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Customer Service is the number one concern of every business today and e-mail is probably the single biggest source of change in how it has breen provided over the past three years. It presents great dangers and opportunities to any kind and size of business. How can you ensure that you are using it to its fullest, and will not be abused in its use? There's no guarantees with e-mail, but there are steps you can take.

Email is one of the fastest ways to attract or lose customers because of it delivers information fast to a single person or a mass of people. Company news and gossip, customer praise, complaints, and mis-representations can all zig-zag several ways over the internet in minutes, where in the past such communication would take days or months, if ever. The sheer volume of exchanged information has exploded since e-mail use has shot up over the past three years. The capacity to respond to quickly and easily has inspired many business owners and many customers to offer and ask for information and feedback that they might not even have attempted to provide before.

Email is not a replacement for your regular postal service, phone or fax but a complimentary tool to your daily business activities. It saves paper, postal fees and provides you with the ability to quickly respond to your present and prospective customers.

E-mail facilitates two-way communication with your customers, any time, anywhere, with an ease and cost-savings that is transforming the ways companies communicate everywhere. Customers can inquire, complain, send referrals, suggest improvements and even buy. How easy are you making it for your prospects and customers to work with you?

E-mail can benefit you in several ways:

• Fast response to problems proving that your business is incorporating suggestions by customers

• Update your most important customers about changes in product direction

• Show your newest product to existing customers first offering advice involving related vendors

• Announce price changes

• Send the latest literature

• Deliver software upgrades and bug fixes

• Send your latest press releases

  If you offer on-line customer service facility your customers can send and receive information when they want, if you'll provide the e-mail and/or web site capacity to do so. They can ask questions about the products, confirm an order or query the shipment details at a time that suits them. You provide new flexibility and convenience that is obvious for them to experience, in comparision, perhaps to your competitors. You can make specific offers and guarantees that build comfort and trust, even when they do not need the standard you offer, such as "We will respond to your inquiry within three hours," or "We will send the products you order within 24 hours of your order." Your specific offers encourage their bragging rights to others about your standard of service. Such bragging rights are the equivalent of priceless referrals.

  Respond to inquiries and problems quickly

  Customer service is the way company employees serve the customers in a, friendly, timely and speedy delivery with guarantees or warranties on a consistent basis. Everyone within an organization is responsible for thoughtful customer service from the supervisors and managers to the administrative staff.

  Use E-Mail as a Tool to Build Customer Loyalty

  1. Choose how you act, don't let others choose your behaviour.

     If a past or current customer emails you with a complaint that you know isn't your fault, it is more beneficial to work towards a solution rather than decide who is wrong.

  2. Do not sent a message you do not want read on television or printed in tomorrow's newspaper.

  3. What you practice projecting you are projecting.

  4. Remember that the most important thing for a person to talk about is themselves. Keep that in mind when corresponding with a past, present or future customer. They want to know what's in it for them. They do not want to know about you or your company. Relate to them using their style of language. There are common themes that people use in their language to tell you how they are thinking. Visual thinkers use phrases such as, "I see what you mean", or "I get the picture." Auditory thinkers use phrases such as, "I hear what you're saying", or "Listen to me." Kinesthetic thinkers use phrases such as, "I've got a good feeling", or "That's a solid proposal."

  5. Go slow to go fast. Never rush to the solution but first reflect on the problem. You must acknowledge the customers' feelings before attempting to propose a solution.

  6. Your first response to a query is the most important. It may set the tone for the entire email conversation. It will determine how they react to you form here on out. Don't approach aggressively. Go slow to go fast.

  7. When finding a solution to customers' questions or concerns, ask open-ended questions. Avoid questions that will provide a yes or no answer. Customers may feel bullied by these questions. Don't narrow the information you receive. Yes or no questions do this.

