How to reduce customer complaints by 99% (ECOM).
ANSWERING ANGRY CUSTOMERS IS TIME & ENERGY CONSUMING. I MADE THIS LITTLE GUIDE BECAUSE I SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THIS PROBLEM. HOPE IT HELPS AS MUCH AS IT HELPS ME.
Most of the emails received are due to a lack of information, customers are a wild animal that hate not knowing. They feel “The void of uncertainty” and they have to make you know.
So, what's the solution? Easy: Flood them with info before they feel the urge to bother you (or your VAs which cost you money).
Thanks to this email flow I managed to reduce dramatically emails from customers asking Sh#*!
Of course this is a general template and you will have to adapt shipping times to yours.
What will you need:
- Simple and clear Shipping policy
- Simple and clear Refund policy
- FAQ page (This only, will cut a ton of emails)
- Email provider (Klaviyo, Mail chimp, Abandonment protector, etc..)
- Tracking page (17 track or whatever..)
- Shipping times and C0VlD-19 notifications displayed all over the place (Banner, Product page, Cart page…)
THE FLOW & TEMPLATES
The idea is to keep customers fully informed at all times so they are fully responsible for their decisions. Also protect you against possible complaints.
This is how it looks like:
- Customer purchase.
- Thank you email
- Order confirmation
- “What to expect email” (24h after)
- Shipping confirmation with tracking no.
- Shipping reminder (7 days after)
- Shipping reminder (14 days after)
- Shipping reminder (21 days after)
1 Customer purchase.
Customers land on the page and the first thing they see is the banner “C0VlD-19: Delays may occur due to the current health emergency situation. >Learn more.” the banner links to your shipping policy with relevant C0VlD-19 info about delays..
Also you can state shipping times somewhere on the description. This may impact your ATC rate so you will have to test & decide.
2. “Thank you email Template”
This one is sent immediately after purchase. The goal here is to clarify shipping times and weed out bad customers asap before sending anything and to have something to show in case of complaint.
You want to wait 24h before sending any product, trust me.
Template:
{{client_name}}!
We just wanted to send you a thank you note for your order.
We are processing your order and will send you an email confirmation shortly.
We hope you enjoy your products!
**REMEMBER,
International shipping may take [Your shipping times] business days.
COVID - 19: Delays may occur due to the current health emergency situation. Parcels can take up to [MAX shipping times] business days in some extreme cases.
Please be patient, your order is tracked at all times and the support service is always available if something happens. Thank you for your comprehension.
*If you don't want to wait for your order you can cancel it during the next 24 hour by replying to this email.
If you have any questions please please visit our [FAQ page link] or contact us at:
[support email address]
Best wishes,
XYZ
3. Order confirmation (5 min after purchase)
Simply modify your order confirmation email with info about the shipping times. Put this info just after the receipt.
Template:
[Customer’s Receipt]
You will receive an email with a tracking number once your order is shipped.
**REMEMBER, after processing the order international shipping may take [Your shipping times] business days.
COVID - 19: Delays may occur due to the current health emergency situation. Parcels can take up to [MAX shipping times] business days in some extreme cases.
Please be patient, your order is tracked at all times and the support service is always available if something happens.Thank you for your comprehension.
-You can check further info about shipping times here: [Your Shipping policy link]
Best wishes,
XYZ
4. “What to expect email” (24h after)
This one is to paint a picture on your customer's mind and set the correct expectations. Remember, people don’t care about shipping times or where products are from (mostly), people biggest concern is “THE VOID OF UNCERTAINTY”
Template:
Dear {{client_name}}
We want to thank you for your trust and let you know what to expect next.
We know you must be impatient to receive your order, so here are some helpful tips and important information.
1) ORDER CONFIRMATION
After your purchase, we have sent you a confirmation email with your order details.
If you haven't received it, be sure to check your spam / promotions folder.
In the coming days we will continue to send you some emails to keep you updated on the status of your order.
2) TRACKING ORDERS
You will receive a second email with your tracking number once your products have been shipped.
You can track your order through our [Your Tracking Page Link] to know where your order is at all times.
3) SHIPPING TIMES
Shipping time is [Your shipping times] business days, depending on your country.
C0VlD-19: Due to the current situation, delivery times may be affected.
This means that delivery times can take up to [MAX shipping times] business days in some extreme cases.
All this information is available in detail in our Shipping Policy [Your Shipping policy link]
If you have any questions please please visit our [FAQ page link] or contact us at:
[support email address]
We wish you a great day!
Best wishes,
XYZ
5. Shipping confirmation with tracking no.
Sent automatically by shopify after fulfilling the orders. Feel free to modify it and include shipping times again.
I don't recommend including the tracking page at this point as tracking numbers are usually not functional yet.
6. Shipping reminder (7 days after)
First touch after sending the items to make your customers know that you don’t forget about their order. By this time tracking info should be updated and show that the products have moved.
This represents a huge relief in customers' minds because it confirms that the package is real and is moving. (Not just a fake tracking)
Template:
Hey {{client_name}}
Your order is on the way!
Click on the following button to locate your order.
* You must enter the tracking number that we have sent you in the shipping confirmation email.
[Button to tracking page]
If you do not have your tracking number, you can contact us by replying to this email.
REMEMBER:
International shipping may take [Your shipping times] business days.
COVID - 19: Delays may occur due to the current health emergency situation. Parcels can take up to [MAX shipping times] business days in some extreme cases.
Please be patient, your order is tracked at all times and the support service is always available if something happens.Thank you for your comprehension.
Cheers!
7. Shipping reminder (14 days after)
Keep filling the void.
Template:
Hi {{client_name}}
We just wanted to let you know that your order is still on the way and that everything is going according to plan.
Quick reminder:
Shipping time is [Your shipping times] business days, depending on your country.
C0VlD-19: Due to the current situation, delivery times may be affected.
Thank you for your patience!
Click on the following button to locate your order.
[Button to tracking page]
* You must enter the tracking number that we have sent you in the shipping confirmation email.
* If you have already received your order, please ignore this email.
Have a nice day!
8. Shipping reminder (21 days after)
Last email just to make sure packages arrived correctly within your estimates. This makes a huge difference in customers' mood in case they didn’t receive their order.
Note that you have already stated that you are eager to help if anything went wrong so usually customers reach out politely asking for help and NOT demanding in rage.
Template:
Hi {{client_name}}
We just wanted to make sure you received your order.
If you still haven't received it, it could be a slight delay due to the current situation, or the postman who forgot to leave a notice, and the package is waiting at the Post office.
If you have not yet received your order, please reply to this email or contact us at: [support email address] and we will review it together to find the best solution.
* If you have already received your order, please ignore this email.
Thank you!
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And that's it. Feel free to make sugestions to improve this guide. I've also attached the guide in PDF . Cheers!
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