Crafting Effective Customer Support Templates

Presentation Objective

You will learn:

● How to create effective email templates that will help you to scale your business

● Provide better customer support by cutting your response times by over 50%

Why Spend Time Crafting a Template?

● Templates can be used for automated responses, or they can be customized to an individual query.

● To save time in the long run, it is essential that you consider all the elements of a successful template.

● On a case by case email, you are present and can make judgements on whether the response is clear. If a template is automatically sent out, you need to ensure that you have considered the components of a successful email in advance

Write it once, so you don’t have to write it a thousand times

The Value of Every Response

Twice as many will share a negative response over a positive one.

Customers who receive great support will spend a further 20-40%

Contents

○ When Templates Go Wrong○ Heroes and Zeros○ How to Craft an Effective Template○ Templates from the Greats○ Need for Speed○ Get Personal○ Get to the Point○ Tone of Voice○ Persuasive Language

When TemplatesGo Wrong

Templates Gone Wrong: United Airlines

… horribly wrong!

Not acknowledging the customer and their query makes them feel under-valued and unimpressed

Templates Gone Wrong: Insurance Company

Make sure your agents have access to customer interaction history

Respond to the customer where they are - Don’t send them elsewhere

Templates Gone Wrong: Insurance Company

● No response should take 5-7 days

● Ensure your template includes a realistic (and prompt!) timeframe for a response

● Automated templates will speed up your response times

● For marketplace sellers, Amazon and eBay require that sellers respond within 24 hours

Templates Gone Wrong: Insurance Company

How to Craft an Effective

Template

1. Personalize the message2. Thank the customer for bringing the issue to you3. Know the customer interaction history and order details 4. If you are unable to help with the query, assign an agent who has the

required skills5. Whatever you do, don’t ignore your customer

5 Tips for Creating a Great Template

Templates from The Greats

Templates from the Greats: ASOS

Tone: Friendly, helpful, doesn’t patronize

Confidence in service inspires trust, ie ‘proud’

Sign off with your nameTry XSellco Fusion SmartTags to customize responses within templates

Templates from the Greats: Schuh

Personalization:Not just by name but providing helpful solutions for customer’s location

Hi #consumer_firstname#,

Thanks for getting in touch. I’m happy to tell you that your order shipped on #dispatched_on#

and is expected to arrive at your address below between #expected_delivery_date_from# and #expected_delivery_date_to# :

#shipping_address#

Please allow for a few days after this date for the package to arrive, as there sometimes can be delays in the delivery process.

If you haven’t received your product within 10 working days, please let me know and I will offer you a choice of resolutions.

I understand it can be frustrating to wait longer than you expected for your order, but I hope

that your package arrives within this timeframe.

Kind regards

James @ The Selling Company

‘Where’s My Item?’

Sample Response Template

Quick Tips!❏ Thank the customer for their query❏ Include helpful details they need❏ Inspire confidence - offer a choice of

resolutions❏ Clearly formatting - make the message

easy to scan

Need for Speed

The Need for Speed

Customers Expect Faster Responses

Challenge: Manage a high volume of support queries at breakneck speed.

Solution: Automated templates will speed up your response times by over 50% if you have a minimum of 5 set up.

Benefits: 1. The faster you respond, the better the

customer feedback.2. Returning customers will spend a

further 20-40% with your company.

Source: Forrester, ‘The Next-Generation Contact Center’

Get Personal

“Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”

- Dale Carnegie, ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’

Benefits:

Short-term: Transaction rates increase SIX times with personalized emailsLong-term: Customer retention and loyalty that manifests from a great experience

Quick Tips:

● The power of a name - address customer by name and sign off with your own name

● Localize information for your customer and their region

● Research your customer base and analyze their behaviors and preferences - Tailor information towards what you know about them

The Importance of Creating a Personalized Experience

Get to the Point

Clarity

“Too much unnecessary text induces skipping.”

- Writer, Kim Peres

Get to the Point

Style and Format

1. Space out the information

2. Avoid miscommunication - don’t clump information together

3. Make your message readable and scannable

4. Use formatting to highlight important details

5. Draw the eye with bullets, bold sections and small chunks of

information

Get to the Point

Get to the Point - Style and Format Your Response

● The first thing you spot is the bulleted list● One glance and you should understand what it’s about● Clear concise sentences that state the facts● Assure the customer that this happens to other people:

clarity = confidence● Spur them into action to complete the purchase● Tone of the email needs to be confident, personal,

helpful and trustworthy

The Components of a Concise

Response Template

Get to the Point

12

34

5

6

7

Personalize: Use XSellco Fusion SmartTags

Apologize

Explain the status of the order

Demonstrate confidence in your service and this will inspire confidence in you

Be transparent and give visibility on next steps - advise of possible solutions

Involve the customer in the resolution. This will give them an element of control over the problem.

Persuasive language will transfer the power to the customer. Giving them status is effective if you hope to change a person’s attitude towards something.

Clarity: An Example of a Perfectly Rounded Template

Tone of Voice

Preferences for Tone of Voice

● What style of tone is appropriate for your company?

● When communicating with your customer, does your business require a casual or formal tone of voice?

For example, a t-shirt company can use a casual tone, however a business selling medical equipment might want to be more formal

● Personalize your brand● Decide whether you have a casual or formal tone of voice● Be consistent● Convey a calm and confident tone● Be polite● Always thank the customer● Ask if they are happy with the solution● Offer further help on other areas of their experience

Tips for Tone of Voice

Tone of Voice

In the next slide, you will find a sample worksheet.

The table is divided in 4 - Character / Persona, Language, Tone, Purpose.

The worksheet has been filled out with contrasting sample adjectives to make you think about how you would describe your company

The adjectives that you choose should reflect a consistent personality

Task:

● Draw out a table ● Imagine your company as a character or personality● Lay down adjectives to describe that person ● Use these descriptions get to know your company voice

Homework!Tone of Voice

Define your Company Tone of Voice

Tone of Voice

Character / Persona Tone

Language Purpose

❖ Friendly ❖ Playful❖ Warm ❖ Authoritative❖ Inspiring ❖ Professional

❖ Complex❖ Simple❖ Savvy❖ Jargon❖ Insider❖ Fun❖ Serious

❖ Personal❖ Honest❖ Humble❖ Direct❖ Factual❖ Transparent

❖ Engage❖ Entertain❖ Educate❖ Delight❖ Inform❖ Sell

The Sign Off

Tone of Voice

1. Whatever feels natural for you and your company.

2. Always thank the customer

A brilliantly fun story that informs the customer that their parcel is en route.

Note: If you decide to take this approach, you will need to ensure that your whole team maintains the same consistency - not every person on your team will have an in-built storytelling mode!

Pro: You’ll make your customer smile

Con: Danger of being inconsistent across the board

Example of a Successful Casual Tone - CD Baby

Persuasive Language

Safety + belonging + esteem = TRUST

- Christine Comaford, author of ‘Being Human is Great Business’

Persuasive Language

Using Persuasive Language

Personalize the request, use customer name and your own name.

ApologizeConfidence inspires trust

Show the customer that you value them

Default to a positive tone — suggest happiness to the customer

Elevate the customer’s status by involving them in the resolution

Be concise and get to the point — format the message clearly

End on a positive note, avoid using negative language

And Finally...

Do Don’t● Thank your customer● Personalize your response● Be clear and concise● Format your response for quick

scanning● Define a consistent tone of voice● Use positive language● Show empathy

● Ignore your customer● Use negative language● Avoid being too casual for complaint

responses ● Avoid negative language● Clump information