Each of us faces the need to contact customer support from time to time — whether it’s to ask for additional information, file a complaint, or get assistance with something. All these interactions directly shape our attitude towards the brand or company that we’re corresponding with. Microsoft’s survey shows that 96% of consumers regard customer service as an important factor in their loyalty to a brand.
It goes without saying that, in order to retain customers, businesses need to take customer care correspondence seriously. Today, we’ll cover a few tips on how to improve the quality of customer service emails and share three sample replies.
Try to sound more human
Since the customer support team has to deal with a huge number of requests on a daily basis, it’s highly probable they would use generic answers to address them. And while this might save lots of time, it shouldn’t get to the point when customers would feel they’re talking to a robot. Ideally, each email, even a template-based one, needs to be personalized to fit the customer’s request and make the communication more friendly. At the very least, it’s worth greeting the customer by their name.
Make apologies if necessary
If the customer is disappointed by the service or even gets angry, the first thing to do will be to make an apology (even if the situation is ambiguous.) It is important to reassure the customer that you understand their feelings and will do your best to fix the issue as soon as possible. In some cases, offering a discount or another type of reimbursement would be appropriate. If there’s no objective fault from your company’s side, a good idea would be to say you’re sorry that this situation has occurred and to explain what can and cannot be done to the customer in a very polite way.
Be clear and concise
The main thing customers want from the support team is to get a quick and efficient solution to their problem. This is why it’s essential to focus on the issue instead of beating around the bush or upselling something. If a client asks a number of questions or poses some concerns, make sure to address each of them. Being concise and informative rather than wordy and vague and offering clear solutions or alternatives will show the client that you care about them.
Avoid grammar mistakes and typos
Even if you closely address the customer’s issue and give a satisfying answer, grammar mistakes or typos might spoil the impression for the customer—even more so if the reply is not very positive. Some can even consider such flaws as a non-professional attitude. That’s why it’s crucial to make sure your message is grammatically correct. AI-based writing assistants like Linguix are indispensable in this regard since they help to quickly find and fix mistakes and paraphrase sentences.
Value customer’s time
Quick responses to customer requests will make them feel valued. In today’s world, customers often expect to get a reply within a couple of hours. Sometimes, however, more time is needed to address the customer’s issue or get additional information. In this case, the best thing to do would be to explain this to the customer and promise to get back to them as soon as everything is sorted out.
Templates
Responding to a complaint about a service/product
Hi James,
Thanks for letting us know about this issue. I totally understand your frustration with the delayed delivery and would like to apologize for that. We’re currently overloaded with orders and all our couriers are doing their best to fulfill deliveries on time. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, and we’re now extending our staff to address this issue.
To recompense for the delay, I offer you a 10% discount for your next order. Here’s the promo code you can use when submitting an order: MG55.
Thank you for your patience and have a nice day!
Kind regards,
Rachel
Providing additional information
Dear Clara,
Thanks for contacting us!
I’m happy to provide you with the details of the services we offer. Please find a pdf file enclosed.
Regarding your question about payment, we accept credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, UnionPay); you can also send us the required sum via PayPal or a bank transfer. I have attached our bank requisites. If you choose to transfer money to our bank account, please send us a check at [email protected] to confirm your order.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions.
Thank you,
Kate
Issuing a refund
Hi Dan,
Thanks for your request. I’m sorry to hear you encountered difficulties getting a visa.
I’ve processed the refund for you. Please be warned that it might take up to a week for the money to appear in your bank account.
If you have any further questions or concerns, I’ll be happy to help.
Best wishes,
Martin
