The Considered Letter
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ANNE KATRINE LUND THE CONSIDERED LETTER The considered letter Copyright Anne Katrine Lund 2014, 1st edition Idea: Post Danmark and Anne Katrine Lund Copy: Anne Katrine Lund Design and graphic layout: Anna Ellegaard Buch Translation into English was made possible by a grant from the sponsors: Global Envelope Alliance, European Federa- tion of Envelope Manufacturers and Neopost Denmark Printers: Hellbrandt A/S Trykcenter Printed in Denmark 2014 ISBN 978-87-89299-43-3 Mechanical, photographic or other reproduction or copying from this book or parts thereof is not permitted without the publisher’s written consent in accordance with Danish copyright law. THE CONSIDERED LETTER TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORDS 7 CHAPTER 3 DEAR PATIENT, RELATIVE AND CITIZEN IN THE REGION 28 THE END THAT NEVER CAME 11 > An unexploited potential 29 > Expected and welcome – Region Hovedstaden 33 CHAPTER 1 THE SITUATION OF THE PHYSICAL LETTER IN THE DIGITAL AGE 12 > A vibrant paper dinosaur 13 CHAPTER 4 KIND REGARDS, YOUR MUNICIPALITY 36 > From the ordinary to the extraordinary and the special to the > Letters in a new guise 38 15 peculiar > The letter as an Achilles’ heel 38 18 > My dear friend > Letters will stand out 40 > When letter quality has to be improved – Stevns Kommune 43 CHAPTER 2 KIND REGARDS, THE STATE 21 > New construction – Banedanmark 25 CHAPTER 5 DEAR CUSTOMER – THE BUSINESS LETTER 46 CHAPTER 6 WHEN THE LETTER IS BEST 56 > A surplus channel 47 > Establishing positive contact 57 > Letters are important in terms of experience and reputation 48 > Welcome to the municipality - Fredensborg kommune – 61 > Letters can trigger action 49 > When action is needed 62 > When letters provide physical proof 50 > The letter’s ability to surprise – Nørresundby Bank 65 > Letters provide overview 51 > Come back please 68 > A positive message from the bank – Danske Bank 53 > Stay with us! – SEAS-NVE 71 > Please buy 75 > A letter gives peace of mind – Tryg og Relationshuset Gekko 77 > When customers are dissatisfied 80 > The good complaint response – DSB 83 > When the opportunity presents itself 86 > Congratulations, you can vote – Folketinget 89 > Window envelope with a twist 93 > Invoice with a smile – Altan.dk 95 > The physical letter in combination with the digital world 100 > A letter from one person to another – Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke 103 DEAR ALL 107 BIOGRAPHY 108 OTHER SOURCES 109 7 For the Global Envelope Alliance (GEA) and FEPE (European Envelopemakers This book can facilitate useful “what/when/where/how” discussions linked to Association) it is a great pleasure to support the publishing of this book communication strategies. Neopost Denmark highly appreciate this initiative because ”letter” also means ”envelope”. of Post Danmark. The envelope gives the first impression to the recipient when a letter is being We believe that communication as a business discipline is characterized delivered to him. As stated in this book, the digital development has made by both predictable and unpredictable dynamics. It is a goal for Neopost substantial changes worldwide in recent years, and we appreciate that this Danmark to provide professional tools to support as well existing as book even includes information about the digital world. This proves that the tomorrows communication strategies, might these be carried on paper or on book describes the situation of the letter in its real environment and not in electronic/social media or…… onesided advertising terms. Neopost Denmark being a key player in the multichannel communication We thank Post Danmark for all the effort they have put into the project and business has a strong interest and commitment to support efforts that can Post Denmark can be assured that GEA and FEPE members will read the book help people and businesses understand pros and cons related to individual with passion. communication channels. We find the studies and reflections done by the author and materialized into this book of high value to get a better view on Maynard Benjamin how communication is managed and practiced. CEO Global Envelope Alliance Leif Damgaard Managing Director Neopost Danmark A/S 9 We were never in a moment’s doubt that Anne Katrine Lund was the right over great distances. We did not stop listening to the radio and going to person to write a book about the physical letter. With her background as PhD the cinema when the television was invented – nor have we stopped buying in rhetoric on “The Lost Communication – The Role of the Letter in physical books, even though many people now read their eBooks on their Organizational Communication” and as a highly regarded communication iPad or digital reader. The letter is here to stay, despite the advance of digita- consultant, she – more than anyone – is in a position to write