Email NETiquette:? Responding Well to Cyber-Customers Via Email

[Doha]

YOUR CUSTOMER WILL NOTICE YOUR EMAIL NETIQUETTE

It's no news flash to all you customer service pros that email is quickly becoming a way to interact with and service customers. Instead of trying to find the time to call or waste time on hold, more and more customers are opting to email their orders, questions, and complaints to businesses who have service-savvy web sites.

Knowing how to handle electronic messages from your customers is vital in the success of your web site and service department. To give you some confidence in responding to customer emails, here are some handy email etiquette do's and don'ts. 

  K.I.S.S. Sound sexy? Well, we hate to disappoint you, but as any English teacher will tell you, it stands for Keep It Short and Simple. And that's what your written responses should try to do.
Any and all responses to customer email should be concise and to the point. 
Address the specific need of the customer's message in the first few lines. (If a request is too complicated or in-depth to deal with via email, email the customer to request a convenient time for a staff person to telephone.)

Avoid needless details or company jargon that'll confuse or bog down the message.

Consider the option of auto responders that would automatically send a message to customers letting them know their message was received and will be personally responded to within 48 hours, as is the company's policy. 

Assign a staff person to coordinate all incoming messages promptly. Remember Your Manners If you haven't already discovered, it's sometimes difficult to convey sentiment, let alone a sense of service, in the electronic world. Because you're not dealing with customers in person or over the phone, remembering your manners takes on a whole new importance when writing a response to a cyber-customer.

In the salutation, use the customer's first name. "Dear Vickie" sounds much friendlier and more personable than "Dear Valued Customer." 

Thanking the customer at least once in the response is a very good idea. 

The word, "please," works wonders in cyberspace -- just like in the real world.

Invite further questions from the customer if needed. 

Provide any 800 service numbers for further information or assistance. 

No Yelling Remember USING ALL CAPS IN AN EMAIL MESSAGE IS A NO NO! It's the online version of shouting!  

Get Creative One web site offers customers and users a virtual cup of cappuccino by providing an URL address for one at the end of every response they send out. The URL takes customers to a page featuring a brightly colored, steaming cup with a message saying, "Thanks for your business. Take a Coffee Break on Us." See what type of unique email attachment you could send out with your email responses.  Being email service-oriented is the way of the future. Don't miss out on this excellent opportunity to meet and greet customers electronically.

Use Emotions, when used appropriately, create sentiment in email responses. Here are some common emotions you can use:  :-) This emotion is a colon, hyphen, and ending parentheses that creates a sideways smiley face!  

:-( This one means "I'm sorry."  

<g>This emotion means "grin". Kind of like how some of us use (hee! hee!) in letters to denote after a line that "I'm joking!" or "I think this is funny."

Lim?s comment: Except for smiley face, the rest are Not professional if used on external customer.