Word of mouth spreads; having them spread to potential clients from a satisfied customer will be the ultimate thing to do. A happy customer, after all, is the best trick of the trade and by far the most superior of business strategies. Stay with me while I explain..
The world has advanced past the product experience and has moved on to the customer experience part of businesses. Customers now expect nothing but the best services from service providers, and the ones who are found short of customer-centric behaviors are soon left for those perceived better.
Conversely, customers after services from you become one of two things; a friend or a foe. In other words, your customer will either refer you to their friends and acquaintances or dissuade them from ever reaching out to your organization.
The rise of social media has enabled people to express their dissatisfaction with a product or service and demand the kind of services a paying customer should have.
While managing several customer support channels has proven difficult for firms large and small, one sort of customer service has emerged as the preferred method for businesses to communicate with their customers.
You guessed correctly, email. As a result, keyboard-first customer support skills are always in high demand.
Why Customer Support Services Anyway?
Customer service is critical to your company’s success since it keeps customers and extracts more value from them.
We’ve all had positive and negative customer service interactions via email, phone, social media, chat, or in person. These encounters stick with us, forming our feelings about the brand or organization.
When these encounters are unpleasant, they’re likely to be shared with our more extensive network, which is a nightmare for the organization for various reasons. For example, more than 25% of consumers would cease buying from a company after just one bad encounter.
Any company should work hard against this, especially when it may be readily avoided – or even turned into a good contact that improves public perception or generates recommendations.
After all, 96% of customers claimed customer service was an essential factor in their choice for brand loyalty.
Businesses that provide excellent customer service recover their client acquisition costs and create a dedicated following that refers to customers as case studies and offers feedback and reviews.
Customer Support Services
Customer service has existed since the inception of commerce with the concept that the customer is always right as its ultimate discipline. However, customer service has evolved, just like every other marketing aspect.
Initially, only the invention of the phone has been able to procure any form of accessibility customers get with their clients. This concept was embraced wholly and would later lead to the birth of call centers worldwide.
However, as technological advancement comes into play, email marketing has come into play. It remains one of the most effective methods through which businesses provide services and support and get feedback from their consumers.
Typical email customer care duties include managing complaints, replying to comments, advising on planning and installation, troubleshooting, and assisting with changes and cancellations.
Naturally, these efforts need the collaboration and knowledge of many stakeholders inside a firm, resulting in a client interaction that answers their query, solves the problem, and sets their minds at ease.
Effectively utilizing this support is an excellent way to build good customer relationships. In this article, we’ll look at tricks you can apply in your email marketing for better support and customer relations results.
Tips and Tricks for Writing a Good Support Email
Avoid Being Generic
Nothing pisses a customer more than the fact or a feeling that they are speaking to a robot. Robots have no empathy or the ability to infuse feelings into their communication with humans, and that’s a problem.
Humans are emotional beings, and to appropriately interact with them for the desired result, you must appeal to them on an emotional level.
One of the ways to do this is by personalizing the email.
When you get a complaint or feedback from a client, start your reply by addressing them by their name. Doing that will make anyone feel seen and heard, not merely a disturbance that must be interacted with. Start your email with a semi-formal greeting, and set a calm enough situation, so customers know you are there to solve their issues.
Be Empathetic
Empathetic email support is the greatest, so make sure you understand how the consumer feels. Regardless of how the matter began, they felt strongly enough to approach you; therefore, address this early in your email response.
For example, “I understand how you must be feeling” will set you off a terrific start.
When some customers write to you, they are calm and composed. However, some clients are dissatisfied and outraged. It’s normal since what appears to be a simple problem to you is actively blocking them from receiving what they want.
So if it takes assuring them that you’ll do everything possible to ensure the situation is resolved, do not hesitate to do that. Simply acknowledging that you care goes a long way.
Show That You Value Their Time
You may not always be a customer’s first point of contact with your company. Visibility into this is vital, as is access to any previously logged customer correspondence.
