Using simplicity and making it stick for Cisco

Since creating Cisco’s tone of voice, we’ve been helping them use language that’s simpler and more distinctive. We helped their teams around the world think of their audience first and communicate the things that matter to them in ways they can easily understand.​

This was a big shift in an industry that feels complex products need complex language to do them justice. Cisco had never looked to anything so simple or foundational to transform their entire business. That’s why it was so important to create an effective program to make it happen. And to make it stick.​

We’ve helped roll out the language program across Cisco’s global network, training thousands of people.​

A big part of that was adapting the training for different teams and audiences, from technical support in Bangalore and Singapore, to field services in Argentina and marketing services in California. ​

The training program was broken down into virtual modules so that groups of employees could train across multiple locations around the world at the same time. We also coached teams in live ‘office hours’ sessions to help with specific pieces of writing they’re working on, in real time. (One team has even had a regular office hour every week for the past three years, and counting.)​