4 scripts to handle the most complex Email from clients
Friends, on duty, we monitor useful materials about the work of the support service in English. To our great regret, there are very few really useful and necessary materials in Russian. Therefore, we decided to correct this injustice and contribute to the development of customer service in Russia.
Today we publish a great article from Groove’s blog about customer support. The material deals with how to correctly and incorrectly use scripts in email support. There are also templates for answering customers' most tricky questions about discounts and features, answers to angry letters and “when everything is gone”.
From the translator : for the convenience of readers, we have translated and slightly adapted screenshots and scripts texts. Happy reading, Team system for Teamdesk customer support .
')
That's why I love scripts and templates: instead of explaining strategy conceptually, the script helps you see the concept in action. An example can simplify the understanding and assimilation of a message. I do not think there is an easier way to demonstrate the principles of good answers in customer service.
That's why I hate scripts and templates: if you copy and paste templates that you have found somewhere into your letter, you may lose the opportunity to build authentic human relationships with your client. Worse, you risk making an unforgivable mistake. Here is an example:
How would you feel if you found such a letter in your inbox? Apparently, the email template engine did not work.
Imagine that we are sitting in the same room, and I have just told you a really funny story. Three weeks later, talking with friends, you decide to tell them that funny story.
Do you tell her word for word? Of course not! You will remember the structure of the story and the brightest moments in it, but nevertheless tell it in your own words. This is natural, because you remember the most important moments of the story and you can tell it in your own way, and literal retelling will simply not be interesting to anyone.
Here is how you should approach the use of scripts. Read them, remember and return to them. Disassemble them to better memorize key points. But change them for yourself . Your customers will appreciate it, and your strategy will work better, much better. Now to the scripts ...
Derek Halpern said discounts could ruin your business . And I agree: our goal is always to increase the value of our product, but not to lower it. Discounts are a great way to reach the latter.
Think about services that send discount coupons all the time. This strategy may work for them, but this is not our approach. When a customer asks for a discount, we will respond something like this:
Why does this work? We empathize (we understand what the client feels), the letter is personal (we have included information about the client and his account) and we increase the value (during the consultation by phone we offer to increase the known value for the client).
Every week we receive dozens of requests for the implementation of a particular functionality. Implementing all the functionality requests is not possible, nor is it particularly smart to do this. Many requests do not coincide with the fact that we already know what most of our customers want or these requests do not look particularly useful. But outright rejection is a really bad decision.
And this does not mean that the ideas of your customers are stupid, useless or uninteresting. Your clients are the best source from which you can take inspiration for the next step. But you can make them feel that their ideas are not interesting. All you need is to make the phrase of rejection wrong.
We checked 10+ completely different approaches to this situation, and one of them still stands out above the rest:
Why does this work? This is personal (we have proven that we have read and understood the idea of ​​the client), this is positive, and it still carries value to the client.
Everyone who has been working in customer service for quite a long time had to deal with a very angry customer. Sometimes the customer is angry because he feels hurt by what you or your company are doing. Sometimes the client had a bad day and you become an easy target for him.
Everybody has a day when things are going badly, these days we cannot feel good. Customer Support Coach Robert Bacall offers a simple system called CARP to work with angry customers.
CARP is:
The first step should be to control the situation. This means that customer anger should not affect your own behavior. Those. no need to get angry in response.
The next step is recognition ( Acknowledge ) of what the client feels. Empathize and let the client know that you completely understand why he is upset.
Third, go to the conversation to the most important ( Refocus ): to the problem.
And at the end: work on finding a solution to the client’s problem ( Problem-Solve ).
Here is a real example of how to turn an angry customer into a happy one.
Why does this work? If you follow the CARP system, then control, recognition, focus change and problem solving will help the client to feel better, because his treatment is taken seriously.
Any business knows that depressing feeling when all the letters in the mailbox are from angry customers. And they all ask the same question: Why the product for which they pay does not work! It was terrible when a mail collector dropped a few months ago. Fortunately, the letters we sent saved us. Here is the letter we used:
Why it works : This letter was informative (includes all the details and the exact time, without confusion), empathizing (we made it clear that we know how terrible it is for our customers), contained an apology.
Note : it is also important to say the right words in this situation, that you keep under control the status of each client, that you are open and do not keep them in the dark, and as soon as all the reasons become known, you will inform them fully.
These are case studies, but the concept can be applied to most customer support tasks. At the end: dig deeper to understand the client and answer as you would like them to answer you.
