email address

How to email customer service and get results!

October 19, 2011 by Art of Eloquence

I hope you have enjoyed this series on effective email. I’ve talked about the importance of choosing a good email address, your subject line, given you some tips for a more effective body of text in two parts. Last week, I talked about your signature line and some “Other Stuff” important for effective email and today I conclude my series

No article series on effective email would be complete without a section on how to email customer service and get results! This is a very different kind of email and, as such, it requires a little different approach. Here are some tips:

1. Make sure you are emailing the correct department.

If you are asking about an order, you probably want sales. If you are asking about a problem with a product, you probably want their customer service department. If you email the wrong department, you slow down the process.

2. Be respectful.

Resist the temptation to “go off” on the poor, unsuspecting recipient of your product performance nightmare. It’s not Connie Customer Rep’s fault and she’s only trying to help you. Allow her. The more disrespectful we are the worse our treatment will be.

3.Give whatever background is necessary.

If the problem requires a little background, provide a BRIEF background in order that the representative has enough knowledge to direct you further. Not including a background when one is needed, will only delay your resolution. If the customer service rep is savvy enough to ask you for it, it will require another email. If he isn’t, it may require SEVERAL!

4. State the issue clearly.

Leave out feelings, extraneous info, and minute details, but do state the issue clearly and as briefly as possible.

5. Use numbers or bullet points.

Customer service reps are people too and most people find it difficult to read too much in an email. Make it easy for him to read:

“I have a few questions: 1) how many weeks does it take to deliver? 2) what colors do they come in? and 3) How long do I have to return it if it doesn’t fit?”

6. Provide any further info that might help plead your case.

If you are returning an item after the date their policy allows, you might want to explain that your mom bought it in July as a Christmas gift and you didn’t open it until December. If you are returning a wrong personalized item, you might want to mention that the sales rep told you this was the item you needed. It also helps if you kept a record of the date, time and name of the person you spoke with.

7. Be prepared to clarify.

If you think you are going to send off your perfect email and receive a reply that addresses all your issues or even ANY of them, you will be sorely sore. lol Be prepared to clarify.

* Be prepared for a canned email that asks for you to pick a canned reply from the multiple choice questions.

* Be prepared to have to call because none of the multiple choice responses suit your issue.

* Be prepared for the fact that very few customer service emails are really read in their entirety.

* So be prepared to write another email with virtually the same text.

* Be prepared to have only SOME of your issues answered in the reply.

* Be prepared to keep sending replies to clarify…

* Be prepared to go in to the store or call them on the phone to resolve.

8. Rethink emailing if your issue is in any way complex.

Sometimes it’s best to communicate the old fashioned way: by phone!

Emailing is a virtual convenience that is used by virtually everyone! It’s deceptively difficult but can be exceedingly effective. The key is to know how and when to use it.

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Effective Email Pt 6-Other Stuff

October 12, 2011 by Art of Eloquence

I hope you’ve been enjoying my article series on effective emailing. So far I shared about the importance of choosing a good email address, your subject line and given you some tips for a more effective body of text in two parts. Monday, I talked about your signature line. Today I’d like to share some “Other Stuff” important for effective email and then I will conclude the series on Monday.

Other Important Stuff About Sending emails:

1. When to reply

Have you ever gotten an email that was just dripping with disdain or riddled with ridicule? Some emails don’t warrant a reply. If it’s too negative, opens a can of worms or you don’t want to discuss that, why not just let it go? If this is something more delicate, it might be best to handle it in person or over the phone. Since email carries with it the capacity to rip a friendship to shreds, it may be better handled over another medium of communication.

On the other hand, if this is a customer question, Aunt Millie asking you to help her move or a request for information about an item you had in the Pennysaver, it’s impolite to leave it sit too long before answering. Customers generally expect an answer within 24-48 business hours. Aunt Millie may be sitting on her plans until you respond and someone who really needs a washer/dryer may be holding out false hope because you never cancelled your ad.

