Taking Care of Busines... E-mail

In this digital day and age, communicating through email is getting more and more important. This is of course also true for customer service and help desks.

Looking at the incoming stream of calls I see a growing trend of email communication.

Most companies have a protocol for handling telephone calls, but taking care of business email is clearly underestimated. I have assembled 12 valuable tips you can use directly to improve how you or your company is handling email.

1. Keep your customer in mind:

As with everything you do, keep your customer firmly in mind: Is this info appreciated? Is the tone of voice appropriate for this customer? Could the customer be offended? It is best to place yourself in front of the customer, as if you are face-to-face, talking to each other. Choose your words wisely. Format your email professionally.

2. Canalize your business email streams:

Customers are emailing you for many different reasons; they may have a sales question, or just wants some info, or have a complaint. By creating different mailboxes for the different streams customers can help you by selecting the most appropriate mailbox for their request. And they will do it, if you tell them that it will speed up the process (for them).

3. React quickly (within 8 hours):

Email is a fast medium. Customers expect a quick reaction when they use email. Same day response is the ABSOLUTE minimum, but to make a good impression you should make every effort to react within 8 hours. All the time. No exceptions.

4. Use auto responders:

Don't make customers guess whether the email they sent has arrived at your company. Make use of auto responder technology to send a confirmation immediately.

5. Choose your subject wisely:

Customers are getting lots of email every day. They scan the subject field and from field to see what's of interest. So make sure your subject line attracts the customer, and doesn't look like a load of SPAM. So, do not use ALL CAPS or overuse exclamation points!!!!

6. Proper salutation:

Think of your customer: would he rather be greeted with "Hi Erwin!" or "Dear Mr. Steneker"? Don't fall in the trap of the fact that email feels informal. Choose a salutation that fits your customer.

7. Spell the customer's name correctly:

OK, I know this is an open door, but so many folks don't take the time and effort to properly spell the name of the customer. And a misspelling puts down customers FAST. Think how you feel when your name is spelled incorrectly.

8. Introduce yourself:

Remember tip #1? You have to put yourself in front of the customer. So what is the first thing you do when you meet a customer? You introduce yourself! Don't let your customer guess who he is "talking" to.

9. Format your email:

Email is mostly read on screen, so format your email accordingly. Use short sentences and plenty of white space. Also make sure that your text lines are a maximum of 60 characters wide, otherwise they may strangely be truncated, with one or two words flowing over to the next line.

10. Emails and Emotions:

Emails are notoriously bad for conveying emotions. If you feel it is appropriate for your customer, you can make use of so-called emoticons. Emoticons are combinations of letters and punctuations that are designed to show emotions. Here are some examples (Note that you have to tilt your head left to see it):

:-) Smile

:-P Extending tongue

:-( Sad

:'-( Crying

:-D Big smile

;-) Wink

8-) Cool

*

____________________

Advertisement: Honest Riches - Click Here!

Advertisement: Lost AdWords - Click Here!

Advertisement: Get $1 Million A Month In Google Pay-Per-Click Ads Free! - Click Here!

Advertisement: Who Loves Money? - Click Here!

Advertisement: SEO Elite, the GrandDaddy of SEO Software - Click Here!

---

Email Marketing - Whats the Situation in April 2005?

Email is still the King in Internet marketing. Many people consider it the most powerful promoting tool ever devised, and if this still hasn't really changed.Why is... Read More

Follow Up Letter for Past Customers - Why and How to Write It

Following up with your past customers is a proven way to make a lot of extra sales. You can simply write a promotional offer about one of... Read More

Confessions Of An Info Junkie

I love the Internet! Information about any topic that piques my curiosity is just a few clicks away. Ezines on almost any topic are available to all.Yes,... Read More

Promote Your Web Business With Every Email You Send!

Website owners are always on the lookout for new ways to promote their business. What if I told you could advertise your business every time you send... Read More

What Is An Email Signature And What Do I Do With It?

