Customers often don’t get the answers they’d like from contact centers – and one form of communication is missing the mark half the time.
On average, retailers answer customer emails completely just 54% of the time, a new study by STELLAService found.
That leaves customers either disappointed and either turning to the phones to get the answers they need or turning away from the company altogether.
There were some bright spots in the study: LLBean.com answered nearly 90% of customer email thoroughly, Gap.com got it right 84% of the time and Zappos.com hit it 75% of the time.
A few keys to boosting response to email (and potentially curbing some phone demand) from STELLAService:
- Use templates. If the answers are right, customers won’t mind if they’re not all that personal.
- Send an auto-response to all incoming messages, letting customers know when you’ll respond so the wait won’t seem so long.
- Link them. If the issue is complicated, and needs more attention, give customers a brief response with a link to get them started and let them know how you are proceeding to get the full answer.
