Email marketing is widely popular amongst many businesses; this form of marketing can be used either by a corporation such as Amazon or even a small diner where they send you birthday coupons after signing up for online newsletters. This has transformed the consumer landscape as well. Many customers have realized it is much easier to express their complaint through emails rather than to wait in line for about thirty minutes. The interesting thing is that going to the physical store and waiting in line has always served as a nuisance to most people but with emailing, more people are inclined to send their complaints. Now businesses are faced with training their employees on how to respond to those complaints because it’s extremely difficult when it comes to communicating with clients over emails since body language is removed from the equation. Also, many companies still don’t know how to respond to angry emails without ruining their online reputation but there are a few things to consider when replying to an angry customer.
Go Away
One of the best ways to react to an angry email is by simply walking away. Many employees tend to say things in the heat of the moment without thinking it through and this can backfire by affecting their name and the company name. It’s always best to walk away and come back to the email when you calmed down.
It’s Not About You
In most cases, employees who are tasked to responding to customer service emails take them personally and that is the number one mistake; you shouldn’t because it most likely wasn’t you why the product or service wasn’t working well. Remember, you are there to fix their issues and yes the customer will express themselves accordingly but you need to remember to focus on their problem and not your own emotions.
Enter the Sender’s Email Last
Never be in a hurry to reply to an email. The best thing to do is always type up the body of the email and read it afterwards to notice if this email would be a mistake.
Repaint the Person
When dealing with an extremely rude and profane person will likely leave you in a bad mood. Best way to shake this feeling off is by imagining that your friend or relative wrote this email. You’ll most likely be confused and will naturally want to figure out what’s the issue.
Reply to What they Need
It can be quite tempting to retaliate by insulting their grammar or syntax; however, this will only escalate the issue even further and risk your reputation. You need to ignore the emotional construct the person wrote their email and focus on the main issue at hand.
Keep out the Absolutes
It’s beneficial to not use words such as ‘definitely’ or ‘never’ since it will only weaken your reply because there is no such thing as absolutes. This will only serve as a catalyst for another problem in the near future.
Use the Luxury of Time
If you have the time to reply later, it is highly recommended. Always take advantage of the time because if you received an angry email, take time to think on it and then come back in order to reply with a clear head.
Your online reputation can be incinerated in an instant because of a simple email. Do not jeopardize the years of growth the company had to endure for a silly old email. Follow these tips on how to respond to an email and this will probably prevent you from making a silly mistake that can tarnish your reputation.