>>How
do you establish rapport with customers through email?
Do
you think answering questions and handling complaints by
email is hurting company's relationships with customers?
Do we lose the rapport factor?
Myra's
answer to: How
do you establish rapport with customers through email?
Contrary to popular belief, you CAN
create rapport through email. Certainly, it is easier to
create rapport in face-to-face communications AND over
the phone, but it can also be done quite effectively
electronically.
Here
are six strategies for establishing rapport in
electronic communications.
Thank
the customer. You've
heard me say it before, thank the customer for taking
the time to contact you. Thanking the customer for their
feedback demonstrates that you really do appreciate
their time, their feedback, and their business. And this
goes a LONG way with your customers.
Use
your customer's name. Using
a person's name is the beginning of creating rapport. It
personalizes communications and grabs and hold
attention.
Express
empathy. Empathy
is an excellent way to create rapport. Empathy helps you
create rapport because it demonstrates that you are
genuinely interested in the customer and that the
problem the customer experienced is no more acceptable
you than it was to them. Here are example statements
that clearly express empathy:
I'm
sorry you've had such a frustrating time. It must have
been difficult for you to install the Widget without the
manual. I can certainly understand how convenient it
would have been for you to simply order your product
online. I am sorry our systems were not up and running
properly. That must have been challenging for you.
Apologize.
One
of the easiest ways to create rapport with your
customers is to APOLOGIZE. Sometimes an apology is all
you'll need to appease an upset customer and to regain
customer goodwill. Customer retention among customers
who have experienced a problem increases 10-15% when the
company offers a sincere and unreserved apology. You can
apologize many different ways:
- I
am sorry for the problem you experienced.
- Please
accept my apology for the inconvenience.
- As
a concrete form of apology, please accept our
"Be our Guest" card.
Create
value. Is
there something you can offer your customer that
would help them use your product or service more
effectively? Something that would make their overall
experience with your company even more valuable? I
recently contacted a software company through email
with a question. My email was responded to quickly
and my question was answered. The representative
ended the email with this sentence:
"After
reviewing your specs I noticed that you are not
using the latest version of our software. You can
upgrade to version 1.5 for free by going to
www.latestversion.com. The representative took
the time and initiative to help make my experience
better. Another example: "You mentioned you
use our software to produce online training. You
might be interested in knowing that we offer video
streaming services that allow you to put your
seminars online in both a live and on-demand format.
If you'd like more information on these services,
please go to www.moreinfo.com."
When
answering basic customer questions, take a moment to
think about what more you could offer or share to
enhance the customer's experience.
Invite
the customer to contact you again if they need to. End
your email with a statement that sends the clear
message that you are there to HELP. Make it easy for
customers to contact you again if their questions
are not answered or if they need more help. Here's
how you do that:
-
- Did
I answer all of your questions?
- What
else can I do for you?
- Please
email me directly at myra@myragolden.com if I can be
of further assistance.
- Is
there anything else I can do for you today, Michael?
These
statements convey to the customer that you are
genuinely interested in solving their problem.
Follow
these simple instructions when formatting your
customer response emails and you will build a strong
rapport.
See
also Email Grammar Help
