Secrets of formatting letters in helpdesk
You do not judge a book by its cover, but the text should be judged by style. Appearance in this case is not just something superficial. We write to convey information, but the wrong style always prevents this. We have prepared several tips for the client to clearly hear and understand each of your letters.
Client order
A poorly written letter of support is read as an instruction manual for the aircraft. So that the client does not flounder like a fish pulled out of the water, let him calmly go with the flow.
See how the client actually uses the advice you give him. Does he really follow the steps 1,2,3 proposed by you? How logical is the instruction, not only by what needs to be done, but also by complexity?
Here are a few guidelines:
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Observe the chronology
Without exception. The first action that the client must do should be step by step 1. And so with each next step.
Arrange the difficulty steps
A letter of support can also be organized based on the complexity of the actions performed. If the complex task can be presented as “First” (that is, the order is not very significant), show customers that the simplest thing to do first. Difficulties at the very beginning reduce the likelihood that the client will approach the last step.
Hold attention
Most likely, the client will lose the thread of the story if you send him a link to a video that is several paragraphs long. Support should structure the response in such a way that the client is not distracted from reading / performing actions until it reaches the end.
Like placing help information, put links in a special section to push customers to click on them only when everything else is ready.
Using underscore, bold and italics
In hell there is a special place for those who emphasize text that is not a link. No, really, it's 2015. There is no reason to underline the text in the letters.
Isolation in bold is a good way to organize customer requests into responses by segment. But it becomes absolutely useless when you start to allocate random words, causing customers to stumble without a reason.
You can even rethink the client’s question and add clarity. Highlight what he is really asking in bold and answer below for that. Here is an example:
This is the most common type of letter: the meaning is generally clear, but the question is not exactly asked. Decode for yourself and use bold to structure the answer.
In short, bold frames your answer, separates pieces of text, and encourages easy reading from top to bottom.
Italics are useful for a slight emphasis on something useful. For example, you can say to the client “go to your settings”, but it’s better to answer “in the upper right corner click My Settings ”. So you are focusing customer attention on exactly what to look for. It is not easy to read when everything is in italics, use it only as a highlight.
Use bulleted list and links
Flexible structure always makes reading easier. Bulleted list is a simple example. Use bullet points to “ladder” long instructions. And if you need to discuss the list of orders, use the numbering. Example below:
The wording indicates the main points, but it is even easier to follow the list:
It seems obvious, but I received many answers in which support missed the opportunity to simplify my life by breaking down the structure into steps in this way.
Links are a little trickier. It is known that an excessive number of links in any part of the letter interfere with understanding. They are too distracting. Use the principle of email marketing: select only those links that are exactly clicked. It matters when you are sharing important documentation or just want a customer to see something. Here are two examples.
The problem with links here is that they are buried in the message, and the anchor text does not describe well where the link goes. The call to action is easily applied beyond marketing. In the letter of support, you also encourage the client to move towards a specific goal.
Let's try again:
Leaving references to the dessert, you do not interrupt the client while reading. Add text around the links so that the client understands what to do next.
To make it easy for you to write clear instructions to your customers, we have embedded a formatting string in Usedesk. Change the font, insert links, lists, pictures - just as in the usual Word and no problems with html.
Great support for you, your Usedesk .
Client order
A poorly written letter of support is read as an instruction manual for the aircraft. So that the client does not flounder like a fish pulled out of the water, let him calmly go with the flow.
See how the client actually uses the advice you give him. Does he really follow the steps 1,2,3 proposed by you? How logical is the instruction, not only by what needs to be done, but also by complexity?
Here are a few guidelines:
')
Observe the chronology
Without exception. The first action that the client must do should be step by step 1. And so with each next step.
Arrange the difficulty steps
A letter of support can also be organized based on the complexity of the actions performed. If the complex task can be presented as “First” (that is, the order is not very significant), show customers that the simplest thing to do first. Difficulties at the very beginning reduce the likelihood that the client will approach the last step.
Hold attention
Most likely, the client will lose the thread of the story if you send him a link to a video that is several paragraphs long. Support should structure the response in such a way that the client is not distracted from reading / performing actions until it reaches the end.
Like placing help information, put links in a special section to push customers to click on them only when everything else is ready.
Using underscore, bold and italics
In hell there is a special place for those who emphasize text that is not a link. No, really, it's 2015. There is no reason to underline the text in the letters.
Isolation in bold is a good way to organize customer requests into responses by segment. But it becomes absolutely useless when you start to allocate random words, causing customers to stumble without a reason.
You can even rethink the client’s question and add clarity. Highlight what he is really asking in bold and answer below for that. Here is an example:
This is the most common type of letter: the meaning is generally clear, but the question is not exactly asked. Decode for yourself and use bold to structure the answer.
In short, bold frames your answer, separates pieces of text, and encourages easy reading from top to bottom.
Italics are useful for a slight emphasis on something useful. For example, you can say to the client “go to your settings”, but it’s better to answer “in the upper right corner click My Settings ”. So you are focusing customer attention on exactly what to look for. It is not easy to read when everything is in italics, use it only as a highlight.
Use bulleted list and links
Flexible structure always makes reading easier. Bulleted list is a simple example. Use bullet points to “ladder” long instructions. And if you need to discuss the list of orders, use the numbering. Example below:
The wording indicates the main points, but it is even easier to follow the list:
It seems obvious, but I received many answers in which support missed the opportunity to simplify my life by breaking down the structure into steps in this way.
Links are a little trickier. It is known that an excessive number of links in any part of the letter interfere with understanding. They are too distracting. Use the principle of email marketing: select only those links that are exactly clicked. It matters when you are sharing important documentation or just want a customer to see something. Here are two examples.
The problem with links here is that they are buried in the message, and the anchor text does not describe well where the link goes. The call to action is easily applied beyond marketing. In the letter of support, you also encourage the client to move towards a specific goal.
Let's try again:
Leaving references to the dessert, you do not interrupt the client while reading. Add text around the links so that the client understands what to do next.
To make it easy for you to write clear instructions to your customers, we have embedded a formatting string in Usedesk. Change the font, insert links, lists, pictures - just as in the usual Word and no problems with html.
Great support for you, your Usedesk .
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/257851/
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