A few weeks back I was on a flight across the country and I had the pleasure of sitting all the way in the back row... you know... where they used to put the smokers. Ahhh, remember those days? One of the luxuries of sitting in the back is watching people enter and leave the restroom. Oh, and that lovely toilet smell.

But on this particular flight the bathroom was out of commission. The airline helpfully placed the following sign on the bathroom door:

I'm not sure who this sign was meant for, the staff or the customer? I don't speak Airline but I'm taking a wild guess that "INOP" is short term for "inoperative". Or maybe it stands for "International Nesting-Ground of Pancakes."

"DO NOT USE" is clear enough, but really, is this the way you want to talk to customers? Whatever happened to, "We're sorry, but the water-closet is temporarily out of order?" Or perhaps, please use the crapper in the front of the plane?" This sign might as well say, "Sit down, shut up and hold it in!"

When talking to your customers, you need to talk to them in the language they want to hear. That doesn't mean you have to change the message, only the words used to convey the message. A message does no good if the customer doesn't understand it or, worse, they find it offensive.

I'd like to say that most online companies get the language of their sales message right, but they don't. Even worse (and we tend to see this even more online) is the language used in generating error messages. Most error messages are written by tactless programmers, instead of the customer service team. Many are the equivalent of walking through a freshly mopped area and seeing a sign that reads "It's wet. You're walking in the wrong place!" As if the customer did something wrong.

The error messages can be just as important as the sales messages. No matter what you're saying to the customer you want to be polite, non-offensive and, yes, even helpful! Bathroom is INOP? How about "Customer service is FUBAR?"

Side Note: Someone write "Thank You--Northwest!" on the sign. Not sure if this was an unappreciative customer showing off their sarcastic skills, or a flight attendant that realized it was a poorly crafted message.