Customer service has become an on-demand industry. Consumers expect a business to provide self-service options, live chats, and a social media presence. That's on top of traditional channels like email and phone contacts.
Research from Hubspot tells us that 90% of customers expect an immediate response to a customer service query. That means a response in 10 minutes or less. With multiple channels bringing in hundreds or thousands of queries, that's a difficult task.
That's why many businesses have turned to customer service automation to assist. Automating simple tasks is great for efficiency, freeing up human agents for more complex queries. Yet, the personal touch can often be lost with automated responses.
What is a Response Template?
A response template is a tool that customer service teams use to bridge the gap between automation and personalization. If you work in customer service, then you know that a lot of simple questions with the same answer get asked every day.
Sometimes, we use automated responses to tell a customer their email has been received, send out-of-office messages, and so on. They're not very flexible, though.
Response templates also use pre-written text to answer frequently asked questions. The critical difference is that a human agent can select a response template, then customize details to personalize it for the customer.
This saves a lot of time writing out similar messages, while still giving the customer a personalized response. Templates can be set up in email clients like Gmail, third-party [inbox management apps]/blog/email-management-software), messaging services, and more.
We'll be focusing on their applications in customer service. They're not exclusively used for customer communications, though. Managers and trainers also use templates to share information like coaching techniques with employees and trainees.
What is Customer Service Automation?
When we say customer service automation, we're talking about using technology to automate services. Whether it's an helpdesk, a CRM system or a live chatbot, it comes under the same definition if it's automating a customer service function.
Response templates, or canned responses, can assist your automation efforts.
How Response Templates Benefit Customer Service
Canned responses can be highly effective customer service tools when they're used correctly. Sticking to your customer service best practices will help you design satisfying responses.
Use the principles of customer psychology to anticipate customer needs. Established patterns like reciprocity and the desire for instant gratification can help you predict user behaviors. You can use this to build and refine your solutions over time.
1. Efficiency Savings
Response templates help customer service teams reach peak efficiency. You can use well-tailored responses to improve your automation. This will, in turn, streamline the workload for your human agents.
Using responses that answer questions thoroughly and provide additional resources can cut down on repeat queries. For example, answering the customer's question and then also providing a link to your knowledge base.
When you combine well-designed responses, great customer service agents, and a reliable knowledge base, you can optimize your response times. Your agents can provide solutions to time-consuming, complex, issues while your automation helps with immediate answers.
2. Customer Satisfaction
These faster responsetimes will go towards improving customer satisfaction. So will getting accurate answers the first time. Customer satisfaction relies on more than this, though. Knowing when to use automation and when to switch to bespoke service is vital.
Recent studies from comm100 and Userlike into CX trends and automation tell us some interesting facts. Average Satisfaction rates for bot-chats are 87.58%. Yet, many customers feel bots lack understanding and 60% prefer to wait in a queue to deal directly with a human
There's an opportunity there. The more friction you can remove between automated and human service, the more you can improve customer satisfaction. The customizable nature of response templates is one way you can help bridge the gap.
3. Personalization
Personalized service is something that customers value highly. When customers feel like their issues are being listened to, they're more satisfied. Response templates can help your agents provide fast and efficient support while giving them room to personalize the details.
Delivering proactive support to your customers that is personalized to their needs will help you engage them. This can be important when you're looking to foster customer loyalty and create brand ambassadors.
Tips for Creating Customer Service Responses
These are just a few potential applications of response templates. You can use them for a wide variety of customer responses. The important part is making them sound personal and relevant. These are the best tips for crafting your response templates for a better customer experience.
1. Keep it Conversational
The whole point of a template is to be useful for as many people as possible. That means you must use simple and clear language when you write a response template. Avoid jargon and sales-speak, and keep the tone conversational.
2. Address the Issue
Make sure that your response addresses the core issue that your customer is having. If there are several issues, address each one. Giving a response that only solves half of a customer's complaint or problem will only lead to unnecessary follow-ups and angry customers.
3. State the Next Steps
Always tell the customer what happens next. Whether that's something you have to do internally or something you need from the customer. Reassurance on timeframes and next steps can cut down on repeat queries and remove anxieties for your customers.
4. Be Flexible
Using response templates is a balancing act. If you use them for every response, it can start to feel robotic to the customer. A conversation can go many different ways and you can't have a template for every scenario. Make sure you still treat every customer as an individual.
A question like "what is the pricing?" is easy to answer. A template response can still feel more personal than an auto-response with a link to some FAQs. If a customer follows up with a more complex use question, though, it's probably time to start a real dialogue.
5. Test & Improve
Collect feedback from customers, if you have the capability use behavioral data too. You can monitor the performance of your responses. Using KPIs like their impact on customer satisfaction, you can see which responses work and improve those that don't.
Customer Service Response Templates
Here are some examples of customer service email response templates that will help with everyday queries.
"How To" Answer & Helpful Follow-up
Hi [customer name],Thanks for your question! I'm happy to help you with [how-to question].Just [how-to answer] and you're done!You can follow the step-by-step guide in our knowledge base tutorial here [link].If you need to [related how-to question], you can check out this tutorial [link].Please don't hesitate to contact me again if you have any more questions.Regards[team member/team]
Customized Instant Support Response
Dear [customer name]Thank you for reaching out, We're sorry to hear you're experiencing this issue. Our support team is currently investigating [issue details] and will update you within [response timeframe] business days.Please feel free to use this [thread/email/ticket] to update us with any further details in the meantime. We'll provide further updates as soon as they are available.Regards[team member/ team]
Request for Feedback
Hi [customer name],I'm contacting you to follow up on your recent [support issue]. I just wanted to make sure that the issue was resolved and that you were satisfied with my support. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any follow-up questions.If you have the time, I'd love to get your feedback on the support you received. We value customer service highly and if there's any way we can improve our support process for you, please let us know here [link].Thank you for your time[team member/team]
Using Templates in Inbox Management Apps
Business is using more remote support than ever. Enabling inbox collaboration through third-party apps is now a common practice. These kinds of apps can help you collaborate with your remote teams and contractors.
Using apps like Missive, you can share your response templates with remote teams, too. This means you can provide a consistent tone of voice and service across separate support channels.
Once you've added your templates to the app, it's as easy as selecting from a drop-down menu to add them to your responses.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to customer service, the most important part is putting the customer first. Data analytics can give you insights into trends, but they can't tell you what customers are feeling. Following these customer service tips for small businesses can help ensure your clients have a great customer experience.
Being open to communication with your customers is the best way to get real feedback. When you have a better understanding of your customer's emotions, you can create more meaningful interactions. Response templates are just a tool to help facilitate those interactions.
