Email customer support by tahsin raza to sales and marketing

Email Customer Support

It’s Different !

Email Response Training 2

Some reasons why ….

Need for several drafts Templates need to be customized, however

clients strongly go by templates Don’t have good writing samples Can’t decide on grammar checks I don’t like to write, its difficult


Some reasons why ….

We write typically to a perceived customer profile

I’m stuck with least information, how could I move on without all information

Writing takes so much time Liability is a big fear Why bother ? My QM will rewrite


What we need to focus..

Written language

Customer orientation

Problem solving


5 Cs of Writing to a customer

Clear Correct Complete Concise

Connect


Check your language skills


Ten Ways to Simplify Your Sentences

Sentence comes out of the Latin word ‘sententia’ which means ‘opinion’ or ‘decision’

Sentence could be a ‘complete thought’or a complete thought might be composed of many sentences

Research proves that most readable sentences are from 10 to 17 words long

Your reader will be grateful if your average sentence length hovers around 15 words


Sentence Builder # 1Put the essential ideas into essential sentence

The grammatical core of a sentence is that it should have a subject (noun) and a predicate ( verb) eg . She likes poetry

Consider this : “ Because of her class teacher who taught her English ,in spite of her poor background, she started reading more poetry and she liked poetry”


Sentence Builder # 1Put the essential ideas into essential sentence

This could be improved to “She liked poetry because of her class teacher

who taught her English. In spite of her poor background, she started reading more and more poetry

Exercise 1


Sentence Builder # 2Use the active voice

“ Sympathy is felt at your loss”“ A Merry Christmas is wished to you”“ You are loved by me “ How do you feel if greeting cards come with

these phrases Verbs in the active voice tells the reader who

did what Using passive voice blurs the question and

answer to the reader



Compare

“ Prices are set by three in house sales representatives on a weekly basis from the respective current market prices of the product less a 4% reserve”

With

“Three in house sales representatives set the price every week. They base the price on the current market price of the product less 4 % reserve”



Recast your sentence by asking Who / What is doing the main action here ? “ work will commence as soon as the

authorisation is received by us” “ We will begin work as soon as you authorise us

to do so” or “The completion of call reports by all sales

persons should be mandatory” “ All sales persons must complete call report”


Sentence Builder # 3Write with verbs

Higher the ratio of verbs to nouns ,the more energetic your writing will be

Words that end with ‘-ation’, ‘-ing’, ‘-tion’,

‘-ment’,’ ‘-ance’, ‘-al’ , ‘-ure’ are th nouns

Noun Verb

Determination Determine

Attendance Attend

Consideration Consider



Turn needless nouns into verbsNoun Form

Careful thought was given

Return it after each use

As per your request

Thank you for your call

Let’s have a talk



Verb FormWe thought

Return it after you use it

As you requested

Thank you for your call

Let’s talk



Verbal forms feels personal and immediate, while the noun form is formal and distant

If you want to be formal choose noun form but if you want to express warmth and accessibility use verb form

Exercise 2


Sentence Builder # 4Parallelism is not a gymnastic event

Parallelism is a technique to enable you to harness a powerful need of the mind .The need to find a pattern.

Using the same grammatical structure ina series of phrases is what makes the phrases parallel


Sentence Builder # 4Parallelism is not a gymnastic event

In general parallel phrases echo parallel ideas

Eg I came. I saw. I conquered

Instead say this “ I came. I saw . Gaul was conquered by me “

See the power of parallelism


Sentence Builder # 5Don’t dangle your modifiers

A modifier is a word or group of words that alter the meaning of words or sentences

A modifier is dangling when it is not clear exactly what is supposed to be modifying



While reading the newspaper, the dog got loose

While I was reading the newspaper, the dog got loose

After seeing the presentation ,the plan became clear

After I saw the presentation, the plan became clear



Step 1: Identify the essential sentence

Step 2: Identify the implied sentence or phrase

Step 3: Add the missing subject


Sentence Builder # 6Beware the Preposition Trap

Prepositions connect pieces of information Eg “Consolidated accounts receivable totaled Rs 22.32.Mn with

Rs 1.67 Mn or 7.4 % in excess of 90 days from invoice date compared to accounts receivable totaling Rs 19.33 Mn with Rs 1.14 Mn or 5.8% in excess of 90 days from invoice date at 12/31/07”

The prepositions in this para are -

Consolidated accounts receivable totaled Rs 22.32.Mn with Rs 1.67 Mn or 7.4 % in excess of 90 days from invoice date compared to accounts receivable totaling Rs 19.33 Mn with Rs 1.14 Mn or 5.8% in excess of 90 days from invoice date at 12/31/07”



11 Prepositions No wonder we end up with so long

sentences. Two Reasons why it is dangerous to use too

many of them Grammatically prepositions are weak as

compared to subject and predicate Prepositions entice writers into making basic

grammar mistakes



The vase of flowers are on the table

Due to higher returns and lower prices of computers, the gross profit for computer systems have also dropped by 5 %

Link the subject to the verb and you will not make a mistake.


