- Make your email's subject line meaningful and to the point. For example: “Dog Chewed My Lifetime Warranty Chacos—Need Replacement"
- Keep a courteous tone, even if you are registering a complaint or expressing your frustration.
- Never include any usernames, passwords, or credit card/payment information. Only communicate these details over the phone, if at all.
Reviewing the Website
Look for an answer. Before you sit down to write an email to the customer service department of any company, you should make sure that the answer to your question isn’t already on their website. Many companies have answers to common questions on various pages of their website, such as FAQs or support pages. You can usually find access to these sections of a company website by scrolling all the way to the bottom of any page and clicking a link that says “Contact Us” or “Help” or “Customer Service.”
Find the customer support page. If you don’t see a link for customer service at the bottom of their website, you may be able to use the search box. There is often either a field you can type into or the icon of a magnifying glass in the upper right hand corner of a company’s homepage. Type in search terms like “customer service” or “contact” and hit enter. You can also use the search function to find direct information on your query. Often the “Contact Us” provides a live chat service, or an email field for customers to submit their comments or complaints. Before using this email field, make sure that you will be emailed a copy. If not, search the website for an email address to contact via your personal email account so that you can keep a record of your correspondence.
Review the company policy. If you don’t find an answer to your question in the search bar or under the FAQs, you may be able to find it in the “About Us” or return policy pages. Again, scroll to the very bottom of the website and look at the links available. Search for any link that might contain the answer to your question: About Us, Index, Credit Card, Product Availability, Return Policy, Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and so on. Even if you don’t find an answer under one of these links, it is useful to look through them because you can use your extra knowledge of the company to get what you need from them in your email.
Writing the Email
Decide whether it’s a complaint or appreciation email. Not all email communications with customer support have to be complaints or questions. You may simply want to thank them for their good customer service. Positive emails like this are welcomed by most companies just as much as emails posing questions. Registering a complaint by phone call is often faster and more direct than an email. Email is great for submitting your gratitude or asking a question that doesn’t need an immediate answer, but if you want an issue resolved instantly, the best way is to call. While it may not be your primary motive, a positive customer service email could get you a relevant reward or coupon for future use.
Write a clear subject line. Make your subject line meaningful and to the point. You want the customer service rep who looks at their inbox to notice yours first so that you get a faster response. For example: “Dog Chewed My Lifetime Warranty Chacos—Need Replacement”
Open with a greeting. Once you’ve nailed down a solid subject line, the next step is to greet the customer service rep. Don’t just launch into your problem. You wouldn’t skip the greeting on a phone call or in person, would you? It can be as simple as “Dear Customer Service Team.” Try to find a name to insert in your greeting. Some smaller companies may list the names of their customer service reps, and utilizing this can make you seem more personable and desirable to work with. Even if you cannot find a name for your initial email, be sure to use the rep's name in all future communications. You can end this greeting with a comma or colon. "Dear Customer Service," OR "Dear Customer Service:"
Keep standard writing practices. Maintain the rep’s respect by using standard type. Don’t use all caps, a mix of uppercase and lowercase caps, or script fonts. Just type using standard punctuation, spelling, and capitalization. This will help your email to be taken seriously.
Maintain a courteous tone. Keep a courteous tone, even if you are registering a complaint or expressing your frustration. You will be more valued as a customer and probably given more courteous treatment in return.
Identify yourself. After your greeting to the rep, introduce yourself. Offer your name and explain what type of customer you are, whether a first-time or repeat. In both cases, the rep will want to keep your business. If it is relevant, mention your geographic location (such as for an outdoors product or service).
Be specific. Use specific language in your email. Avoid using generic terms, like “my product;” instead, describe in detail what the product or service is and why this item is worth emailing about. Describe any relevant events associated with it so that the rep knows exactly what the problem is. Offering this information in the initial email prevents a long email conversation. Use the URL of the product, if available, so that the rep has an immediate reference for your description. Include your order ID in the email as well, since most reps are going to ask you for it anyway. This ID number is how your order is tracked and maintained in their system.
Ask clear questions. Get right to the point in your email. Don’t beat around the bush. Once you have greeted the rep and introduced yourself, start a new paragraph that tells the rep exactly what is going on, using the specific language mentioned in the previous step. Directly ask for any concessions you want. Do not be shy or hesitant in your tone. If you want something in exchange for a defective product, say so. The worst they can say is no.
Write short paragraphs. Make sure your paragraphs are short. Keeping them to 1-3 sentences is ideal. It also allows the rep to quickly scan the email for how to prioritize it, and if your email is a block of text, they will likely lower it to the bottom of the list just because they don’t have time to figure out what you’re saying.
Close with a simple signature. End the email with a final sentence to summarize your request or compliment, followed by a salutation. Signing off as “Sincerely” works fine, but you can also leave off a salutation and just insert your email signature. You can also indicate your urgency by signing off with “Eagerly awaiting your reply,” or something along those lines. An email signature is a short block of text that includes your name, occupation, and contact info. You can format an email signature in your email provider’s settings and set it to automatically appear in new messages.
Leave out attachments. Unless specifically requested by the online directions for contacting customer service, try not to attach any documents to your initial email. Many websites have spam filters that target emails with attachments, making it likely that your email will get moved to the trash before it is ever read. Do not include any usernames, passwords, or credit card/payment information either.
Proofread before sending. After your email is complete, don’t get excited and hit the submit button quite yet. You need to proofread this email, making sure no careless typos interfere with the excellence of your words. Even if you typed the email using your smartphone, the automatic “sent from my iPhone” tag does not excuse errors in grammar and punctuation that make you look less than professional.
Follow up. If you haven’t heard a reply to your email after a few days, it is likely that the email was caught in a spam filter or moved to the bottom of the stack. Send an email noting your previous email and asking if your first one has been received.
Staying Polite
Maintain proper grammar and spelling. You may not realize it, but part of maintaining a polite tone includes using good grammar and spelling. Taking care to communicate yourself clearly shows that you respect the other party, as well as demonstrates that you are generally a polite person.
Display your education and knowledge. Don’t be pretentious, but do allow your education to shine through by using good vocabulary. Also, if you have scoured the company website and learned a bit about their policies, mention that you have read them and still can’t find an answer to your problem.
Avoid joking around. Witty remarks and jokes have their place, but you want to be taken seriously. Such language can be interpreted as inappropriate, something you want to avoid when dealing with any business. Once you build a rapport with a rep through a series of emails, joking will more readily be accepted and understood.
Express yourself without aggression. Even though you may be angry at how a product or service has been handled, expressing this in an email will not get you the results you need. Communicating your issue with respect and courtesy will go much further than a mean or aggressive email. Keep in mind that you can’t properly express emotion through text. If you are upset enough about your issue to want immediate attention, resorting to a phone call might be more effective.
Mention your loyalty and gratitude. Finally, mentioning how loyal you are to a company and how grateful you have always been for their service in the past makes it easier for reps to appreciate your email and respond more quickly.
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