6 Simple Tips to Write a Good Support Email
When you are sending emails day in and day out, it’s only natural for some emails to miss the mark. Maybe you sent the wrong link to someone or addressed someone by the wrong name. These are issues that can be easily fixed with a simple check-list. After all, writing a good email depends, a lot, on getting the basics right. Let’s look at the 6 main checks you need to do before you hit ‘send’ on a support email.
1. Address the customer by their name
It’s a good practice to call a customer by their name. If you do not know their name, a friendly “Hi there” will do. But do start your reply with a semi-formal greeting, no matter how burning the issue is. It sets the tone that you are calm enough to handle the issue no matter how the customer is feeling.
2. Thank the customer
The customer is using your product/service and cares enough about it to write to you. So, whether it’s a complaint or a how-to question, they have taken an interest in your company and that should be met with gratitude.
- You can thank them for bringing the issue to your notice.
- You could thank them for using your product.
- You can thank them for giving you a great feature idea.
A simple thanks will make them feel valued and help them understand that their thoughts are welcome. But say it only if you mean it.
3. Answer all the questions the customer asked
No matter how great your email is, the primary goal of the customer is to stop talking to you. That is, they want to get an answer and move on. So the main customer service skill is to always value your customer’s time and give them clear answers to all their questions in one go. If you need more time to answer some of their questions, then go ahead and say it. Don’t make the customer feel like you did not read their full email.
4. Address the underlying emotion of the email
Some customers are calm and composed when they write to you. But some are frustrated and angry customers. It’s natural because what might seem like a simple problem to you is actively preventing them from getting what they want.
So if they sound anxious or sad or angry or frustrated, go ahead and address it, and reassure them that you are doing everything you can so they don’t feel that way. If there is nothing you can do to help, you can still address it and tell them that you are sorry that they feel that way. Ask them if there is anything you can do to help. A simple acknowledgment will show them that you care.
5. Try out the solution before suggesting it to customers
This check is mainly applicable to tech support questions. Before telling them to refresh the screen or try from a different browser, try it on your side. Maybe the solution was given to you by some experts on the team, but you don’t want to find out from your customers when it’s not working.
6. Check for grammar, broken links, correct code and attachment
Blunders pull you down. It’s hard to look like an expert problem solver when you overlook the little things. So make sure you check spelling errors. You can use tools like Grammarly for this purpose or even Microsoft Word. For things more than spelling, if you are not confident about the grammar, just show it to your closest grammar-nazi colleague and get their input. Similarly, if you are sending a link or a code, make sure they are working. And always check to see if you have attached the document you promised to attach.
Source: Prashanthini Mande
