Most of us or rather all of us, generally miss out on a mail that is not addressing us personally or is sent in a general manner. It’s pretty natural for some emails to miss the mark. But for the service providers, every single mail sent is an opportunity of growing business.
They can’t afford their team to miss out on customer service emails. With every email being sent to your customer, you’re representing the very business you work for. One should take enormous amount of care to ensure that right words are used for communication so that it can please the customers.
One bad service experience can really cost something high and unaffordable for the business. For a customer, the service email sent is the only way to interact. That particular email can re(shape) the way they feel about growing relationship with you.
You should always be trying to foster a customer-centric culture.
A few years ago a research survey by Genesys on what matters the most to customers on receiving customer service emails showed that nearly 40% of customers want human customer service. Emails should not be made formal by using jargons.
Below are some of the tips, not promising the holy grail or anything close but surely can make your emails serve the customers better.
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#1: Be More Human Strategy
As mentioned above, almost every customer wants a personalized email. Try writing the service email that sounds personal, friendly and natural just like you are talking to the person(customer) in person.
A semi-formal greeting is a must. It sets the tone of the whole mail. A greeting with the customer’s name is preferred the most. Use the first name or the suffix whatever suits the situation. This gives them a feeling that they are not talking to the robots or machine but to humans.
#2: Acknowledge The Receipt Of The Mail
We all love responses, don’t we? Then why not to give a response to the mail sent by a customer for the service?
Make sure that every single mail sent by the customer is acknowledged. Reply to the customers as fast as possible.
The ROI in lightning-quick replies is impeccable. No matter how small the issue is, keep that in the subject and address it in a proper manner like they feel they were really heard and understood.
#3: Don’t Shift the Blame
It’s rarely going to matter to the customer who made the mistake? So stop blaming anybody for anything. Consider the delivery guy, manufacturer, supplier, all as One. Always assume that it’s our fault and we need to fix it.
Every complaint is an opportunity to fix your business for the better.
#4: Expressing Gratitude
Constructive feedback or even flat-out complaints is giving your business a valuable gift. Saying “Thank you” can be a powerful tool to strengthen your relationship with customers. It changes the way we behave for better.
No matter what the tone or content of the customer’s email is, make sure you appreciate it all.
#5: Set No Room For Confusion
To be Honest, “I will get back to you as soon as possible” is a vague reply. The customer is all anxious about the order and you are not helping them at all. Send every message with a word of confirmation.
Don’t leave them wondering for days whether their problem would be solved or not. Keep things crystal clear and tell them the exact time it is going to take for their issue to resolve. Always mention the way they can reach out to you again.
#6: Avoid The Imperatives
Treat every customer’s problem like your own. Might sound rude, but don’t command your customers with “Do this, go there, finish this” etc. No one does it intentionally but it certainly sounds intimidating the customer.
Instead, use conditionals like ‘Could you’, Would you’.
Sounding friendly over a customer service email is a mandate.
For example:
Instead of saying: ”Go the Dashboard and press Start” one can use:
“Could you please go to the Dashboard and press Start?
A request is always better than an order. Using positive phrases, you are putting the customer at ease.
#7: Define Your Style
Don’t let your email look like set of instructions haphazardly placed. There are several elements you should consider while setting the style of customer service emails:
● Tone
● Personalization
● Language and structure
● Workflow
● Visuals
Use of bullets to signify the instruction flow would definitely serve best. You can italicize some parts to emphasize a task. Try incorporating a video for following steps of instruction.
#8: Try Out The Solution Before Suggesting It To The Customers
This point is mainly related to tech support questions. Before asking the customers to refresh the page, or to try a different browser to solve the issue, try it at your end first. Never give the customers an opportunity to say that the solution you gave isn’t working.
Try to avoid the below-mentioned things in a customer service email as much as you can.
● Don’t respond in one-liners;
● Avoid discussing confidential information provided by the customer;
● Avoid shortcuts and abbreviation;
● An angry or negative tone.
Email interaction is not the same as face to face conversation, but you can surely try to give it a personal touch that leaves your customers happy and excited. Writing an email might take small efforts but it’s a big opportunity to build a customer relationship with your business. These tips will surely add professionalism to your customer service and help you to perfect the electronic interaction with your customers.
