---
title: "Seven properties of effective messages - The Intercom Blog"
description: "The post identifies seven properties that customer messages must exhibit to engage effectively in an age of fleeting attention. Messages should be personal, using the recipient’s name and a tone akin to leaving a voicemail for an aunt you’ve never met—warm and friendly but respectful. Personalization goes further by including custom attributes like remaining storage space or incomplete orders, while politeness requires respectful language, no shouting, and awareness of cultural and holiday differences. Brevity is crucial to prevent customer disengagement; accuracy avoids errors like wrong names or irrelevant requests (e.g., asking free-plan users for billing info). Relevance involves timing messages properly and using absolute dates like ‘April 5th’ rather than ‘tomorrow,’ and a consistent voice and tone (e.g., a bank vs. coffee shop) must be maintained across all communications."
---

# Seven properties of effective messages - The Intercom Blog

[Intercom](https://yomu.fyi/company/intercom) · Oct 8, 2026

**Type:** Explainer

## Summary

The post identifies seven properties that customer messages must exhibit to engage effectively in an age of fleeting attention. Messages should be personal, using the recipient’s name and a tone akin to leaving a voicemail for an aunt you’ve never met—warm and friendly but respectful. Personalization goes further by including custom attributes like remaining storage space or incomplete orders, while politeness requires respectful language, no shouting, and awareness of cultural and holiday differences. Brevity is crucial to prevent customer disengagement; accuracy avoids errors like wrong names or irrelevant requests (e.g., asking free-plan users for billing info). Relevance involves timing messages properly and using absolute dates like ‘April 5th’ rather than ‘tomorrow,’ and a consistent voice and tone (e.g., a bank vs. coffee shop) must be maintained across all communications.

## Context

Customer messaging must overcome short attention spans and information overload; the post presents seven principles from Intercom’s experience to craft messages that drive engagement.

## Approach / What changed

The post proposes seven properties for effective messages: be personal (use first name, direct tone), personalize content (custom attributes), be polite (respectful language, no shouting, cultural awareness), get to the point (brevity), get it right (accurate names, relevant info, avoid wasted time), be relevant (absolute dates, avoid relative terms), and use right tone and voice (consistent brand style).

## Takeaways

- Personalizing messages with the recipient’s name and custom attributes (e.g., remaining storage space or incomplete orders) increases engagement by making content specific to each user.
- Politeness requires respectful language, avoiding all-caps and business jargon, and being aware of cultural and holiday differences to maintain trust.
- Messages should use absolute dates like ‘April 5th’ instead of relative terms like ‘tomorrow’ to ensure relevance and prevent confusion over time.

## FAQ

### How to strike a personal tone without being overly familiar?

Use the recipient's first name and adopt a tone similar to leaving a voicemail for an aunt you have never met: warm, friendly, but respectful. Avoid false friendliness and business jargon.

### What are common accuracy pitfalls in customer messages?

Common pitfalls include addressing the customer by the wrong name, using poor spelling or punctuation, and asking for unnecessary information (e.g., billing details from free-plan users).

### Why is timing important in customer messages?

Messages must be timely; referencing a new feature six weeks after launch or using relative dates like 'tomorrow' can cause confusion. Use absolute dates such as 'April 5th' instead.

**Tags:** [Customer Service](https://yomu.fyi/topic/customer-service), [Messaging](https://yomu.fyi/topic/messaging)

- Source: [Intercom](https://www.intercom.com/blog/seven-properties-of-effective-messages)
- Source URL: https://www.intercom.com/blog/seven-properties-of-effective-messages
- Ingested by Yomu: 2026-10-08T21:00:26.827Z

[Read original post](https://www.intercom.com/blog/seven-properties-of-effective-messages)