“We need your feedback”

Another look at examples of emails about customer surveys with two common but very different approaches…

Short and Sweet

The first example is a transactional email after contacting APC for support on a new UPS (uninterruptable power supply – excellent customer service by the way and definitely happy to recommend APC to all as a result). A couple of days after my support case was resolved I received an email with the subject We Need Your Feedback.

This email probably serves APC very well and it’s good because it’s short and to the point – how many customers actually read every word?

The only two issues I have is the email was personalised with the support ticket number so why no further personalisation (a greeting, subject/problem area from original support ticket)? The second is how very automated the message felt – signed off from the ‘Team’ rather than an individual (yet my correspondence was with the same rep.) and the “please do not reply to this email” message is a common bugbear amongst bloggers. It says “we’re interested in what you have to say, but only to the questions we ask“.

Today’s Takeaway Action: If you have a system for sending automated survey emails when support tickets are closed – review that message.

Too Much Information

I bookmarked this post earlier this month – Bank of America – This is NOT spam – showing a (poor) example of  a survey invite for Bank of America. A common problem is that the organisation feels the need to give lots of background to prove their credentials and the value of the research. For a bank this is much bigger because how do you prove you are who you say you are in an email?

Getting the Email Right

Contrast Bank of America’s message with Marks and Spencer’s Talk Shopping with Marks and Spencer email (screenshot left – click to zoom in).

All the supporting information – who we are, how did you get my details, and extra information is at the bottom of the email. Ok, this invitation is to join an online panel so it isn’t your regular “we need your customer feedback” type message – but it’s a good example of an email about a survey where more details are important/helpful/deemed necessary.

The key point and the call to action is at the top of the email, and all the content is broken into smaller, manageable chunks rather than chucked together in haste.

Dan Wardle