According to a study by Zendesk, 80% of customers are ready to buy from a competitor after more than one bad experience. If you are to keep up with your competitors, improving your customer service is crucial. The first step to that is writing effective customer service emails.
In this blog post, I’ll lay down 6 of the most successful customer service email template examples for both entry-level and large companies. I’ll also teach you how to write an effective customer service email.
That said, let’s roll in.
How to Write Successful Customer Service Emails
Follow the steps and practices below to write effective customer service emails that improve your brand’s overall customer service:
1. Humanize the Email
Being unable to reach a real human is the most disappointing part of a bad customer service experience, according to 30% of consumers. Receiving an email that seems like written by a robot feels the same.
The key to writing a professional customer service email is using the name of the consumer followed by a greeting – it could be Hello <Name>, Hi <Name>, Dear <Name>, or something like that. This gives a friendly tone to your customer service email, helping make your customer feel valued.
2. Remain Positive
When you’re writing a customer service email, you’re representing the brand of your company. So, be sure your emails give a positive tone. Even if the customer is asking dumb questions, you should try to be as positive and cooperative as possible.
As a result of maintaining positive communication with your customer, their interaction mood is improved, leading to a better user experience overall.
3. Understand Their Problem
You cannot help a customer unless you understand their problem well enough. You should know what exactly they’re suffering from and what are the possible ways you can help them. Feel free to question them regarding what issues they’re facing.
4. Show Gratitude and Empathy
It doesn’t matter if the issue was caused due to customer’s carelessness, you should try to show as much gratitude and empathy as possible. This will make your customers feel you’re with them through the hard times and increase their confidence in your care.
5. Use Clear and Simple Language
What’s the use of your customer service emails if customers feel confused while reading them? Not only you should use simple yet professional language in your customer service emails but you should also format them well for easy readability.
Moreover, it’s recommended that you communicate according to the customer’s level of expertise and avoid technical terms accordingly. The point is to make your statements clear and understandable for your customers.
6. Look at the Customer’s Conversation Records
It’s not uncommon for a representative to be dealing with multiple customers suffering from similar issues. Therefore, you should make sure to revise the prior conversations with an active chat to avoid confusion and remain professional.
With that out of the way, let’s explore the sample email templates for customer service.
6 Customer Service Email Template Examples
Here is an overview of some effective customer service templates for 6 different situations.
Situation 1 – Responding to a Customer Complaint
It’s not uncommon for customers to get frustrated due to poor user experience and leave bad feedback. In such a case, writing an apology email is an effective way to move forward, maintain your brand identity, and possibly do business with that customer again.
Template:
Hi [Customer name],
Thanks for sharing your feedback. Satisfying our customers is our top priority and I’m sad we couldn’t come up to your expectations.
However, I’ve forwarded the issue to my team to take action – we’ll make sure it never happens again. Thank you for your patience. [To make up for this, we’ve added a bonus with your chosen package.] Please let me know if you need help with anything else.
I apologize again for any inconvenience caused.
[Your name]
Situation 2 – Answering a Customer Issue/Query
Customers can come across issues when using your product/service. The tone of a customer issue email should be positive and clear.
Template:
Hi [Customer name],
Thanks for reaching out. I’m writing this to answer your question about [Their issue/query].
[Write a detailed answer explaining the issue or the question they asked. Make sure it’s clear and aligns with the customer’s level of expertise. Avoid technical terms if the customer is not technically sound.]
Please let me know if you have any other questions and I’ll get back to you soon.
Cheers!
[Your name]
Situation 3 – Refund to Customer Email Template
Unfortunately, some customers will not like your product and might want to ask for a refund. It’s okay if some of your customers are frustrated and are looking to return your product.
In such cases, your email should express that there are no hard feelings and you’re looking to them to try your product once again sometime.
Template:
Hi [Customer name],
Our team has processed your refund. You should have it in your PayPal account within 2 business days.
I’m sad to know that you didn’t like our product. We understand that it doesn’t fit the requirements of everyone. We’re looking to improve it in the regard of [Write a certain aspect the customer complained about].
If you’re still looking for a suitable [Product/Service] for your needs, let me know. I may be able to present our alternative solutions according to your requirements.
Looking forward to connecting with you soon.
Have a nice day,
[Your name]
Situation 4 – Follow Up Email to a Customer
In case the issue of your customer was not resolved yet, you should write a follow-up email when it does. The email should show empathy and express that the team has been working on the issue and it has been fixed.
Template:
Hi [Customer name],
I’m sad to know that you had a bad experience with [Product/Service]. I forwarded the issue to our technical department and the team has finally fixed it. I apologize for any inconvenience caused.
In the meantime, I’ve offered you a $5 discount to make up for the issue. Please let me know if [The issue is resolved now from your end].
Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience.
Have a nice day,
[Your name]
Situation 5 – Onboarding Email to New Customers
An onboarding email is supposed to be eager and explain to the customers that they’ve chosen the right product/service.
Template:
Hi [Customer name],
We’re delighted to have you on board! I’m glad you chose us. I’m here to assist you during the onboarding period and I want to make sure you get the most out of our [Products/Services].
Use the credentials below to access your control portal:
Username: [Account Username]
Password: [Account Password]
Note: Change the password after logging in for security reasons.
Feel free to reach out in case you have any questions.
[Your name]
Situation 6 – Asking For Customer Feedback
If you want to make sure your customer is satisfied with your purchase, asking them for feedback is a good way around. You can also show it to your prospects for a good conversion rate.
Template:
Hi [Customer name],
We’re happy you chose us! I believe your package has arrived by today and I hope it was up to your expectation. Feel free to let us know if you faced any issues by replying to this email [Email Address].
Customer feedback helps us grow and improve our [Products/Services]. Could you spare a minute and fill out [This Survey]?
Thanks for your time and feel free to reach out if you have any complaints, suggestions, or feedback.
Have a great day!
[Your name]
Best Practices to Follow When Writing a Customer Service Email
Follow these practices to take your customer service email to the next level.
Understand Your Customer Needs
You cannot serve a customer well unless you understand their expectation, their pain points, their struggles, and their requirements. The key to understanding these is to create an ideal customer avatar. To do that, pin down the following things about your ideal customer:
- Geography – Know where they come from.
- Demographics – Write down their gender, age, education, expertise, income, and any other relevant details.
- Transactional – Know how likely your customers are to buy your services/products, how much they’re willing to spend, etc.
Be Reachable on Several Channels
When you’re reachable across various channels, the chances of your customers getting a response are increased. Plus, being available on multiple platforms makes it easy for your customers to reach out to a representative.
Some examples of channels you should be active on include live chat, social media platforms, emails, and most importantly, business phone support. Setting up a business phone service can help take your phone support experience to the next level by using advanced features like call routing, call waiting and call forwarding.
Encourage Customer Feedback
Customer feedback is important for a business to improve and grow. Inviting your customers to leave feedback about your customer service can improve your customer loyalty rate while helping prospects make buying decisions. Bad feedbacks are also effective as they help improve your service.
Conclusion
Emails are frequently used for business communication, email marketing, and customer support. Writing or training your staff to right effective customer service emails can help push your customer service and customer satisfaction rate ahead, leaving your competitors devastated.