Sentence Builder # 7Break the Sentences at Conjunctions

If you want to take apart a long sentence, cut it at the seams

They went to the movie and they went out for dinner

He finally bought the car that he has been longing for

Words like which, that, since and because are natural spots to break the sentence


Sentence Builder # 8State points positively

People want to know what is and not what isn’t

The moment you begin a sentence with “It is not …” or “Although….” or “Please don’t think….” the reader is anxious to know what on earth is it

There is nothing to be alarmed about We have a small problem, but we can solve it


Sentence Builder # 9Reduce Redundancy

Every unnecessary word you add will distract your reader’s attention

Repeating the same idea within a sentence will not add to it’s impact

Check your writing for words used frequently

Hunt down repetitions of ideas or words and delete them


Sentence Builder # 9Reduce Redundancy

Plan in advance Resume again Reduce down Pending receivables Little miniatures Advance reservations One A.M. in the morning Return back


Sentence Builder # 10Create Vivid Images

What was the happiest moment in your life ? Did your memory come to you in words or

was it an image ? Sensory verbs and images anchor your

message Remember the power of image .Link strong

images to your key thoughts


Parts of Speech

Nouns : Are names of people, things, places or concepts. Could be common noun (Man, house, dog) or Proper Nouns (Chennai, Mr George Bush )

Pronouns: A substitute for nouns or pronouns. Could be Nominative (we) or Objective ( Us) or Possessive ( Our )


Parts of Speech

I , Me , My He , Him , His They , Them , Theirs She , Her , Hers It, It , Its You , You , Yours


Parts of Speech

Verbs : Express action and action in time

Active verbs place actions in time

He ate fish ( Action ) He was a fish ( Being )


Parts of Speech

Adjectives : Modifies nouns or pronouns, describe or limit the words. They answer the questions : Which one ? Or What kind ? Or How many ? Or Whose ?

Adverbs : Modifies verbs, adjectives or other adverbs ,clauses. They often express time, place or direction , manner , degree , or assertion


Parts of Speech

Preposition: Connects a noun or a pronoun with another word in a sentence and makes clear the relationship between the two

Conjunctions: Joins words or group of words

Interjections : Express emotions


Parts of Speech

Jim’s chocolate cake is really delicious He loves to eat chocolate cakes Jim’s chocolate cake is really delicious. He loves to

eat chocolate cake. Jim’s chocolate cake is really delicious Jim’s chocolate cake is really delicious Jim brought the chocolate cake to the party Jim and his friends ate the whole cake Wow! That cake was great!


Choice of Words

Here are few rules you could adapt


Use Short Words Affirmative Anticipate Cooperate Determine Facilitate Forward Indicate Prior to Pertaining to Presently Terminate Transpire

Yes Expect Help Find Make easy Send Show Before About Now End Happen


Use Short Words

Use words such as the ones on the right side, and your readers will understand your messages faster, easier and with fewer chances of misinterpreting what you say


Use Orthodox Spelling

Writing "nite" for "night", "thru" for "through" and "cuz" for "because" may be acceptable in a personal letter or for the name of a store trying to catch people's attention (Kopy Kat PhotoKopy), but it has no place in business letters or memos.


Use Only Necessary Words

Eliminate any word that does not contribute to your message. The more unnecessary words you can eliminate, the stronger and clearer your writing will be.

According to statistical data received by this office, there is an increasing amount of investment on the part of the government being made available for computer research.

The government is increasing its investment in computer research.


Use Only Necessary Words

At this point in time For the purpose of In the event that Due to the fact that In the final analysis Until such time as

Now To If Because Finally Until


Use Personal Words

Until recently, using words such as "I" and "we" was considered bad form in business writing. The common substitute was the word "one". Today, with business writers moving towards greater directness and simplicity in their style, "I" and "we" are not only acceptable, they're encouraged


Use Personal Words

Notice the difference between the awkward sentence that follows and the improved rewrite:

if there are any problems regarding the above mentioned matter, please direct all inquiries to the customer relations office.

If you have any problems, please contact me.


Use Personal Words

On the other hand, you don't want to be too personal. Notice the difference between this overly informal sentence and the improved rewrite:

You've got to remember that the main thing about taking minutes is getting them transcribed quickly.

Please transcribe the meeting notes as soon as possible.


Use Contractions

Unless you want to maintain a strictly formal relationship with your reader, consider using contractions. As contractions are spoken so naturally, they are a very subtle way to draw the reader into your message and allow you to come across as warm and personal.


