We all worry at some time or other, it is a fact of life. Whether it is about something we have said or done in the past or about what is going to happen in the future. When we are feeling this uncertainty or worry it is always good to get some reassurance from others that it isn't something we should worry about or it will be taken care of.
And when a customer writes an email to your company about something they are worried about, you have to take the role of the person reassuring them (and sometimes calming them down).
In order to write a good email of reassurance to a customer, you need to understand what goes into writing one. So, before showing you an example of a good email of reassurance, I will tell you some things to be aware of and some things you should and shouldn't do when writing one (you will see these being used in the example of the email of reassurance).
Treat their worries as valid, even when they aren't
Some people do have a tendency to worry more than others. And these are probably going to be the majority of people you are going to send an email of reassurance to. And when they do, it can be about the most trivial or ridiculous things.
But what may seem trivial or ridiculous to you, will definitely not seem so to them. And this is very important to know if you are dealing with a customer who is panicking or overly worried about some things.
Because when you are dealing with a customer who is like this, it is not enough just to address each concern and say that there is no need to worry about them and justify why (although you have to do this in the email that you write to them), you also have to tell them indirectly that the concerns that they have are valid (or at least one of them), even when you think they are not.
They don't know as much as you
All customers (both those who worry a lot and those who don't) will not know as much about how things operate in your company, the processes that you have etc..., as you do. So something to you which is obvious (e.g. how long it takes a refund to be sent, whether you can change an order after it is made etc...), is not going to be to them. So be aware of this and put yourself in their position.
Don't say we already told you
Even though you or someone else has already told them about something before they are asking about again (e.g. "as you were informed about in our previous...") or you know that they will have been informed of something before (e.g. "The conditions of cancellations were included in the email you received when you booked."), don't say these facts in the email you write. If you do, it sounds like you are telling them that they are wasting your time or that they are stupid for not remembering it or having read it. Which won't go down well.
Give them options
If it is possible to do so, give them the opportunity to change something if they want to (e.g. the dates of something they have booked or the size of something they have ordered). Being provided with options gives them the sense of having some control, which will make them feel better.
Don't say things you are not sure about
Although the purpose of an email of reassurance is to obviously reassure the person that they have nothing to worry about, you shouldn't make false or incorrect assertions. So:
- You shouldn't make false reassurances just to stop them worrying or contacting you again.
- Tell them things if you don't know if they are completely correct or don't know you can deliver what you say you are.
The worst thing you can do is to say that everything is fine when it isn't. Because they are likely going to find out at some point and this will impact very negatively on the trust that the person will have in the organisation that you work for.
If you are unsure about what you are telling them, check beforehand about what you are saying. If you don't know when you are writing the email, tell them that you are investigating it and you will get back in contact with them as soon as you find out.
Respond quickly
Get back in contact with them as quickly as you can. If you can't adequately answer their worries quickly, send a short email saying that you are looking into their concerns and you will get back to them shortly.
The structure to use
This type of email has a very simple three part structure (of which you will see in the example):
- The Introduction: Thank them for their email, say what their email was about and say you are going to answer their questions.
- The Body: Answer each of their questions.
- What next: Say you hope that you answered your questions and invite them to contact you again if they feel they need to. Or if you are still waiting on some information, tell them that you will get back in contact with them when you have it.
And that's pretty much what you need to know to write a good email of reassurance to a customer. And below you will see in use in the below example.
Click here to see more of our free online exercises on writing emails/letters
Example:
Read the following business email of reassurance from a hotel to a guest who is going to be staying in the hotel and has expressed in a previous email some worries/concerns that they have about their stay.
What the email does, says and the structure it uses can be for any industry/sector, not just the hotel sector.
From the context, try to guess what the meaning of the words/phrases in bold are. The word 'fumigate' in the below email means to put a chemical gas into a room to kill all the insects in it.
Dear Mr Jones,
Thank you for your email about your stay at the Bristol Hotel in Skipton between the 12th to 15th of July. Regarding the concerns you expressed about your stay, I can confirm the following:
With regards to noise, although it is true that the hotel is situated in a lively area of the town, every room in the hotel is fitted with double glazed windows and air conditioning. As a result, if the windows are closed, you will not be disturbed with noise during your stay here. But if you would like, we can place you in a room away from Main Street. Please advise us if this is something you would like.
On the question of insect infestations, it is a valid concern because unfortunately they do occur at some time at every hotel. However, we have measures in place at our hotel to ensure they do not affect our guests. Firstly, we fumigate every room in the hotel on a 6 monthly basis. In addition, our cleaning staff have been specially trained to recognise the early signs of an infestation in a room on their daily cleaning of rooms. If one is identified, the room will be taken out of service and subsequently fumigated.
And on the topic of breakfast, we do cater for guests who have a gluten intolerance. In order to ensure that you are provided with a gluten free breakfast, speak with reception the evening/night before and advise them that you want one for the following morning and at what hour. They will then ensure that the kitchen have one prepared for you when you come down to breakfast.
I hope this email has allayed your concerns. If not or you have any other questions, please feel free to email us at contact@bristolskipton.com or call us on 01535 654274.
We look forward to seeing you on the 12th of July.
Yours faithfully,
Emma Turner
Assistant Manager
10 ways to write better business emails/letters
