With each step that our industry takes into the future, we rely more heavily on tried-and-true platforms like customer service emails to solve customer dilemmas.
Many might tell you that email is too impersonal to deliver the kind of excellent customer service that people expect, but when you carefully craft your emails to be considerate and quick, theres little that you can do to provide a better experience.
Consider these tips and tricks before you make any decisions relegating customer service emails to the past in favor of newer technologies. Sometimes its the old standards that do the best work.
How to Write Customer Service Emails That Delight Customers
Email remains a popular way for customers to contact companies with questions concerns and requests. Writing effective customer service emails is an art that reflects directly on your brand.
Follow these tips to craft responses that resolve issues promptly and leave customers feeling satisfied:
Use the Customer’s Name
Open your email by addressing the customer directly using their name:
- Hi John,
- Dear Ms. Smith,
This personalizes the interaction and shows you’ve read their message. For privacy, only use their first name and last initial if responding externally
- Hello Jamie T.,
Read the Message Carefully
Before replying, read the customer’s email thoroughly to fully grasp:
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The specifics of their problem or question.
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The circumstances that led to them contacting you.
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Any priorities, deadlines, or urgencies called out.
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Emotions coming through like frustration or disappointment.
Careful reading ensures you understand the customer’s full context so you can respond appropriately.
Be Conversational
Write emails conversationally using natural language and a helpful, friendly tone:
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We appreciate you reaching out to us! This sounds concerning – let me look into it.
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I completely understand how this experience would be frustrating. Here is what I can do to help make it right…
A conversational style feels more personalized than formal, robotic language. Mirror the customer’s tone and terminology.
Use Employees’ Names
When a specific employee interacted with the customer, mention them by name:
- I see that Michael assisted you when you called yesterday. I will follow up with him to see what additional options he can provide.
This conveys continuity instead of every interaction feeling disconnected.
Represent the Brand
Your writing represents the brand. Keep the company’s voice, values and style preferences in mind:
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Is language formal or casual? conservatively professional or humorously playful?
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What tone reflects the brand – helpful, caring, or hip and irreverent?
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Are there vocabulary and terminology guidelines?
Staying on-brand builds consistency customers can rely upon.
Keep it Professional
While conversational, remain professionally courteous:
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Never use slang, text abbreviations, or emojis.
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Avoid exclamation points and hype language like “amazing!”
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Do not call the customer pet names like “honey” or “sweetie.”
Professionalism reassures the customer their issue is being taken seriously.
Empathize with the Customer
Express empathy for any difficulties the customer has experienced:
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I sincerely apologize for the confusion this has caused.
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I completely understand how frustrating this experience must have been for you.
Acknowledging their feelings defuses tension and shows you care.
Offer Next Steps
Provide clear next steps tailored to the specific issue:
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I will submit a priority refund request for you today and follow up when it is processed.
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I have contacted our shipping facility to initiate a replacement order that will arrive within 2 business days.
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A technician will call you at 9 AM tomorrow to schedule a service appointment.
Clear resolution steps give the customer confidence in the outcome.
Take Ownership
Use “I” statements instead of distancing language like “the company”:
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I will make sure this issue is resolved for you immediately.
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I appreciate you bringing this to my attention. I will work with our team to prevent this going forward.
Taking ownership builds trust and accountability.
Thank the Customer
Express gratitude for them contacting you:
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Thank you for your patience and for the opportunity to resolve this issue.
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We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and help us improve.
Thanking customers leaves a positive last impression.
Proofread Carefully
Before sending your reply, carefully proofread for:
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Spelling and grammar errors.
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Accurate information and dates.
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Tone and clarity.
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Using the customer’s name correctly.
A proofread email instills confidence in your professionalism.
Reply Promptly
Send your response as soon as possible. If needing more time to investigate, send a quick interim:
- Thank you for your message. I am looking into the details and will get back to you within 24 hours with next steps.
Prompt replies ensure customers feel heard and valued.
Set Expectations
If the issue requires a longer timeline, set clear expectations upfront:
- We received your refund request. Our accounting team needs 5 – 7 business days to process returns once received. I will email you again when the refund is issued.
This prevents frustration from unanticipated delays.
Follow Up
Follow up once the issue is resolved, especially for serious or long-running cases:
- Just wanted to check back and confirm you received the replacement item we shipped? Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Following up ensures satisfaction and helps cement the relationship.
Adjust Tone for Difficult Situations
For complaints or emotionally charged issues, take an extra empathetic approach:
- I can only imagine how upsetting this experience must have been after months of waiting. You have every right to feel disappointed. Here is how we will make sure this gets proper priority and follow through…
Matching the customer’s emotional level helps defuse tensions.