2. What not to forward

Jokes, known scams, urban legends, things that sound like they are scams, embellished propaganda…it’s always a good idea to check something out BEFORE you forward it. Here’s a clue. If it sounds too incredible to be believable, it probably is! Forwarding things like this communicates that you aren’t careful at minimum. NEVER forward anything like this in a business setting and if you own a business and are found forwarding these types of things to a list where you may find some of your customers, it can reflect on your business.

Here’s another reason to be careful not to pass email along before checking it out. The liberal media loves to show conservatives up as embellishing the truth. That makes us vulnerable to being considered lunatics and for our arguments to be dismissed as silly or dangerous. The more we pass things around that aren’t or probably aren’t true, the more we spread the ammunition they can use to discredit a larger group of conservatives.

Another type of email not to send is the chain letter. They all start with the most beautiful or amazingly uplifting stories and end with, “Please forward this to every living soul you know. If you do, you will inherit a bagillion dollars tomorrow. If you don’t, your nose will fall off!”

I don’t care how lovely a story it is, I don’t want to be told to forward it to everyone who ever lived. Take off the chain letter part at the end and send it to me if you must, but don’t click send until you do!

3. She doesn’t love me! Translation: She never answered my email!

Unfortunately only 70% of emails make it to their intended destination. You know what that means? About 30% don’t! Some don’t because the recipient didn’t notice it wound up in their spam filter. Some don’t because it was eaten by their virus protection. Yet others don’t make it for reasons that are unknown to mankind. Any way you slice it, you need to give grace when you don’t get a response.

What do you do if you haven’t received a response from Mabel? Email her and sweetly say that you sent her an email and hadn’t heard back yet so you’re following up. If you do decide to email Mabel and say, “Hey! Don’tcha love me? I sent you an email six seconds ago and you never bothered to answer me!” do make sure you put a lot of little smiley faces and LOLs after it. ;D

That’s it for my Other Tips. Check back on Monday for my final part on effective email when I’ll be discussing how to email customer service and get results!

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Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: email, email address, signature line, subject line

Effective Email Pt 5-Sig line

October 10, 2011 by Art of Eloquence

If you are just joining this article series, here is a quick recap. Email has become a common form of communication in recent years, but so much of it is misunderstood that there are more communication issues with this form than there are with all the other forms put together. So much of how we communicate face-to-face is received through body language, facial expression and tone of voice. This is all lost in an email where we have to rely only on the words we choose. So far I shared about the importance of choosing a good email address, your subject line and given you some tips for a more effective body of text in two parts. Today I’d like to talk about your signature line.

What should be in your signature line?

* Your name…your FULL name!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received an email that was unsigned. Makes it difficult to address the reply. Dear 1234567@aol.com…

Even signing your first name may not be of great help. I may not have the brain cells at 49 to remember your email address letter for letter so I’m not sure if you are Mary or Mary. Mary Jones wanted to borrow my grey jacket but Mary Peterson wanted to come over for lunch at noon on Friday. I’m not sure how to respond to Mary if the only thing I have to go on is an email note that says “So, is it okay?” signed Mary. My brain immediately goes TILT as I try to remember if Mary’s email address is 6427@aol.com or is it the other Mary whose email address is 6247@aol.com. AHHHH!

Now if you email for business, use your full name. There may be other Bobs at ABC Company. After all, they do have 600,000 employees!

* Your title if you are in a large company

If you are emailing for business, always include your title in your signature line so folks will know what you do at the company. It tells them what questions they may ask, what answers they can expect and gives you an air of authority when you answer difficult questions.

* A clickable website address

If you put your business or blog url in your signature line, for pitty’s sake, make it clickable! I can’t tell you how frustrated I get as I to try to copy and paste it into a browser and have to put the “http://www.” on it. I know it’s not all that much work, but I’m 49. I’m going through menopause and I get a bit testy when I have to work harder than I feel I should! HELP ME OUT, will ya?

Now on the flip side, do you know the chances of someone clicking through to your website vs copying it and pasting it into their browser? Neither do I, but I’ll bet it’s LOTS! The easier you make it for people, the more likely they will do something!

