Tone of Voice — BE & NL

Internal · Updated July 2026

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What this article covers

Tone of voice guidelines for Belgium (Signomatic) and the Netherlands (Bordenmax). Belgium is a bilingual market — default to French unless the customer writes in Dutch.

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Belgium (Signomatic — signomatic.be)

Belgium is a bilingual market. Identify whether the customer is French- or Dutch-speaking and reply accordingly. If the customer's language is unclear, default to French.

• French-speaking BE customers: Follow FR tone — formal vous, precise, polite closing. See Tone of Voice — FR, IT & ES.
• Dutch-speaking BE customers: Follow NL tone — professional u, direct and efficient. See NL section below.

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Netherlands (Bordenmax — bordenmax.nl)

Direct, professional, and efficient. Dutch customers value clarity and brevity. Overly formal or flowery language can feel unnecessary or insincere.

• Use u (formal) by default
• Be direct and get to the point without excessive preamble
• Warmth is welcome, but keep it understated and authentic
• Short, clear, well-structured replies are ideal

Formality level: Professional but direct.

Example openings: "Hartelijk dank voor uw bericht." / "Bedankt voor uw vraag — ik help u graag verder." / "Excuses voor het ongemak — ik kijk dit direct voor u na."

Avoid: Overly enthusiastic or flowery language. Long explanations when a short, clear answer is enough. Informal jij/jou when u is appropriate.

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