Today we publish a great article from Groove’s blog about customer support. The material deals with how to correctly and incorrectly use scripts in email support. There are also templates for answering customers' most tricky questions about discounts and features, answers to angry letters and “when everything is gone”.
From the translator : for the convenience of readers, we have translated and slightly adapted screenshots and scripts texts. Happy reading, Team system for Teamdesk customer support .
')
Use templates to make customers happy.
That's why I love scripts and templates: instead of explaining strategy conceptually, the script helps you see the concept in action. An example can simplify the understanding and assimilation of a message. I do not think there is an easier way to demonstrate the principles of good answers in customer service.
That's why I hate scripts and templates: if you copy and paste templates that you have found somewhere into your letter, you may lose the opportunity to build authentic human relationships with your client. Worse, you risk making an unforgivable mistake. Here is an example:
How would you feel if you found such a letter in your inbox? Apparently, the email template engine did not work.
How to use standard scripts?
Imagine that we are sitting in the same room, and I have just told you a really funny story. Three weeks later, talking with friends, you decide to tell them that funny story.
Do you tell her word for word? Of course not! You will remember the structure of the story and the brightest moments in it, but nevertheless tell it in your own words. This is natural, because you remember the most important moments of the story and you can tell it in your own way, and literal retelling will simply not be interesting to anyone.
Here is how you should approach the use of scripts. Read them, remember and return to them. Disassemble them to better memorize key points. But change them for yourself . Your customers will appreciate it, and your strategy will work better, much better. Now to the scripts ...
Template # 1: I want a discount!
Derek Halpern said discounts could ruin your business . And I agree: our goal is always to increase the value of our product, but not to lower it. Discounts are a great way to reach the latter.
Think about services that send discount coupons all the time. This strategy may work for them, but this is not our approach. When a customer asks for a discount, we will respond something like this:
Why does this work? We empathize (we understand what the client feels), the letter is personal (we have included information about the client and his account) and we increase the value (during the consultation by phone we offer to increase the known value for the client).
Template # 2: I want a super feature
Every week we receive dozens of requests for the implementation of a particular functionality. Implementing all the functionality requests is not possible, nor is it particularly smart to do this. Many requests do not coincide with the fact that we already know what most of our customers want or these requests do not look particularly useful. But outright rejection is a really bad decision.
And this does not mean that the ideas of your customers are stupid, useless or uninteresting. Your clients are the best source from which you can take inspiration for the next step. But you can make them feel that their ideas are not interesting. All you need is to make the phrase of rejection wrong.
We checked 10+ completely different approaches to this situation, and one of them still stands out above the rest:
Why does this work? This is personal (we have proven that we have read and understood the idea of ​​the client), this is positive, and it still carries value to the client.
Template # 3: Angry Customer
Everyone who has been working in customer service for quite a long time had to deal with a very angry customer. Sometimes the customer is angry because he feels hurt by what you or your company are doing. Sometimes the client had a bad day and you become an easy target for him.
Everybody has a day when things are going badly, these days we cannot feel good. Customer Support Coach Robert Bacall offers a simple system called CARP to work with angry customers.
CARP is:
- Control
- Acknowledge
- Refocus
- Problem-Solve (Solution-Problems)
The first step should be to control the situation. This means that customer anger should not affect your own behavior. Those. no need to get angry in response.
The next step is recognition ( Acknowledge ) of what the client feels. Empathize and let the client know that you completely understand why he is upset.
Third, go to the conversation to the most important ( Refocus ): to the problem.
And at the end: work on finding a solution to the client’s problem ( Problem-Solve ).
Here is a real example of how to turn an angry customer into a happy one.
Why does this work? If you follow the CARP system, then control, recognition, focus change and problem solving will help the client to feel better, because his treatment is taken seriously.
Pattern # 4. Everything broke, nothing works!
Any business knows that depressing feeling when all the letters in the mailbox are from angry customers. And they all ask the same question: Why the product for which they pay does not work! It was terrible when a mail collector dropped a few months ago. Fortunately, the letters we sent saved us. Here is the letter we used:
Why it works : This letter was informative (includes all the details and the exact time, without confusion), empathizing (we made it clear that we know how terrible it is for our customers), contained an apology.
Note : it is also important to say the right words in this situation, that you keep under control the status of each client, that you are open and do not keep them in the dark, and as soon as all the reasons become known, you will inform them fully.
Conclusion
These are case studies, but the concept can be applied to most customer support tasks. At the end: dig deeper to understand the client and answer as you would like them to answer you.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/260549/
All Articles