Customer service, no matter what form of communication, shapes the consumers’ impression of a brand as they interact with it.
One bad customer experience can lead to a widespread negative view of your brand. In fact, the 2023 ACA Study revealed that 86% of customers would switch to other brands that provide a better customer experience.
This is why you should be able to offer exquisite interactions across all customer touchpoints.
But while consumers today engage with brands through social media channels, many still prefer email support for their problems and concerns.
This article tackles the seven email support best practices to help you ensure efficient engagements to level up your customer service experience.
What is email support?
Email support is a customer service strategy that enables consumers to receive assistance from email support representatives via email.
Email support involves addressing customer inquiries and providing solutions to problems and questions through a series of email conversations.
This type of support allows customers to ask for help or advice on their own schedule. At the same time, it provides businesses with a more efficient and cost-effective way of responding to customer inquiries.
Email support vs. Live chat support
While live chat and email support are two customer service forms, they have unique differences.
Live chat support refers to real-time interactions with customers. This is when consumers ask questions in a chat window, and support agents answer and solve their concerns.
Live chat support is synchronous, meaning customers and agents must respond to each other immediately for assistance.
Email support, on the other hand, is when customers send queries through email, and support agents respond with answers and solutions.
Compared to the aforementioned, email support is asynchronous. This means customers and agents do not need to respond in real time for assistance.
7 email support best practices
Customer support emails can make or break your customer’s experience with your brand. Follow these seven email support best practices to help you craft messages that will uplift your brand impression:
1. Humanize your email
Although many customer interactions today happen with an AI chatbot, a study conducted by The Digital Tapping Point shows 79% of customers still opt for the human option.
Given this figure, always avoid sounding robotic when writing emails. When a customer reaches out for email support, your goal should not just be about solving their problems but also fostering lasting relationships with them.
Add a personal and friendly tone to your email statements and make it sound like you are communicating with them in person.
2. Foster positivity
Avoid using words that insinuate commands or instructions, as they may tend to come across as rude or preachy.
Instead of phrases that enforce negativity like “you must” or “you should,” use the following to add a positive ring to your email support messages:
- May we suggest
- You’d want to
Writing in a positive and encouraging manner stimulates a cordial conversation with your customers, even if you deliver unpleasant news.
3. Empathize immediately
Another thing to consider is to establish an emotional connection right away.
Your customers might already be frustrated about a particular product or service as they engage through email support.
It’s vital to recognize what emotions your customers are feeling and acknowledge them in your emails.
4. Be straightforward
Simplify your explanations to avoid back-and-forth email threads that can lead to a lot of confusion and miscommunication. Be straightforward, provide clear solutions, and answer all questions in one go.
5. Know exactly when to upsell
Bear in mind that upselling to a frustrated customer will never work out well. The best time to upsell is when you have already resolved your customers’ problems.
Once you have shared all information they need to know, that’s when you can mention your additional features and offerings.
6. Follow up proactively
Exceptional customer service does not stop the moment you close an email support ticket. Unless customers have expressed that they do not want any more emails from your end, it is always best to send out follow-up emails.
This allows your email support agents to check whether they have successfully solved customer issues. At the same time, they can also see if the customers have additional questions.
7. Track your customer satisfaction
Collect all information from your past email support engagements, and do not forget to ask customers to rate their overall experience. You may also encourage them to add comments or feedback if they have any.
This will help you measure your customer satisfaction and determine whether your email support strategies need rework.
Harness email support to fine-tune your engagement
Email support is a cost-effective and efficient way to communicate with customers and provide them with thorough assistance.
If done right, it can help you increase your customer satisfaction as you provide personalized and timely responses. It lets you boost your customer loyalty and retention by addressing your customer concerns effectively.
More importantly, incorporating the email support best practices mentioned above lets you build lasting and fruitful customer relationships.