about the power lisation. Each time a new means of communication appears, we immediately of the well-crafted letter. seize the new possibilities for communication and of tailoring our communi- cation to the needs of the receiver. That said, we often choose the channel We also knew that giving her free artistic rein would result in a highly nuanced based on what is smart and modern right now. Perhaps if we were more book on the subject. conscious about the strengths of the individual channel in a given situation, we might, on occasion, choose differently? At Post Danmark, it is our business to distribute letters. Even so, we do not feel there is a need for a book that simply paints a rosy picture of the physical Readers of this book will not be surprised to learn that we at Post Danmark letter’s future. believe in the future of the physical letter. This does not mean that we believe that private citizens and businesses will once again begin sending letters in Full credit, therefore, must go to Anne Katrine Lund for her balanced analysis. the same quantities as before. We, too, recognise the advantages of digitali- As we read through her findings, we noted one thing in particular: The sation. physical letter seems to have a secure place in future public administration communication. Certainly, the public sector will continue to communicate What we do believe, however, is that letters possess a set of unique qualities digitally with us on a daily basis and the vast majority will find this easy and when used correctly – also in the digital world. convenient. However, in those situations where a message requires special attention, a physical letter from a local authority delivered to your door will still have a role to play. Consider this: We did not stop sending letters when the telegraph, telephone Henning Christensen and subsequently the fax machine enabled us to send messages speedily Head of PostNord Danmark 11 THE END THAT NEVER CAME “Physical letters are a necessary evil, soon to be replaced by the digital It is not a prayer for an almost extinct species drawing its terminal breath, revolution”. “They are a dinosaur waiting for extinction.” Statements such nor is it a desperate, one-sided defence of an outdated means of communi- as these are not uncommon when the subject of physical letters is on the cation. Rather, it is an examination of what the physical letter has to offer at agenda. And as a former letter researcher myself, I had gradually become a time when it is not the only means of communicating over long distances. brainwashed into sharing this view or certainly the concern: I wonder if the When is the physical letter a strong choice – and what it is that causes reci- physical letter will survive – and does it matter? pients to persistently insist that the letter is a valuable instrument of commu- nication. In short: what can we, as senders in Danish organisations, use the It was therefore something of a surprise when TNS Gallup’s, Megafon’s physical letter for in the digital age? and Epinion’s opinion polls showed time and again that Danes have great faith in the physical letter. The letter is a valued item and is still seen as an A heartfelt thanks goes out to all the people who have made this book extremely credible and important means of communication. However, it also possible. Thank you for your inspiring and challenging input – and thanks to became clear that the polls solely reflected the attitudes of the recipient – all Post Danmark for insisting on and not least giving me free rein to write an of us with letterboxes who open the letters and feel prioritised and properly open-minded book. treated when a well-written letter containing information about a change, an important overview or a response to an enquiry arrives through the post. In contrast, senders in Danish organisations were less convinced of the need for physical letters. Here, this means of communication was deemed far less relevant and seen as a dinosaur from the past. The letter, which had been surpassed by its digital counterpart, was too slow, too expensive and less Anne Katrine Lund, effective. Here, extinction of the dinosaur was already a historical fact. PhD in rhetoric and Communication Consultant These seemingly opposing views demanded closer examination, which is why Post Denmark and I decided to publish this book. CHAPTER 1 THE SITUATION OF THE PHYSICAL LETTER IN THE DIGITAL AGE Once upon a time, the physical letter was the only means of communica- “Communication between citizens and the public sector will increasingly go tion between people separated by great distances. Some of the earliest through the digital channels we know – with more channels certain to be known letters stem from Egypt, where the boats of the Nile carried greetings phased in as we look to the future. The public from anxious mothers and heart-sick lovers separated by great distances.