You hear it all the time... email signature, sig file, signature box, etc.What Is A Signature?A signature is a short block of text at the end of... Read More

10 Ways to SCREW-UP Your LIST

Just in case you don't know, your 'LIST' ? is you list of optin subscribers who have taken the time and effort to personally subscribe to your... Read More

Autoresponders - One Simple Trick That Will Improve Your Results

Autoresponders, or responders, are simply programs that allow you to send out pre-written emails which have been pre-loaded into the responder. Prospective customers or recruits either input... Read More

Are You Backing Up Your BIGGEST Asset?

Have you ever accidentally lost an important file on your computer? Perhaps your computer crashed (again) or your cat sauntered over a dooming sequence of keys. Remember... Read More

Attract New Subscribers With Magnetic Ads

One of the most effective methods of advertising your e-zine is placing ads in OTHER e-zines! There are many reasons why, but the top three are: you're... Read More

Achieve Success With Your Own Money - Making Newsletter

To be successful with a newsletter, you have to specialize and make it your own. Your best bet will be with new information on a subject not... Read More

An Aspirin or an Autoresponder!

Tired of silly old email enquiries? Say hello to autoresponders!If there's one thing that drives us all crazy, it's not having enough hours in the day. You... Read More

Make All Your Mailing Lists Double Opt-In

Accusations of spam can be so harmful to your business that every effort should be made to prevent it.However, simply requesting a surfer to enter an e-mail... Read More

The Ultimate Business Network: One Secret Power of the Masters

Dear Friend:If you're out there networking and have been for sometime, you understand the astronomical benefits of networking with the "right" people -- especially when they have... Read More

Use Autoresponders, to Build Relationships In Your Affiliate Marketing

It's true that "content is king," but equally important to success in online marketing of any kind is contact. Not just the one time "flash in the... Read More

Dont Use FFAs To Build Your Newsletter Subscriber

For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, The initials FFA stand for "FREE For All" and my advice would be don't waste your time!... Read More

The Name Squeeze ? Should You? Shouldn?t You?

This is a little "beauty" of an idea if you want to grow a massive list QUICKLY! But some are wary of trying it. They worry it... Read More

5 Rules of Forwarding E-mails

Forwarding of e-mails is one of the topics I get contacted about the most. And, one which also causes hurt feelings and misunderstandings more than any other... Read More

Is Your Email Address Blacklisted?

A lady emailed me yesterday very upset over the fact that her friend's Internet Service Provider (ISP) wasn't delivering important email messages.This lack of delivery caused a... Read More

The Lazy Way To Build A Responsive Opt-In Email List

If you're in business on the Internet to make a profit, then you're probably aware of how significant a list of prospects is to your success.But what... Read More

Lesson #7: Three Extra Tricks That Can Boost Your Bottom-Line!

Let's recap what you've learned so far...In the first lesson, you've learned the reasons what are smart autoresponders and why they work so well.In the second lesson,... Read More

Why Use Permission-Based Email Marketing?

The goal of all marketing is to attract interest in, build desire for, and generate sales of your products or services. Email marketing is a perfect medium... Read More

Lumpy Mail Gets Your Message Through

When it comes to your gravy, lumps are bad. When it comes to getting your marketing message through the mail room, past the gate keepers, and onto... Read More

A Single Email Is Never Enough

"Repetition is the key to advertising (marketing)". Those words were said by a friend of mine, Jason Olson, back in his days of selling radio and direct... Read More

Say More Than Thank You

Most Websites are gathering e-mail addresses. When you submit your e-mail address, you will be redirected to a thank you page. There is nothing wrong with it,... Read More

Tips to Build Your Email Address Database

WHY BUILD YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS DATABASE? Gaining your customers' email addresses will: Provide an additional channel for reaching your customers Increase the ROI of your marketing... Read More

Protect Yourself from Being Accused of Sending SPAM

Email is a vital part of doing business online, but are you setting yourself up for SPAM complaints? If you are accused of spamming, whether it's true... Read More