Date: November 26, 2019
Category: Blog
Although the use of social media and live chat are on the up, email customer service still remains a firm favourite with customers reaching for their laptops, phones and tablets. But, is your email customer service really up to scratch? Here’s how to help your Customer Service Team top customers’ expectations…
Make it Personal
Nobody wants to receive an email that looks like it’s been sent to 200 people all at once, and if you address your customer with a generic greeting- or, worse, a case number (!?)- you may as well be replying in bleeps and buzzes.
Instead, use the customer’s name (pay specific attention to the way they have referred to themselves and mirror this), introduce yourself, provide a way for them to contact you in future should they need you, and acknowledge the customer’s query in full.
Be Genuine
If you need to say sorry, then say sorry.
If you need to say thanks, then say thanks.
Customers don’t want you to dress things up; they just want a genuine, human interaction. Genuine and honest customer service interactions harvest the best results in the long run.
Customers who are happy with your customer service, will remain loyal and become your brand ambassadors- so get it right from the start! Even if it hasn’t all gone to plan.
Keep it Positive
Steer away from negative phrases. At the end of the day, the customer has contacted your Customer Service Team because they want help with a query/issue. They don’t want to hear “no-can-do’s”.
If you must explain to the customer that you cannot do something, then be sure to apologise, explain what the reason is (in full) and then explain what you’re going to do to put it right.
Stick to the Brand’s Tone of Voice
The tone of voice of the brand you are representing should be adopted in every single customer interaction. After all, the Customer Service Team are on the frontline of customer communication!
Most times, the Customer Service Team will be the customer’s first impression, so the brand values and tone of voice should be trained out and adopted by all.
Provide Useful Info
Email is often one of the best ways to provide your customer with detailed information. In fact, many customers choose this method with the expectation that they will be receiving a full and accurate response.
However, that doesn’t mean you should be writing essays! The Customer Service Team should be liaising with the Marketing Team(s) to ensure that there is enough relevant content readily available to help your customer out (i.e. FAQs, “How-to” videos etc).
The customer service team will be able to let the teams know what the most common customer complaints/queries are, in order for relevant content to be produced. Tracking your interactions and data via a CRM will help this- but there’s nothing wrong with good old fashioned feedback, either!
If you’d like any help with your customer service, then don’t hesitate to get in touch.