Before You Hit Send! How to Write Business-Friendly s That Create Emotional Connections and Leave Customers Saying WOW!

How a Best Buy E-Service Rep WOWed Me 1.Personalized the 2.Acknowledged my satisfaction with product 3.Explained policy in lay terms 4.Exercised empowerment 5.Restored my confidence in Best Buy

What We’ll Cover Build instant rapport with your customers by writing in a casual, contemporary tone How to structure your for greatest impact Benchmarking the best of the best Grammar and proofing tips

46% Of customers say they are not getting adequate answers to their s.

TONE The Friendly Customer Service Tone Most s don’t have it

I Me My You We Us Your I Me My You We Us Your Probably no single language choice is as effective in making business documents human and personal as well-chosen pronouns.

Be personable

Thank you for sending an to XYZ Portraits. We truly appreciate customers who take the time to let us know about their experiences with our studios. I am very sorry to hear of your recent disappointment in our studio services. We assure you that customer satisfaction is our top priority and we want the service at our studios to reflect that principle. We realize the importance of having portraits taken and the time and effort involved in preparing for a sitting. As a mother of three children I can certainly understand the frustration and disappointment you had with having to wait so long and then not having the quality sitting you are entitled to. On behalf of XYZ Portraits please accept my sincerest apologies. It is clear that measures need to be taken to improve the quality of service at this studio. To that end, you can be assured that your will be forwarded to the District Manager, Ms. Johnson for her review and investigation. Additionally you will be receiving a letter for four free sheets of portraits at a future sitting as a way of apology. I realize that this does not make up for the time and effort already spent with all of this but I do hope that it does in some way show how truly regretful I am. We want to thank you for your patronage and for bringing these concerns to our attention. We certainly do not wish to loose you as a valued customer. I am confident that a future visit to our studio will better reflect our commitment to customer satisfaction. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

Chat Transcript info: Please wait for a QVC representative to respond. info: Welcome to QVC's live chat service. This is 'Kathi P'. How may I help you? Myra Golden: Hi Kathi. Can you tell me the status of my return of the Canon HV30 camcorder? Kathi P: Thanks for waiting. Kathi P: I'll be glad to check for you. Kathi P: Thank you for waiting while I check on this for you. Kathi P: Thanks for waiting. Kathi P: I appreciate your patience. Kathi P: Ms Golden, I'm so sorry the Canon Vixia HV30 MiniDV HD Camcorder hasn't been processed as of yet. I know you're anxious to have this completed. The return processing time can take up to 17 days from the date an order is returned to QVC. I hope your item is processed soon. Myra Golden: Thank you. Kathi P: You're certainly welcome, my pleasure! Have a wonderful day and please don't hesitate to contact us anytime, we're always glad to help. info: Your chat transcript will be sent to at the end of your chat.

Relate and Respond Relate and Respond

Take a basic problem you handle and write a personable/friendly statement that demonstrates your concern.

WOW Formula for s

“Hello” Instead of “Dear” Instead of “Dear” Friendly & Personable Salutation Friendly & Personable Salutation Step 1

Name In both the salutation and the body Greet the customer by Step 2

Acknowledge the issue and apologize Step 3

I am very sorry to hear of your recent disappointment in our studio services. We realize the importance of having portraits taken and the time and effort involved in preparing for a sitting. Acknowledging & Apologizing

Chat Transcript info: Please wait for a QVC representative to respond. info: Welcome to QVC's live chat service. This is 'Kathi P'. How may I help you? Myra Golden: Hi Kathi. Can you tell me the status of my return of the Canon HV30 camcorder? Kathi P: Thanks for waiting. Kathi P: I'll be glad to check for you. Kathi P: Thank you for waiting while I check on this for you. Kathi P: Thanks for waiting. Kathi P: I appreciate your patience. Kathi P: Ms Golden, I'm so sorry the Canon Vixia HV30 MiniDV HD Camcorder hasn't been processed as of yet. I know you're anxious to have this completed. The return processing time can take up to 17 days from the date an order is returned to QVC. I hope your item is processed soon. Myra Golden: Thank you. Kathi P: You're certainly welcome, my pleasure! Have a wonderful day and please don't hesitate to contact us anytime, we're always glad to help. info: Your chat transcript will be sent to at the end of your chat.

