Email plays a role in the customer experience, yet most of us are getting sloppy with it.
If you send customers good-looking, useful email it benefits everyone. They’ll read and act on valuable email — and your company will take a step toward another sale, increase customer satisfaction or cement loyalty.
Whether it’s a short message to confirm an order or a longer one regarding a promotion, a professional email is always in order, according to workplace and customer service expert Barbara Burke.
Four of her tips for creating better email:
- Write a subject line that reflects the content. It should be short, direct and have a call-to-action.
- Give a list of responses. If the message requires a choice in action, give the choices: When you respond, please let me know if you A) Want to move forward, B) Need the original specs, or C) Require a phone conversation.
- Cut the thread. To keep it tidy, as email exchanges increase, cut the thread so just two or three of the past messages appear.
- Keep it short. If your response to a customer inquiry requires more than a few paragraphs, it’s time to make a call. A few sentences and a few bullet points should be the maximum.
