Wednesday, January 05, 2011 The Best Customer Service Email Ever!

Confirmation emails are status quo - or so I thought!  This year I made a commitment to improve my health and start working out 4 - 5 times per week.  I guess if you put a lot in, you'll get a lot out.  Anyway, I decided to start using some supplements to increase my protein intake and improve the quality of what I put into my body.  

Customer Communication Is Key.

Searching for some meal replacement drinks and supplements online, I came across Bodybuilding.com.  It happens to be a very robust site including a full marketplace, advice, and additional resources that allow you to track your progress.  After ordering online I received the standard confirmation email - that was about a week ago.  Today I received a follow up email from the Customer Service Manager that was both personalized and unexpected.  It knocked my socks off!  I've included the entire email herein:

Hello Michael! 

It has been seven days since your order was shipped so hopefully your order #14077740 was delivered without any problems. We made sure to ship your order as QUICKLY as possible! I hope our service beat your expectations.

I noticed you ordered a protein powder. Smart! We have seen the best results from customers when they use a protein powder everyday like clockwork. The Met-Rx Meal Replacement, 18 Packets, Chocolate Peanut Butter is a great one.

I found this new article for you about protein that will help you get the best results:
Protein Bio-Availability Explained! It was written by Joey Vaillancourt.

Don't forget that taking a multi-vitamin can help you get better results.

Sincerely,
Jeff Newman
Customer Service Manager
Bodybuilding.com
2026 S. Silverstone Way
Meridian, ID 83642 USA
1-877-991-3411

WOW!  That's the best friggin' follow up email I think I've ever received.  The reason I think it was so good is because the unexpected email was:

• Personalized based on my order
• Specific with regard to what I ordered
• Reinforced the purchase decisions I made
• Encouraged me to use what I bought
• Provided additional value-added references
• Provided contact information

How does your customer service messaging measure up?  I hope this example will serve as a way to motivate all of us to think about our communications with customers after the sale.  As marketers we know that keeping a customer is often much more affordable than acquiring a new one.  

Take a closer look at your follow up processes.  If you are communicating after the sale, is your communication personalized?  Does it provide product purchase information?  Additional resources that are related to the purchase? We can always make our follow up communications better!