Customer Service Best Practices for Email

When using E-mail for customer service purposes, be sure to follow this helpful advice:

• Answer quickly—customers using E-mail expect a prompt response, usually within the same business day.
• Use the “Reply” key in your E-mail program so that the customer’s note is part of your response.
• Avoid slang, jargon and anything else that could be considered insulting, such as writing in all capital letters.
• Don’t send attachments—not everyone can open them, and some users are afraid to open them because of the threat of viruses. Instead, paste the contents of the attachment directly into the body of the E-mail.
• Treat E-mail as you would paper documents—assume it will be kept somewhere indefinitely.