By Nancy Friedman, President Telephone Doctor, Customer Service Training.
We did a survey a while back at one of my speaking engagements. I wanted to know what really bugged folks about emails they receive. The top 3 were:
* Poor spelling and poor grammar. (Your, You’re, there, their, here, hear to, too, two and many more. )
* Way too long emails.
* Wrong Subject lines.
There were many more. But these rose to the top.
Now I’m about to share the phrases used in mails that are not very effective. They are not bad; simply useless, unnecessary. yucky, IE – not needed. Get it?
When these phrases are eliminated,the emails usually read better. Here we go:
1. “Just a note to let you know”.. or… “Just wanted to say ” or “I’m just checking back to see where we are on the order”. “JUST” is a weak, wimpy, word. Not necessary. In fact, pretty lame, and useless. Eliminate the word JUST in your sentences. Read those sentences without the word “just” and see how much stronger they become.
2. “As I (or you) mentioned on the phone” or “Pursuant” to our call. (conversation, what ever) Double work, not needed, not necessary. Confirm the statement instead, with: “Glad you liked the proposal” or “Enjoyed our call”. or
Here’s a handy recap of our call” or, “Good call and excited we can make “X” happen. Email is a time to use your personality. Formal sayings, unless you’re a lawyer, (sorry) aren’t normally needed.
3. “Please let me know if you have any questions“. You gotta be kidding me.? Hard to believe folks still use this; but they do. Most folks will let you know if they have questions. That’s a real Junior statement.
4. “If there’s anything else I can do please let me know.” This one goes with #3. Seriously? That’s a real ‘get rid’ of line. It’s normally OUR responsibility to follow up. So better would be: “Trust me to follow up to handle your questions”.
5. “Thank you for supporting us“. Or “Thank you for your support” I admit, I used this one for a while, until I realized, “Thank you for your order” or “Thank you for your business” or “thank you for being a loyal, valuable client” was more effective.
6. Long rambling emails. Not a phrase, but an annoyance. Sales people tend to want to give the client alllllll the information. But today we get emails on our Iphone, ipad, and lord knows where else. Some even on the new I-WATCH. Not too much room for a long email.
7. Keep your subject line accurate and interesting. Topics change within the email. Keep up with the subject line. Make your emails COUNT.
Remember, more is less. Long, rambling, wordy emails aren’t normally necessary.
And Lord knows watch your spelling and grammar.
Use your personality.
Personalize the email.
Keep it interesting. Avoid the YUCKY phrases.
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Nancy Friedman, president of Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, is a featured keynote speaker and subject matter expert on customer service, communications skills and capturing & navigating the call, at franchise, association and corporate meetings.