Know When to Escalate
If a customer remains unhappy after multiple exchanges, bring in a supervisor:
- I want to ensure you are taken care of. Let me have my manager Jean review this with you for additional options to resolve this issue.
Knowing when to escalate prevents frustration from overpromising capabilities.
Track Issues
Log issues in your CRM system or help desk software. This helps:
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Reference history if the customer replies with follow-up questions or concerns.
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Spot trends and systemic issues.
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Continuously improve support processes.
Proper tracking improves insights and accountability.
Key Email Etiquette Tips
Here are some additional email etiquette guidelines:
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Use a clear, descriptive subject line like “Refund Request for Order XY123”.
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Avoid overly long emails. Break complex issues into digestible paragraphs.
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Do not write in ALL CAPS.
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Be cautious with humor or sarcasm – tone can easily be misinterpreted.
Following proper etiquette makes your communications more professional.
Customer Service Email Templates
When possible, use templates with proven language:
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Thank you for contacting us regarding ______. I am happy to assist you.
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We sincerely apologize for _______. Here is how we will resolve this for you moving forward:
Templates allow delivering consistent service efficiently. But customize by adding personal details.
Key Takeaways for Writing Great Customer Service Emails
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Carefully read messages to fully grasp issues and context. Mirror the customer’s tone in conversational replies.
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Keep responses professional while projecting brand personality. Show empathy for the customer’s experience.
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Provide clear resolution steps and set expectations if more time is required. Follow up to ensure satisfaction.
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Proofread meticulously. Reply promptly and escalate issues needing added authority.
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Log issues to spot trends and continuously improve processes. Use templates to efficiently communicate consistent service.
With practice and commitment to high quality standards, your email communications will retain customers and build loyalty to your brand. Deliver swift, thoughtful, and professional responses, and the value of outstanding service will speak for itself.
Get the necessary information right away
If its evident right away when reading an email that there isnt enough information to resolve the issue, ask for more. For instance, if the entirety of the email is “I’m having trouble with your product and I need your help,” ask for information and look for context around which part of the product they are referring to.
Many companies have built-in tracking to let customer service team members see precisely where a customer was in the product before reaching out to support, so consider referencing that when coming up against tricky tickets like this one.
Some companies choose to ask for additional information from the start with an email acknowledgment autoresponder. This response automatically gets sent out to customers as soon as their email is received.
Typically it sets expectations for response times and office hours for the team, but it can also include documentation to answer common questions and prompts for additional information (more info on this below).
Getting as much information as possible, especially before your team even starts looking into the conversation, is a great way to address the customers question correctly the first time you respond.
It feels good to know what to expect in most situations in life — and it’s no different for your customers. One of the things you can do to improve your teams customer service emails is to create consistency from one conversation to another.
After all, how much trust will you erode if one of your team members answers an inquiry entirely differently from how another one does?
Create policies, tone and style guides, and saved replies to ensure customers get the same experience every time. Be sure to review anything you put in place every few months to ensure that its still accurate and up to date.
Enact customer service team training so that all of your team members are well-equipped to use the tools you put in place. What use is a tool if no one knows it exists or how to use it?
When you create consistency, all of your email responses match your Twitter interactions, blog posts, and website content, and your customers always get the types of responses that theyve become accustomed to.
11 tips for writing better customer service emails
Creating an excellent email strategy starts with identifying the critical aspects of writing a good email and building them into your teams day-to-day practices. Here are some actionable tips for your team to consider and implement in your customer service email strategy.
When working with your support team members to improve their email strategies, encourage them to use language that feels natural. Contractions, slang, and even emojis are totally acceptable if they match the tone of the customer’s original message.
The more you allow your team to use their own language within customer service emails (while remaining professional, of course), the more natural the conversation will feel for your customers.
There’s another aspect of speaking humanly: Using the customers name. Using their name conveys that you see them as a person with an identity rather than just a faceless customer. The same goes for when your team members use their own names.
When customer service representatives use their names and identities for their signatures and avatars, it broadcasts individual people rather than faceless representatives for a big company. This level of identity can help deter customers problematic behavior and drive deeper relationship-building and mutual trust.
Humanize your responses as much as you can by encouraging your team members to be themselves, using language that feels natural, and recognizing that your customers are humans, too.
When a customer reaches out, the amount of time it takes before your team responds or resolves the issue can have a tangible impact on their experience. Make it easy for your team members to find the answers they need and get them across to customers as quickly as possible.
There are a few things that can speed up the response process significantly:
Ensuring that your customer service team members can get to answers or escalate to appropriate team members quickly means that your customers will always get responses promptly. Because of that, theyll feel respected, prioritized, and valued.
