Making the Mundane Sexy: Copy for a highly technical metering device and associated apps

For the following, the target audience was administrative staff and elected officials of small towns and municipalities. The technical team wrote the specification sheets and then I did a language clean-up. This text was written by me after reviewing roughly 150 pages of technical materials in both English and German and several clarifying meetings with the technical staff. With a 50-page brand guide in hand, I utilized the company slogan to tie all features together so that the graphic design team could easily build on the copy visually. ​At the time I was given this project, the German and US teams had divergent opinions on the approach to marketing. I was specifically contracted by the lead engineer of IT EMEAAP for this project to help his team show their vision and capabilities to the C-level. We were cautioned to write for the customer, but keep in mind that the first hurdle would be the C-level staff. The project completed in December 2017. Many of the C-level staff were dismissed or resigned soon after the sale of this company to another larger company. I may never get to see this text come to life, but I had a lot of fun working with the tech folks.

NOTE: Naturally, I have edited out all proprietary and trademarked items and have received permission from the client to use this text in this format. What’s within your reach?

Greater demands. Greater opportunities. Greater stakes. From a decrease in natural and human resources to an increase in scrutiny by consumers and regulators, the business of public services is growing in complexity and sophistication.

At ((Company Name)), we’re committed to helping you reach your potential through the application of technology and data-driven insights that deliver efficiency, responsiveness and analytical capabilities never before attainable. That’s why we continuously anticipate and respond to evolving business needs–from innovation in sensing and communications technologies to data analytics and services.

When we stretch ourselves, achieve, and stretch again, we can connect in ways that increase our capacity for real impact. After all, no matter where we start from, we can all go farther.

((Company Name)). Let’s Reach Farther.

((product)) Endpoints

((product))™ (International) are next-generation, high-performance, solid-state smart water meters with integrated bi-directional communications capability. ((product)) meters use a unique technology that provides unrivalled, sustained accuracy over their expected 15-year operational life.

With a low-flow measurement of 1 liter per hour, ((product)) helps utilities to reduce non-revenue water. They can be programmed to provide highly granular data at 15-minute intervals, which improves accuracy in identifying customer-side leaks. The wealth of data also helps water utilities to manage distribution networks more efficiently, to conserve water, to provide accurate billing to customers and to inform them about leaks, fraud or unusual usage patterns.

But Let’s Reach Farther.

((APP NAME))

((APP NAME)) is a mobile app suite we’ve developed to get you started. Installed on devices you can either buy from us or on your own handheld devices, ((APP NAME)) works in both walk-by and drive-by applications to increase the productivity of your staff and decrease the time it takes to collect your data. It includes ((Company Name))RF Finder, Collection Station, Collection Mobile, Configuration & Service, and Data Logger. Human error in your meter reading will become virtually a thing of the past!

Now Let’s Reach Farther.

(Company Name)) ((app name)) and ((app name))

((app name)) and ((app name)) are gateway solutions for your large and small fixed networks. The built-in management software can access data that has been sent to either your mailbox or your dedicated server with regularly timed readings that help you visualize and manage your radio network to handle the day-to-day tasks such as billing or to assess where your trouble spots are at the speed of moving data.

Let’s Reach Even Farther.

((Software name)) Analytics

Meter Data Management and Analytics Software

((Software name)) Analytics let you visualize your water network performance through an intuitive dashboard that provides you with graphs, tables, and maps. It integrates all aspects of your MDM and network management to provide you with the cleanest access to data for billing, demand management, water loss and other non-revenue water issues, and water balance. More than just reports, ((Software name)) Analytics provide you with the tools to optimize maintenance performance and minimize costs. More importantly, with ((Software name)) Analytics you will be able to proactively tackle adverse events to minimize your potential losses and customer dissatisfaction.

((Company Name)). Nothing’s out of reach. Photo by Anton Darius on Unsplash