Acknowledging the Issue 1.Don’t challenge the customer 2.Express empathy 3.Respond to emotions

Provide an explanation of what happened Step 4

Explain how you will resolve the problem (or explain what you’ve already done.) Step 5

We have begun putting a comprehensive plan in place to provide better and more timely information to you, more tools and resources for our crewmembers and improved procedures for handling operational difficulties. Most importantly, we have published the JetBlue Airways Customer Bill of Rights – our official commitment to you of how we will handle operational interruptions going forward – including details of compensation. We invite you to learn more at jetblue.com/promise.jetblue.com/promise Explain how you will resolve the problem

Thank your customer & invite them to contact you again if they need further assistance. Step 6

If there is anything we can do to improve your experience please let us know. We can be reached by or by phone: Phone: Toll-free ZAPPOS-1 ( ) or If you have any general questions you need an immediate answer to, please visit the Customer Service section of our Web Site at: Thanks again for shopping with Zappos.com. We look forward to serving you again in the future! Customer Loyalty Team Zappos.com - Powered by Service Thank the customer and invite them to contact you again

WOW Formula Summary 1.Friendly salutation 2.Greet the customer by name 3.Acknowledge issue AND apologize 4.Provide an explanation of how/why the problem happened 5.Explain how you will resolve the issue (or tell the customer what you’ve already done) 6.Thank the customer and invite them to contact you again if they need to further assistance Personalize EACH STEP with Customer-Friendly Tone

Friendly, Conversational Sentence Structure

Sentence Structure Tips  Keep sentences short – no more than words  Use short paragraphs and bullet points

Avoid Passive Sentences Your has been received. Thank you for taking the time to write to us. We hope this incident will not adversely affect our relationship. We will make every effort to deal with this situation in such a way that you will still have confidence in us.

As if you were sitting side-by-side with your customer Write

As much as possible, use the customer’s words and phrases

SUBJECTS Write Meaningful Write Meaningful

Don’t do this  [Blank]  [Re: Customer Contact Form]

Meaningful Subject Lines  “John, the lawn mower manual you requested is attached.  “Lynn, your replacement Widget will ship tomorrow.  “Susan, here is the list of ingredients in our XYZ Bar.”  “Ms. Johnson, thanks for contacting Myra Golden Media (Reference Number: A).”

5 Grammar Gaffes that Rob You of Credibility

5 Grammar Gaffes That Rob You of Credibility 1.Your vs You’re 2.It’s vs Its 3.There vs Their 4.Affect vs Effect 5.Then vs. Than

All it takes to avoid this error is to take a second and think about what you’re trying to say. “Your” is a possessive pronoun, as in “your car” or “your blog.” “You’re” is a contraction for “you are,” as in “you’re going to be so more effective at writing s because you attended this webinar. Your vs You’re

This one seems to trip up everyone occasionally, often as a pure typo. Make sure to watch for it when you proofread. “There” is used many ways, including as a reference to a place (“let’s go there”) or as a pronoun (“there is no hope”). “Their” is a plural possessive pronoun, as in “their bags” or “their opinions.” Always do the “that’s ours!” test—are you talking about more than one person and something that they possess? If so, “their” will get you there. There vs Their

“It’s” is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” “Its” is a possessive pronoun, as in “this blog has lost its mojo.” Here’s an easy rule of thumb—repeat your sentence out loud using “it is” instead. If that sounds odd, “its” is likely the correct choice. Its vs It’s

“Affect” is a verb, as in “Your ability to communicate clearly will affect your income immensely.” “Effect” is a noun, as in “The effect of a parent’s low income on a child’s future is well documented.” Affect vs Effect

No: The accounting department had more problems then we did. Yes: The accounting department had more problems than we did. Then vs Than

Proofing techniques

Proofing Techniques Read backwards so the content doesn’t distract you from watching for errors Point with your finger (or mouse) and read every single word Read aloud so you slow your reading speed are more alert to flaws in grammar and sense Print out your and proof Have someone else read it Never proof immediately after writing

Summary Tone – Friendly, helpful Be personable - Use pronouns and connect with expressions of empathy (like portrait studio & QVC) Open s with “Hello” or “Hi” Ensure you answer EVERY question and answer every question fully Be aware of the 5 grammar gaffes

Summary Courteous, friendly, helpful tone Use pronouns to be more personable Connect with expressions (like JCP & QVC) Keep sentences short Make subject lines a sentence Open with “Hello” or “Hi” Before You Hit Send Quiz

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