Email communication is important for customer service. There are a lot of email scripts and templates out there. They are pretty easy to find, and all you have to do is copy and paste to use them. Sure, they are a quick way to communicate with your customers. However, scripted email responses are not the most effective way to communicate with your customers or handle their inquiries.
If a customer receives a scripted response, they may call customer service later. Anyone working in customer service can tell you that a customer upset before contact has the potential for a negative outcome. For example, they can leave poor reviews, act rudely towards employees, or find a new company to give their business to. This article will help you avoid unhappy customers, gain satisfied clients, and teach you how to give an enjoyable customer service experience.
Problems with Scripts
Have you received a poorly scripted email from customer service? Most likely, you have. A typical scripted customer service email is quite basic:
“Hi, <<customer’s first name>>, Thank you for contacting the XXXX”.
Then, the email usually goes on to give the customer service team’s hours and days of operation.
There are a few problems with this type of email, and you can sense them as you are reading it. The whole thing feels robotic and computerized. Worse still, the email points out that nothing is getting done to fix the client’s problem because business hours are done for the day.
To tell a customer right away that you cannot fix their problems is a put-off. You want them to know that you are trying, that you hear them and that you will do what you can.
How to Send Better Emails and Make Better Scripts
If you do not have a 24-hour customer service team, you can use an automated, scripted response for emails after business hours. However, the script needs correct wording.
Add, “This is an automatically generated email” at the end of your automated email. Do not state that you cannot fix the customer’s problem because business hours are over. Why does this work?
Often, people see that their message is received and that they will get a response once your business is open. Clients get anxious without any response and wonder if their message got through. When you add that the business is closed at this time but that a response will come as soon as possible, they feel reassured.
You could consider sending out personalized emails yourself. Even big companies need to make their customers happy. However, responding to emails takes a lot of time and commitment that many business owners do not have. If you are wanting your business to have expanded hours for customer response, hire a contact center like KPI Connect. We can provide customer service email communication outside of your normal business hours.
This way, your customers get responses from real people rather than an automated response. Whether you’re sending personal emails or scripted ones, making your customers feel heard is important.