* How else to get hold of you

If you are emailing for business and you have several ways your customers can get hold of you, list them! If you don’t mind being called, list your phone number. If you don’t mind being texted, faxed, or you can interpret smoke signals, list your call sign! That way if Mary doesn’t do well with email, she can call instead.

* Scripture or tag line

If you have a life scripture or tag line for your business, list it below your signature. That gives your recipient a bit more information about you. Always a nice touch to make an email a bit more personal and descriptive of you. Helps with rapport!

What shouldn’t be your signature line?

* Offensive words or negative comments

It pretty much goes without saying, that you shouldn’t put vulgar language in your email signature, but you wouldn’t believe the number of times I have seen negative comments in there! I’ve had personal emails come through with things like, “John Smith, waiting for the day when I don’t have to live with my MIL!” Uh…not good form.

* An ad

A tag line or signature verse is one thing, but don’t put an ad in there. The first thing I think of when I see that is, Don’t Push Me! lol

“Kim Berly,

http://www. I Want To Sell You Stuff.com

Buy three and get six free! No shipping! Sale ends in five minutes! Order NOW!

I SAID NOW!”

Yup… just a bit pushy…

* A book

Research shows that people don’t like to read long text copy on emails. If you’ve got that much information in your signature line, put it in a PDF, okay? I don’t need your biography, your credentials, your pedigree or the history and evolution of your rise to corporate power! I won’t read it. ANY of it!

Well, that’s it for email signature lines. Join me on Wednesday when I give you some tips for what to send and what NOT to send.

Until then…

Sincerely yours,

Me!

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Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: Ad, article series, company, effective email, email, email address, facial expression, negative words, scripture, signature line, subject line, tag line, text, url, website

Effective Email (part two)

September 28, 2011 by Art of Eloquence

On Monday, I began a new seven part series on effective email with an in depth look at choosing our email address wisely. Today I continue the series with a look at the subject line.

Your Subject Line
Make sure your subject line is reflective of what you are going to say in the body of your email. If it sounds too much like spam, it will be deleted by the owner who things it IS spam. If it is blank, it may be deleted because it looks like spam. I get a lot of spam with nothing in the subject line. Another issue may be that the recipient may not realize this email is from YOU. I sometimes receive emails that have very odd abbreviated words in the subject line. Sometimes the subject line isn’t a complete thought or doesn’t sound like anything I would be interested in. I delete it thinking it was sent to me by accident only to find out later on that it was someone with information I was waiting for!

Aside from not leaving subject lines blank, not using trigger words that spam filters are looking to weed out and making sure that your subject lines are reflective of who you are and what the body of your email is about, here are some other issues to be aware of:

• The Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Part
Don’t allow the subject line to get to this point or it will cut off your subject line! LOL After a few “Re:’s” you might want to consider trimming your subject line down a wee bit! It will keep your message clear and succinct and allow your message a better chance of being read. Even if your friend knows it’s from you, but she is busy with six other things as a new mom right now, she may not answer for a while because it takes far too much time for her right now to read the email to determine what it’s about. If your subject line was shorter, it would have allowed Mary to see that you were asking her about her other daughter got your invitation to your daughter’s birthday party.x

• Typos and misspellings
If your subject line has too many typos or is misspelled, it has a greater chance of being deleted because it may say something completely different to your friend than you had intended. Remember that, while most email clients have spell check in the body of the email, there usually is no spell check for subject lines

• A very long email subject line which is so long that it gets cut of…

I sometimes receive emails with marathon subject lines that seem to go on infinitely in both directions. Lol Either they will get cut off or they will look so long to me that I won’t bother to read them in their entirety. I may delete the email not realizing it came from a friend or I might save it for when I have more time. (Hint: as a homeschool mom with a business and a dd away at college, I don’t have much of this thing called time!)

Your subject line is the most important part of your email because it’s the one thing that will either get your recipient to click on it…or not! An ineffective subject line can cause your entire email to be deleted without ever being read. It can give a bad impression or a false impression and it can set a tone for future email correspondence. Write it wisely.

