Email Never & Always standards

August 01, 2013
By: John DiJulius

Customer Bill of Rights – One of the most effective ways to elevate your company’s Customer service level is by instituting Non-Negotiable Standards (Commandment III in What’s the Secret?) I like to call them the Customer Bill of Rights. If anyone is going to wear your uniform, name tag or represent your brand, there needs to be a small set of 6-12 actions/standards that your employees live by. These non-negotiable standards are also referred to as the Never & Always list (see several company examples in the eService Burden of the Brand).

Never & Always list – Creating the traditional non-negotiable standards is a favorite for our consulting clients; rolling out a short, simple list that is common sense. Yet the majority of businesses and front-line employees too often are guilty of executing the Never List and rarely do what’s on the Always List.

Email Never & Always list standards – What we’ve noticed since helping our clients create and roll out these non-negotiable standards is that it’s lacking for people who work in jobs where they mostly communicate electronically, i.e. via email (home offices, internal support positions, Customer service reps, etc.).  So the following are examples from some of The DiJulius Group’s consulting clients’ Email non-negotiable standards:
 
NEVER
·       Deliver bad/negative news via email
·       Respond with just an answer (5 words or less)
·       Never use jargon/slang
·       Never treat e-mail like a text message
·       Use all caps
·       Respond to “All” when the entire list doesn’t need to know
·       Get anything off your chest in an email

ALWAYS
·       Use a professional signature, even in replies
·       Use the Customer’s name every time
·       Open with something personal when dealing with an existing client  
·       Close with a nice line, i.e.
o   It was a pleasure…
o   Looking forward to working with you,
o   Let me know if there is anything else I can do
·       Respond within one business day (even if it is to let them know you don’t have an answer yet)
·       Use clear subject line wording
·       Use Secret Service when dealing with existing clients
·       Use BCC when sending to a large list to protect others’ email addresses
·       Call them if your first email was not clear
·       Call them directly if you cannot provide them with what they are asking for

Please share any we haven’t thought of!

The last Secret Service Certification class of the year – This September 24 & 25, is the last Certification Class of 2013.  Taught exclusively by John DiJulius, this class will teach you how to create your own Secret Service Systems at your company.  This class is by application only.  Download application here and email as PDF to David@thedijuliusgroup.com or fax back to 440-484-2373.


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About The Author

John DiJulius

John R. DiJulius is a best-selling author, consultant, keynote speaker and President of The DiJulius Group, the leading Customer experience consulting firm in the nation. He blogs on Customer experience trends and best practices.

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