Use Words That People Like to Hear

Positive - sounding words help create a positive response.Compare the words people like to hear in the column on the left with those that turn people off:

Achieve Appreciate Success You say Can Welcome

Blame Complain Failure You claim Impossible Won’t


Use ‘Speaking’ Words

Many writers feel they have to dress up ordinary words when they write. They want to sound learned and important, but they wind up sounding obscure and affected.

Henceforth ∆ From now Heretofore ∆ Before To be in receipt of ∆ Have Enclosed please find ∆ Here is Commensurate with ∆ Equal to Termination ∆ End


Use Correct Words

Words that mean what they say and say what they mean. Here are some commonly misused words and what you can do about them: Affect , Effect Aggravate, Irritate Allude, Elude Among, Between.


Use Correct Words

Some more commonly misused words Anybody, Anyone Assure, Ensure, Insure Being. Not needed after “regard” in sentences such as “He

was regarded as being the best”. Preferred is “He was regarded as the best”.

Can, May. Compare To, Compare With Data. Like “media” and “phenomena”, “data” is plural. It

refers to more than one fact or piece of evidence


Use Correct Words

Disinterested, Uninterested Farther, Further Fewer, Less. Imply, Infer Irregardless. No such word. The word we want is

“regardless”. Its, It’s Like, As. Reason Is Because, Reason Is That Try to, Try and Unique


Be Consistent

Maintain the same verb tense throughout each paragraph that you write. If you begin a paragraph in the present tense, stay in the present tense until you end the paragraph. Or if you want to switch tenses, begin a new paragraph with every tense change.


Avoid Cliches.

Cliches are expressions that have been used so often they’ve lost whatever energy they might originally have had. Here are some clichés and words to consider using in their place:

tried and true ………… reliable the bottom line ………. the deciding factor don’t hesitate to call …. please call few and far between … .rare in a nutshell ………..… in short at this point in time ….. now


Avoid Euphemisms

Euphemisms are words and phrases meant to hide negative things. Some of them “deceased” for “dead”, for example have their place, but most of them dull our style and serve no useful role in business writing.

Euphemism …………………… Alternative revenue enhancement …………. price increases negative impact ……………..… bad effect pre-owned …………………….. used contrary to expectations ………. unexpected


Avoid Jargon

Use technical language or words peculiar to a special business when these words meet the needs of a particular reader. The rest of the time, write in plain, non-technical, conversational prose


Avoid Acronyms, Initials and Abbreviations : Write the complete name first time and when repeated you could use abbreviations/acronyms

Avoid Sexist Language Words that favor one gender over the other have no place in business or any other kind of writing. To avoid sexist pronouns use the “he or she” construction (“Each manager must file his or her report”) or switch to the less awkward plural “they’, “them”, “their”, themselves” whenever possible (“All mangers must file their reports”).


mailman……………………….letter carrier salesman…………………sales representative policeman………………….… police officer newsman…………………..…..journalist fireman………………………. firefighter chairman…………………..… chairperson spokesman……………………spokesperson


mankind …………………… people manned…………………….. staffed average man………………...average person all men……………………... all people

And don’t forget to give men and women equal treatment

men and ladies …………... men and women man and wife…………….. husband and wife John Dow and Mary ….…. John Dow and Mary

Ward


Finally, a few do’s and don’ts

Down with per Never qualify an absolute eg complete stop,

absolutely nothing, totally empty,100% pure, exactly equal, absolute minimum or absolute maximum, completely full

Abolish respectively Don’t hedge –rather, seemingly, somewhat,

kind of, mostly , very , pretty , little , it would seem , in some respects , for the most part


Avoid empty introductions: the truth is that, apparently, it is obvious that, as I recall, the fact is that , as a matter of fact

Remember the magic words : “we cannot always oblige, but we can always speak obligingly” – Volataire

Warm it up :A cool tone is formal and stiff, while a warm tone is informal and friendly


Mark Your Punctuation

To end a statement : Use a period, question mark or exclamatory mark

To introduce: Use a comma, dash or colon To separate parts of sentence : Use comma,

semi colon, dash or hyphen To enclose parts of a sentence or a whole

sentence: Commas, dashes, quotation marks, single quotation marks, parenthesis or brackets


Use commas carefully : Read your work aloud .As you read ,insert a comma where your voice pauses. The general trend in business writing is to use fewer commas

Apostrophe apathy: Used to indicate where a letter is omitted ( Let us – Let’s ),To show possession ( ( John’s car),To show plural and possession (the cats’ – if there are many cats –bowl is in the kitchen)


“ Quote” Rules

To reproduce verbatim as a person said To enclose titles or articles to a sentence Don’t use quotation marks to set off a

paraphrased content Use single quote mark for quote – within - a

quote If you begin a quote from a middle of a

sentence ,don’t capitalize.


Make your point and get out

“I have never seen a person who could cram so small an idea into so many words”

--- Abraham Lincoln

Marketing

Email customer support by tahsin raza to sales and marketing