or tone?
Think of your best friend. You can recognize their voice — that doesn't change. But how they speak in a job interview is different from how they chat with you at the weekend. They sound the same — that’s voice. But they change how they express themselves — that’s tone.
The characteristics of our voice don’t change. Twilio always sounds
- Human
- Accurate
- Authentic
The four qualities of tone are as follows. The exact mix changes to meet the user’s needs and situation.
- Positive
- Conversational
- Encouraging
- Knowledgeable
Users succeed when they achieve their goal efficiently and have a positive experience. Create content that appeals to both their head and heart — content that you'd want to read.
- Reduce cognitive load by using common words in simple, short structures.
- Be empathetic and consider the user's situation and emotional state.
- Offer appropriate reactions, just as you would face-to-face.
Users need our content to be accurate. They rely on the words we use to help them achieve their goal. A user should never be surprised by what content means.
- Use consistent language for features and products.
- Give the user all the information they need to make a decision.
- Remember, you are not the user.
Users need our content to be truthful and evidence-based. They rely on our products to do what they say. Being evasive or exaggerating isn’t useful and impacts the user’s trust in our products.
- Be clear about what is and isn’t possible, particularly with beta or pilot features.
- Never suggest or claim that the product does something it can’t deliver.
- Test the product rigorously so you can be confident and precise about its functions.
Tone is used to modify how we communicate, according to the scenario and the user’s situation. Think of tone as a stabilizer tool.
We want our users to feel
- Confident
- At ease
- Empowered
- Reassured
To do that, we use a combination of tonal qualities
- Positive
- Conversational
- Encouraging
- Knowledgeable
You're task-focused but warm. When the user wins, you recognize their success genuinely.
- Do be engaging, efficient, and forward-looking.
- Do front-load messages with the reason (why) then the action (how.)
- To get started, add a user
- Congratulations, you sent your first campaign email!
Being over-enthusiastic all the time can sound insincere. Choose moments of infrequent success.
- Don't be annoying, hyperbolic, or misleading.
- Don't add empty phrases or punctuation to try to sound positive.
- First up, add a user, then we can get going!
Speak to the user as you would in person. Imagine you're on friendly, but professional terms.
- Do be friendly, approachable, and straightforward.
- Do use common contractions (you’ll, we’re, let’s.)
- You're not logged in
You aren't jokey or casual with the user. Remember, the user has a goal to complete.
- Don't be colloquial or over-familiar.
- Don't use slang or idioms. These can exclude users and obscure meaning.
- Head over to Studio
- Oops, looks like you're a few characters short of a password
Write as much copy as you need to convey the message in a conversational tone.
- Avoid sounding robotic or sacrificing meaning to save space. Shorter is not always better or clearer.
- Avoid prioritizing space or design over comprehension or conversational language.
- Create
- Instead, choose the words that clearly communicate what an interaction does.
- Create Agent profile
Show empathy, advise, and guide. Show the user how to succeed to give them confidence.
- Do be helpful, reassuring, and supportive.
- Do include a please if the user is making additional effort.
- To apply changes, please reload the page
- Change an Agent's skill level in Agent Profile
Users need support and reassurance without judgement.
- Don't be patronizing or sound impatient.
- Don't precede an instruction with just or frame it as being easy or simple.
- To apply changes, just reload the page
- Change an Agent's skill level easily in Agent Profile
Empower the user by sharing information. Show them the edges of the flow for context.
- Do be informative, guiding, and clear.
- Do signpost what’s next to enable discovery.
- To see available networks, select a country
Avoid surprising the user with another step and don't assume they know as much as you.
- Don't be dictatorial, superior, or know-it-all.
- Don't make the user guess what an interaction will do.
- Select country
Identify the user, their place in the experience, what they need, and their emotional state. Put yourself in their shoes.
| Interaction | Context | User need | Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neutral | A repeated interaction (Login screen, confirmation message) | Familiarity and recognition. Efficiency, nothing unusual, and no friction | Conversational and positive. Be efficient, approachable, and unobtrusive |
| Positive | A high point (Completion of a complex flow, first-time success with a process) | Confirmation of success. A positive affirmation and clear next step | Positive and encouraging. Be congratulatory and forward-looking |
| Negative | An error or problem (Access denied, system failure) | Resolution and reassurance. A clear solution and reassurance | Knowledgeable and encouraging. Be clear, informative, and calm |
Tone balances the interaction, leaving the user in a net-positive place emotionally.
If in doubt, aim to sound like a friendly specialist. Be the voice of someone you'd want to come back to for support or guidance.
Every interaction deserves consideration. If you can write in the Twilio Voice and use appropriate tonal qualities, your content will have a strong, user-focused foundation.