We all hate feeling like we’re repeating ourselves, so do everything you can to keep up with the client relationship when delivering email service. A solid customer service email picks up where the prior conversation left off.
Keep a Clear Language
Make the customer’s life as easy as possible. You may be familiar with the latest technology or industry lingo, but you should always assume they are not.
Be careful not to over-formalize your support email. Keep things as simple and to the point as possible – while remaining polite and courteous.
Show Gratitude
The consumer is using your product/service and is concerned enough to contact your customer support team. So, whether it’s a complaint how-to question, they’ve shown an interest in your firm, which you should greet with thanks.
Giving appreciation guarantees that your consumer feels sincerely valued by your business, increasing customer happiness despite a setback. Besides, reaching out to you provides you with priceless organic feedback on your product or service. Make sure that they know you appreciate it.
Answer Every Question
No matter how fantastic your email is, the customer’s primary goal is to receive a quick answer to their problem and move on. As a result, the most crucial customer service skill is empathizing with your clients while simultaneously providing straightforward solutions to their concerns.
Tell them if you need more time to respond to some of their questions. Ensure the customer does not receive the idea that you did not read the entirety of their email.
Be Consistent
Consistency is the soul of branding. You want your consumers to have a pleasant customer experience that reflects your brand, regardless of whatever support staff they interact with. A uniform tone and language when generating support emails across your staff provide a more seamless experience.
Ensure to provide only quality service and do diligent research before giving answers to their questions.
If at any point they have to communicate with more than one customer support touch point, make sure your advice or assistance does not contradict the ones already given. Doing so could make customers lose trust in the solutions to their problems.
Avoid Grammar Errors
Blunders often make one appear inexperienced or even fake in the face of problems that require an expert’s attention, so you must avoid them.
Double-check for spelling errors before composing a customer support email. This can be accomplished using Grammarly or even Microsoft Word.
If you’re unsure about the grammar, ask a trusted colleague to look it through and give you feedback. Double-check if you’re sending a link or a code too. Also, make sure you’ve attached the paper you promised to attach.
Be Positive
Yes, there might be an issue, and it may be challenging to give all answers immediately, but do not let it stop you from being optimistic about the situation. People can sense emotions from written words, which won’t project you well to your customers.
A cheerful attitude will go a long way toward setting the tone for the conversation. It can also help to boost customer trust in your service.
End on a Cheerful Note
An excellent way to end a support email on a cheerful note is if everyone goes home happy. This means you must try your best to ensure your customer is satisfied and they won’t have to send a fresh email concerning that issue.
If there are additional resources you can refer them to, like PDFs, tutorials, or an instruction section on your website, do not hesitate to do so. Ask them if there’s anything else you need help with, thank them for reaching out to you, and let them know you’re there for any future needs.
Customer Support and the Email Marketing Software
Writing a good email is not always enough; do you have the tools to ensure a seamless email marketing or support system?
For example, how do you track your email? How do you identify subscribers to your newsletter and clients needing assistance? Where do you store your list of subscribers? How do you manage them?
That is where the email marketing software comes in.
You may establish and communicate with customers in a personal atmosphere with the help of a cloud-based email marketing tool. Not only can you receive one-on-one consumer engagement, but you can also generate more leads, build relationships, and enhance sales.
For example, GMass will help you send personalized cold emails in bulk, while GetResponse has additional tools like landing page creator and a lead conversion funnel for more leads.
Remember, customer-centric orientation wins it. 67% of customers will pay more to get a better customer experience.
Check out our best email marketing software list for a more effective email support service delivery.
In Conclusion
Without good customer service, customer retention and success are impossible. The wheel would almost certainly come to a halt.
You will attract new customers, reduce client churn, and boost your brand’s reputation and image by offering excellent customer service. Furthermore, research shows outstanding customer service is needed, not a “nice-to-have.”
Following the tips in this article will ensure you only deliver quality email support at all times. Remember, the Customer is King.