Email’s convenient, but it can be one of the messiest forms of customer communication. Here are two tactics to avoid awkward exchanges and miscommunications.
Many email exchanges go on too long or fail to get the job done. According to experts at socialmediatoday.com, agents can be more efficient with email when they:
- Question strategically. There’s a distinct difference between close-ended questions (that offer room for one word answers) and open-ended questions (that allow customers to go on and on). Email calls for something in between. The right questions will garner just enough information. So agents want to group them, asking a few close-ended questions followed by one open-ended question. Targeted close-ended questions should eliminate lengthy responses.
- Show value. Customers are more likely to give all the required information – thus cutting back on confusion and unnecessary exchanges – if they understand why the information is valuable. Agents will want to include statements such as, “In order to process the exchange today, I will need the invoice number and a brief description of the order error” or “To guarantee I give you the correct solution, I need to know the specifics of your operating system.”
