How Email Can Lose You Customers

We all know that email and texting is a fast and convenient way to

reach our customers.

Email

Messaging allows for quick, efficient contact and typically allows for confirmation to knowwhen someone saw your message.

It also providesthe powerful capability to directly reachthe intended audience.

Digital messaging has many virtues..

However, it also has many faults.

Emails lack the emotional cues that you get from

listening to someone speak and seeing

their gestures.

When we type our email, we automatically hear the tone of the message in our heads.

We don't realize, though, that the recipient won't always understand that we were being funny,

sarcastic, sincere, etc.

When communicating with someone we know well, however, we fill in the emotional

tone of the message based on our experience with that person.

When sending/receiving a

message from someone we only communicate with digitally, however,

the messages are often

misinterpreted.

How can email actually get you fired?

Studies have shown that 56% of the time, the reader could not discern sarcasm that

was specifically intended in emails.

However, if that same message was listened to,

the listener could tell it was

sarcastic 73% of the time.

You could easily lose a customer because they were offended by the "tone" of your email, which they completely misinterpreted.

Because it is so hard to read

emotions into emails, there are things to watch

for to ensure you don't alienate

your customers.

If your message is angry, sarcastic, or otherwise emotional, call the

recipient instead.

Never email when you are feeling emotional.

1)

Always try to start your message with a pleasantry

to lighten the mood and show your intention.

Neutral or negative emails will automatically be read as being negative rather than positive.

2)

Long emails won't be read, and too short ones are can sometimes be seen

as negative.

Just like Goldilocks, your email length needs to be "just right.”

3)

Do not use all caps, as that is considered the same as shouting.

If you absolutely have to emphasize something in your email, either use color or bold the text.

4)

They are generally considered inappropriate in professional emails.

Use emoticons very cautiously and only if you think the emotion you want to convey will not come through with text.

5)

Absolutely nothing will build your relationships faster with your customers,

however, than meeting with them regularly face-to-face.

The next best way to communicate with

your customers would be by telephone.

Why it’s critical that you answer your phone!

We still get a lot of information about the person and the message from the tone,

inflection, speed of speaking, emphasis, and other cues that come through in our speech.

The last choice of contact with your customers should be by email.

Try to only use it when sending regular items such as invoices.

If you do need to send some

information to a client,

make sure to follow up with a phone call that

same day to make sure they received the email and it was interpreted

correctly.

Be proactive and stay in personal touch with your customers, and you won't lose them through any email or text message

misunderstandings.

How the personal touch can make all the difference.

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