  8. Email is the perfect tool to use for honing your non-verbal communication skills. Remember to use the same language unless there is profanity included. By wary about the tone you are using. In response to the tone of customers, mirror their tone briefly in a positive way and finally slow down the tone. People like people who are like themselves. When replying to a customer relate to their interest or background (life,work,family)

  9. When making a sales call to remind a past customer of your company, use this method. Start your email with a focus on their interest, move onto both of your interests and end with a focus on your interest. Bridge from their interest to yours with a common ground.

     If your employees handle complaints through email with unpleasant or condescending replies, this will be perceived as a reflection of your company. Remember you are what you eat. Your employees are a reflection of your company.

  10. In handling questions through email you must step into your customers shoes. By seeing the situation from their perspective you will get a better insight.

  11. If you must send an unpleasant message to a customer by email, sandwich the bad news. For example, "Thank you for inquiring about our new product, unfortunately it is unavailable at this time. We will however keep you posted as to its availability and upon purchasing the product we will give you a 15% discount. We call this sandwiching negative information.

  12. When receiving an email from a disgruntled customer try to focus on the good aspects of the situation. Compliment them for bringing the problem to your attention and for allowing your company the opportunity to make the situation better. Act as if they meant well. Look for their positive intent. Reciprocate for survival.

  13. Communicating by e-mail is no different from writing on your company letterhead. A business communication is business, period. A certain degree of formality is required. Just because e-mail tends to be more immediate and personable, it doesn't need to get personal.

  14. If your correspondent uses your first name, then by all means use his. Many people do not want such immediate informality in a business situation, especially in the international arena.

  15. Correspondents frequently try hard to be brief. This is desirable, but business messages are usually longer than personal notes. It is important, also, to communicate - don't kill understanding with brevity.

  16. When replying, you will often be replying to only part of the received message. Save space by not returning the whole message, only the part to which you are replying.

  17. Short, plain sentences are easier for someone reading in a language other than their mother tongue. In some parts of the world, the written language is very formal and quite different from the spoken language. Therefore, there is an expectation that your written communication will be formal. For international business e-mail, err on the side of caution and write in a formal tone. It's easy and natural to progress from formal to friendly, but it weakens your position to have to step backwards from friendly to formal.

  18. It has been proven that people will tell more people about their bad experiences then their good ones! That's NOT the kind of word of mouth you want.

  19. Get to the point. Avoid lengthy emails if necessary. In problem situations do not attempt to confuse but rather make your message short and clear. You risk losing the attention of your customer if your message is too long. Keep emails succinct. Do not let your customers go on a mental vacation or they will quickly delete your message.

  20. Ask for suggestions and feedback about your services or products. Use this feedback or suggestions to hone your business skills. It may be beneficial to post these suggestions and feedback your site for all visitors to read. Many are customers may inadvertently solve problems for you, give you free ideas/enhancements for free and sometimes for a discount on merchandise.

  21. Plan what you want out of the situation before you go into it.

  22. Third party endorsements. Don't be afraid to include a couple of sentences by a satisfied customer in any sales letters you email to potential customers.

  23. Don't ignore customer complaints or requests for refunds. Some of the best customers I have are people who initially complained about my product or service. When I get a complaint, I immediately contact the customer and assure them that I will have an answer for them within 24 hours. If the mistake was mine or my fulfillment company, I let the customer know and bend over backwards to correct the problem. I have gone as far as shipping the product and telling the customer to send me a check after they receive the order.

  Use e-mail, even while away exhibiting

  EXPO Mail is designed to allow attendees and exhibitors to send and retrieve their regular e-mail from the show floor without having to lug their notebook computers or return to their hotel rooms. Users simply walk-up to one of multiple kiosks to check for any messages. A number of services and software are integrated into the e-mail kiosks including AOL, CompuServe, Eudora Lite, Telnet, Netscape Communicator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

  Customers want your attention. Sending an e-mail is the quickest, most thorough way they can contact you -- or your competitor. Don't let them click away from you.

  ---

  Chris McClean
  Pertinent Information Ltd.
  http://www.pertinent.com
  chris@pertinent.com