Lets face it, we’ve all been there. Attending client requests isn't always a walk in the park.
Sometimes it's the question itself or the volume of questions as a whole. Email being the preferred channel for customer support would definitely benefit from optimized procedures that guarantee quicker response times and well rounded responses.
Professionals in customer support roles must have top-notch communication skills to deal with customers everyday. But even if you have many years of experience and are capable of holding respectful, calm and friendly conversations with customers, some of those conversations can get difficult.
What is the best answer to give, whether it's a complaint, suggestion or just simple queries about the product or service you offer? And, how long should you take to answer these emails? Especially when it comes to complaints, you really don’t want to take too long to answer that email.
How to approach support over email
We can gather a few key things that great customer support and communication have in common, such as:
- Reading and understanding their request: Don’t respond until you clearly have understood what the customer is saying and what result they expect from you.
- Be empathetic: Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. Customers are not always right but you should always address their situation genuinely, even if they send you aggressive messages. Step back and read your response carefully before sending it.
- Ask for more information if needed: If you need more information from their side to answer accordingly, it is better to ask them instead of guessing and getting it wrong.
- Collect the information you need: You might not have the answer to everything, so contact a product expert to get the rundown—this will allow you to give the best informed answer possible.
And some other simple pieces of advice:
- Address the customer by name.
- Follow up on their response to make sure their issue is solved.
- Let the customer know you’ve received their email as soon as possible, even if it’s just a simple email promising to get back to them within a rough time frame.
10 customer support email templates
In order to give you a hand, we’ve developed 10 customer service email templates to help you optimize your email communication efforts. The goal is for you to reply to those tricky support requests and cut response times while providing a consistent service. These email templates can be tailored and customized as needed!
Client needs a response ASAP
This client is desperate for an answer. They need to communicate with you as soon as possible to solve an issue in their account. Keep in mind that if you don’t answer quickly, they can escalate to your superior or more simply, just cancel.
Approach:
- Let them know you're there for them.
- Be honest and respectful, even if their message isn’t polite.
Example:
Hello [name of the customer],
Thank you for reaching out.
We appreciate your patience, and will be happy to solve this issue for you. I’d gladly respond to any question through email or we can schedule a call for [date] at [time]. Let me know what works best for you. If you prefer to solve your issue through email, please provide me with more information, it will help me better understand and find the best way to move forward with your request.
Thank you,
[your name]
Churn
You’d like to address this client to understand why they decided to cancel. Reach out and get feedback on what worked for them or what can be improved.
Approach:
- Be thankful for their time and ask why they cancelled.
- Don’t be too pushy, sometimes customers prefer to keep the reason for cancellations to themselves.
- Respect their decision and don’t try to convince them to come back.
- If they give you the reasons for canceling, respond gratefully.
Example:
Hello [name of the customer],
I noticed you’ve decided to cancel your account. I just wanted to know if there’s something we could have done to improve your experience with us.
Would you like to share with us why you decided to cancel? Your feedback will help us to improve.
Thank you for your time and honesty,
[your name]
Transition from Sales team to Account Management team
The client just bought your service and it’s time for the transition to your account management team. This process should be as smooth as possible.
Approach:
- Be thankful for choosing your company instead of the competition.
- Introduce their new point of contact.
- Be open to receiving questions—remember that you were their first point of contact.
Example:
Hello [name of the customer],
First of all, thank you for choosing [name of your company] as your [service bought, ex: email analytics provider]. I wanted to introduce you to [new point of contact], who is our [role of POC]. [She/he/they] has/have extensive knowledge of our product, you’ll be in great hands!
If you ever need to reach out to me, please do not hesitate to do so.
Thank you,
[your name]
Price quote
Clients frequently request invoices because they need to discuss it with their superior, or for their accounting department.
Approach:
- Be descriptive and specific.
Example:
Hello [name of the customer],
I understand what your needs are. As you requested, I’ve created a detailed invoice for your specific service.
Below you can find the attachment with the information. I’ve included:
- [Name of the service]
- Quantity
- Description of the service/product
- Payment link
- Rate
If you need more information please let me know.
Thank you,
[your name]
Asking for a review
This is something common to do in B2B business and it's not easy to get customers to write reviews for your company, but with a friendly and convincing email, you’ll have the best chance.
Approach:
- Be kind and friendly.
- Be thankful for using your service.
Example:
Hello [name of the customer],
We wanted to make sure you had a good experience while using [name of your company]. Would you mind sharing your opinion of your experience on [form, website]?
Feedback always helps us improve and learn where we can do better.
Thank you for your review,
[your name]
Customer complaint
When you're working in a Customer Support position you’ll receive compliments and happy clients, but also angry customers and complaints that sometimes won’t be nice. Regardless of what you receive, you should be able to handle the situation carefully or it might break your relationship with the customer.
Approach:
- Understandable, patient and polite.
Example:
Hello [name of the customer],
I completely understand your frustration with [the issue] and I’m eager to make things right for you. I’ve contacted our technical support team and they are aware of the situation. We’re working hard to fix the issue.
If there’s anything else we can do to make things right, just let us know.
Best,
[your name]
Following up with a prospect
In Customer Support or Sales roles, one of the most important tasks is follow-ups with clients and prospects. When someone reaches out to you or the business, you need to get back to them as soon as possible to have the best chance!
Approach:
- Understandable, patient and polite.
Example:
Hello [name of the customer],
Thank you for reaching out to us.
I see you’ve expressed your interest in our product to [explain what it’s about]. I’ve attached a few resources that can help you understand better what we can offer to you.
If you are available, I’d gladly jump on a call with you to explain further steps if you want to move forward with us. Let me know what time works better for you and we can schedule a call.
In the meantime, please feel free to ask any questions you may have!
Thank you,
[your name]
Technical Support
When you work in a SaaS company, it is likely that you’ll receive emails from customers complaining about a bug or problem within the software/platform.
Approach:
- Understandable, patient and polite.
Example:
Hello [name of the customer],
I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble with our platform. I’ve addressed this issue with our Technical Support team. They’ll be reaching out soon.
Let me know if I can help you with anything else in the meantime.
Thank you for your patience,
[your name]
Discount request
Dealing with discount requests is challenging for both the customer and the business. Sales and customer-facing roles usually receive emails from customers asking for discounts for their services and sometimes you cannot give them an answer at the moment since you need to discuss with your manager/finance, etc.
Approach:
- Never give a positive or negative answer if you are not sure.
Example:
Hello [name of the customer],
Thank you for reaching out, and for your interest in using our platform! For any potential discounts, I will have to first run this by my team/manager and get back to you. I’ll reach out once again as soon as I get a response from them.
Please let me know if you have any further questions in the meantime.
Best,
[your name]
Requesting a feature you don’t have
Most software companies receive hundreds of feature requests every month, which means customers really like your product but need something additional—it is not specifically something negative. However, it can become complicated when the feature they are requesting is not aligned with your company’s vision or path.
Approach:
- Let them know their ideas are worthy.
Example:
Hello [name of the customer],
Thanks for reaching us, we really appreciate your feedback! We are always trying to improve our product to provide you with a better experience. I will be sure to pass your suggestion onto our team for their consideration as we move forward with [product name].
While I cannot provide a timeline, please check back on our website periodically for any updates. If you have any further questions please let me know.
Thank you,
[your name]
Wrapping up
We hope you find these templates useful. Using them will reduce your email response time and increase your productivity by allowing you to focus on other more important matters. Please note that the content of each template will need to change based on the type of message the customer sent.
If you want to analyze how much time you’ve saved since using these templates, you can always start our free trial today to gain insights on your email metrics!
