Providing quick and helpful customer service responses helps build brand trust and positive customer sentiment. So, wouldn’t it be nice to have a head start drafting responses to all of those unread messages? