Whether you operate as a retailer, an eCommerce, or a SaaS platform, your customer service quality will often make or break your brand. While you may only hear from a small percentage of customers when it comes to tickets, addressing them properly is essential for your reputation.
Data indicates that 89% of companies compete on the quality of customer service alone, with 89% of customers switching brands after poor customer service experiences. Likewise, 86% of customers are ready to pay more to receive good customer service, with 48% of customers stopping purchasing from certain brands altogether.
Answering each support ticket with an automated customer service email before your agents can review the issue signals that you care about the customer’s wellbeing. Let’s take a closer look at how you can write the perfect customer service automated email in 2021 to retain your customers’ trust and loyalty.
1. Start with a Professional “Thank You” Note
You’ve reached a point where a customer wants to come in contact with a customer service representative, but there are too many queries to handle. Sending automated “thank you” emails to those customers to reassure them that you will get back to them quickly is a smart move.
Address your customer by name or last name in the subject line and thank them in your company’s name. State that their support ticket has been submitted successfully under code “XYZ” and that a support agent will reach out shortly. Failing to send an automated email to customer service tickets will make people think that their questions or problems didn’t get through. This will result either in their abandonment of your brand or in the writing of one or more additional emails which will clog your inbox. Follow professional courtesy and say “thank you” to begin with.
2. Write a FAQ Page on your Website and link it to the Email
Some customers will reach out to you with common questions which are easy to answer. When will my package be delivered? Where are your offices located? These questions can be gathered and formatted into a FAQ page on your website.
This page can then be attached to the automated customer service email as a quick reference. In case the question is answered there, you can forgo answering it again manually. Most customers will be satisfied by going through a detailed FAQ page and only reaching out to a brand in case of more complex issues. A FAQ page will also add to your site’s SEO optimization and help any cold leads get informed about your services directly while browsing.
3. Don’t Assign Blame or Point Fingers – Say “We are Sorry” Instead
You can never know a customer’s mindset when they write a customer support ticket. Likewise, you don’t know the severity of the issue they are writing about until you take a closer look at it yourself. Writing that your brand is “truly sorry” and that you are “doing everything in your power” to fix it is a good decision.
Even if the blame lies solely in the customer and a mistake they’ve made while making a purchase, it’s still smart not to blame them. Pointing fingers at your customer and stating that it might be their fault that the problem occurred will reflect poorly on your brand’s image. “The customer is always right” or so goes the mantra – follow it in automated and subsequent customer service emails to maintain a sense of professionalism.
4. Make Sure that Your Email is Proofread and Formatted Properly
The customer service automated email you prepare should always be free of grammar errors or formatting mistakes. If your initial email contains glaring proofreading issues or isn’t legible, the customer may get the wrong idea and abandon your brand.
Dissatisfied customers will be quick to point out the worrying grammar in your customer service emails to their social circles. You can rely on Gonerdify.com to have your writing proofread, formatted, and edited professionally to represent your company in the best light. Also, you should go through your emails manually to spot whether each sentence makes sense to a human and whether you need to rewrite anything. The best way to reassure customers of your reputation and dedication is by writing emails that are free of amateur writing mistakes.
5. Don’t Use Overly Technical or Advanced Wording – KISS Instead
As we’ve mentioned previously, you can never guess who your customer may be. They may be a software engineer with a Ph.D. or a high school student who chose to use your products or services. To that end, your writing style, tone of voice, and the jargon you use should be kept conversational. Don’t assume a higher position over your customers and talk down to them – no one likes to be preached to.
Instead, write your automated response email in a conversational and understanding tone of voice which will show that you care about their issue. This is important because a lot of customers perceive companies as soulless corporate entities, especially when it comes to fully digital SaaS brands. Go against the grain and apply to Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS) to your writing, with short paragraphs, informative sentences, and a personalized approach.
6. Provide the Customer with a Support Answer Estimate
The next item on your agenda should be to provide your customer with an estimate for your customer service representatives to reach out. You can go about this in two distinct ways depending on which email automation platform you are using. Some brands opt to provide the customer with a set 24/48/72h window for a response to the query.
Others calculate how much time it would take to respond to the email based on how many queries there are at the moment. Think of it as customer support waiting in the queue only for an email response instead of live chat. Whichever path you choose to take, make sure to include this section in your automated email. Customers will want to know an estimate of when their issue will be addressed, so be proactive and reassure them that they’ll be taken care of.
7. Politely ask the Customer for their Patience and Trust in your Brand
The way you wrap up your automated customer service email will resonate with the customers more than you might think. It will be the last thing they take away from your email before proceeding to wait for a full written response from your support agents.
Your automated email should end with you stating that you understand your customers’ position and that you are grateful for their patience. Waiting for a support agent to respond when a package is lost or a service doesn’t function as intended is stressful. Be polite and empathetic with your writing and thank them again on behalf of your entire team for their continued support.
Following Up on your Customer Service Automated Email (Conclusion)
It’s important to note that customer service automated emails are there to give your support agents a window of opportunity to look into the issue themselves. They are in no way going to solve support queries themselves and shouldn’t be relied on in that manner.
Write your automated emails as professionally and understandably as possible, while taking the customers’ position into account. Follow up on each query with the same attention to detail and dedication like you’ve shown in the automated email. Do that, and you will never have issues with customer retention or brand image because people will respond to this type of writing in kind.
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Author’s bio. Jessica Fender is a copywriter and blogger at Writeload with a background in marketing and sales. She enjoys sharing her experience with like-minded professionals who aim to provide customers with high-quality services.