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Getting Effective Results from Customer Service E-mails

Guest post by: Jeremy Edsall

Article Overview: Lots of e-mails are sent each day, but many people send e-mail without logically thinking them out. Have you ever sent someone an e-mail and left out important information? It's important when your are requesting help or to be contacted in a matter other than e-mail to structure your e-mail properly. Having answered hundreds of customer service e-mail I thought I provide a help list of things to avoid and things to include in order to receive the best service possible.

Getting Effective Results from Customer Service E-mails

So you’ve done business with a business or company and have a problem of complaint. You go to their web site and see that they have an e-mail for customer service issues, how now do you get the best service for your e-mail? Here are some simple tips to get you the fastest service and the best response to your problem.

First if you are going to e-mail be prepared to wait. E-mail isn’t a guarantee that someone will answer you back immediately, or within the same day. If others are having similar problems then there are probably other e-mails ahead of yours and your e-mail will probably take a day or two to be answered.

Also make sure e-mail is your best option for getting your answer. If you’re e-mailing just to find out when your order will arrive you might save time by utilizing an order status link if available on the merchant web site. Also if you’re just e-mailing an inquiry your answer might be found on the web site’s site map or FAQ page. These links are usually found at the bottom of the web site.

If you need immediate help, pick up the phone, especially if you are trying to change something on an order you just placed on a web site. If you send an e-mail the response will be, sorry but we mailed that package yesterday. Also decide how you want to communicate, do one or the other first, e-mail or call, but not both. If your e-mail is not answered in a timely manner, then call. One other thing to consider is checking your SPAM or junk e-mail to see if the response was sent there. You’ll annoy the person answering your e-mail if you immediately start to rant about how inept the organization is at answering your previous e-mails in a timely manner if they’ve answered it already but you didn’t receive it.

Get your facts in order. If an on-line discount did not work as you had anticipated then review the details to make sure your order met any needed requirements. Free shipping one week may be for certain order amounts one week and another a week later, or the site may be offering reduced shipping instead. Remember if you have just placed the order, call to see if the order can be corrected before your credit card has been processed. E-mail you complete information, name and address at the least, customer number and order number if you have those as well. Remember you are e-mailing , not chatting, so sending an e-mail saying “where’s my order?” or “where’s my discount?” will only get you an e-mail back saying “who are you?”.

Be reasonable and don’t preach. Do not send an e-mail saying you want immediate assistance on your order or you’ll cancel and never shop with the merchant again. All this says is you are not a very reasonable person and that you really don’t have much invested in the order or the company. Your order at least at this point probably cannot be cancelled, and if you don’t care, and aren’t intending to possibly shop with the merchant again you probably have dropped significantly on the priority list of good customer service. Don’t rant about the state of today’s workforce, the lack of quality domestically made goods, or your view of the company’s overall customer service program. If you need to rant do it in a letter to the company president, you’ve got too many issues to put in a customer service e-mail.

Your e-mail, not matter how upset you may be, should be a request for service. State your problem, give your facts, and ask for a resolution to the problem. You want the person reading your e-mail to determine the problem, locate the order and then solve the problem within the guidelines set by the company. Most companies with an established customer service department will provide a reasonable solution to your problem. Expect to get what you initially asked for in your order. Exceptional customer service although expected is not always the norm, see if the company meets your expectations or surprises you with something extra, but don’t demand something exceptional.

You may be upset when you send your e-mail, but try to send in a tone that would reflect a normal conversation, don’t type in ALL CAPS, or be rude or insulting. Remember you are seeking help to a problem; you might need a sympathetic ear on the other end. Also review the e-mail before sending and use a spell checker, make sure all order numbers, contact information etc., has been typed correctly.

Utilizing these tips and suggestions will hopefully save you time, and result in a better customer service experience for both you and the person answering your e-mail request.

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Article Tags: customer service, email, email etiquette



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