Writing Customer Service Emails
1h 2mBeginner2023-06-13
Authors

Leslie O'Flahavan
Online Writing Expert
Course details
You can write to customers—via email—with consistency and professionalism, but you don't need to sound robotic to be efficient. Writing instructor Leslie O'Flahavan has real customer service emails she shares with you in this course, so you can see how to communicate with clarity and sincerity to help customers feel heard and ensure your responses provide the help they need. Leslie shares techniques customer service agents can apply that help build strong practices in a contact center and improve customer relations.
Learning objectives
Determine what to include in an email response to a customer.
Read customers’ emails analytically to ensure a complete response.
Express empathy to customers, so you can build trust.
Use writing techniques that improve first contact resolution and prevent write-backs.
Write a sincere apology without agreeing with every aspect of the customer’s complaint or increasing legal risk.
Apply techniques learned in the course to rewrite email templates.
Learning objectives
Determine what to include in an email response to a customer.
Read customers’ emails analytically to ensure a complete response.
Express empathy to customers, so you can build trust.
Use writing techniques that improve first contact resolution and prevent write-backs.
Write a sincere apology without agreeing with every aspect of the customer’s complaint or increasing legal risk.
Apply techniques learned in the course to rewrite email templates.
Skills covered
EmailCustomer Service SkillsCustomer ServiceBusiness Software and ToolsDeep Dive (X:Y)
Concepts
0. Introduction
- 01 - Customer service email is not dead
1. Answer the Customer's Question
- 02 - Read emails analytically
- 03 - Anticipate follow-up questions
- 04 - Answer all of the customer's questions
- 05 - Answer difficult questions confidently
- 06 - Challenge - Answer a difficult question
- 07 - Solution - Answer a difficult question
2. Show Customers You've Read Their Email
- 08 - Explain your process to the customer
- 09 - Paraphrase the customer's situation
- 10 - Acknowledge the customer's feelings
- 11 - Challenge - Demonstrate you've read the customer's email
- 12 - Solution - Demonstrate you've read the customer's email
3. Use an Engaging Tone with Customers
- 13 - Use personal pronouns
- 14 - Make your writing more like speaking
4. If You Must Apologize, Be Sincere
- 15 - When and how to apologize
- 16 - What to write after you apologize
- 17 - Avoid insincere wording
- 18 - When to empathize
- 19 - Challenge - Write an apology email
- 20 - Solution - Write an apology email
5. Customize Templates to Avoid Sounding Robotic
- 21 - Use the template as a starting point
- 22 - Make templates customizable
- 23 - Build rapport
- 24 - Challenge - Use a template to write a customized reply
- 25 - Solution - Use a template to write a customized reply
Conclusion
- 26 - Continue to sharpen customer service email skills
Related courses
- Writing Customer Service Emails (2017)
- Customer Service: Serving Customers Through Chat and Text
- Using Customer Surveys to Improve Service
- Serving Customers Using Social Media (2019)
- Serving Customers Using Social Media
- Salesforce AI Fundamentals
- Storytelling for Business Video
- Customer Service at Your First Retail Job
Related learn paths
- Getting Started as a Customer Support Specialist
- Advance Your Skills as an IT Help Desk Specialist
- Zendesk Customer Service Professional Certificate
- Build Your Skills In Customer Service
- Business Writing Professional Certificate
- Develop Your Writing Skills
- A Mini-MBA for Those Considering a Top MBA Program
- Generative AI for Customer Service with Microsoft 365 Copilot Professional Certificate