I’ll be back on Monday with part three of my effective email series. Stay tuned! In the meanwhile enjoy the rest of my blog and take a look around the Art of Eloquence website for even more communication articles!

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Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: Article, blog, effective email, email, email address, spam, subject line

Effective Email (part one)

September 26, 2011 by Art of Eloquence

Communication has evolved a great deal in the technological age. I’ve talked about what kinds of communication are best for various situations, I’ve pointed out the pitfalls of different forms of communication and I’ve discussed how they each have been misused. This week, I’d like to begin a brand new series of articles that will share the details of writing an effective email.

Email is a form of communication that most people use and are familiar with, but as JoJoism#20 states, “Do not mistake speaking for communicating. One involves an ability and the other mastery.” The same concept is just as true of the informal written word called email. Just because we do something often, doesn’t mean we do it effectively.

Have you ever sent someone an email and had them either not reply or reply with a question about what you meant? This is usually a result of ineffective communication in one or more parts of your email. Since most people use email and some use it almost extensively, this will be a very powerful study in communication that will give you practical help in making your every day correspondence extremely effective.

This will be a seven part series that I will share over the next few weeks so make sure you’re subscribed to our RSS feed so you don’t miss any part of it. I’m going to take each part of the email one at a time. Today’s post is about your email address.

I know, it sounds a little silly. After all, how important could your email address be in the scheme of things? What difference could it possibly make what your email address is? Do people really notice anyway? The answer to these questions is very, huge and yes! Here are four reasons why.

1. Your email address communicates something about you.

Just as your first impression means a great deal when you meet someone, your email address presents a first impression of you to those who receive your email. PickledPigsFeet@MSN.com may give you a giggle, but is it really what you want to represent you when you post on your Yahoo group?

2. Your email address should communicate a positive image.

IHateMyJob@Yahoo.com may let off some steam, but is that what you want to reflect on each time you send an email? Is that what you want others to see about you when you post? How might that be interpreted should it get back to your boss? Don’t say who you don’t want to be. Choose an email address that reflects who you do want to be.

3. Your email address should be God-honoring.

If I’m a professing Christian, every part of me should honor God. Not just the words that come out of my mouth, but the clothes I wear and the groups I associate with all communicate who I am in Christ. Just as these contribute to making a God honoring impression, so do our virtual forms of communication. We wouldn’t choose a letterhead that was offensive and so we should also be careful that our email address is not. I’ve seen some pretty strange email addresses that, while I may not term them offensive, I certainly wouldn’t say they honored the Lord. Having a positive and God-honoring email address that describes me will help make a good impression just as my clothes, handshake, manners and speech do when I’m in person.

4. Your email address will be judged through a cultural and personal filter.

Only God knows our heart. All others judge us through a filter that is based on their personal, professional and cultural world view whether we like it or not. Through this filter goes every aspect of our communication to them. In a face to face conversation, it’s our voice, our eye contact, our words and expressions, etc. In an email, it starts with our email address.

If you use your email for the sole purpose of communicating with close friends, that is one thing. However, if you use your email address to contact customer service at your bank, your son’s baseball coach, or your customers, CutiePatootie@hotmail.com might not earn the respect and support you desire.

SIDE NOTE: If you are a WAHM with your own business, you need to get a more professional email address. If you have your own domain, you should always use your domain email address. And while you’re setting up that email address, make sure it reflects who you are in your company. Think about what your customer or supplier or business associate would think if they saw that email address associated with your company?

Effective email begins with the impression you make that reflects who you are and that begins with the email address. Think about it this way. When you were born, your parents gave you a name. You had no choice in the matter. When you set up your email address, you get to choose. Choose wisely!

I’ll be back on Wednesday with part two of my effective email series. Stay tuned!

I’d love your comments and, if you’ve found value in this post, please…

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Filed Under: Communication Articles Tagged With: communicate, communication, effective email, email, email address, God, honoring, positive image, wahm

How to email customer service and get results!

Effective Email Pt 6-Other Stuff

Effective Email Pt 5-Sig line

Effective Email (part two)

Effective Email (part one)

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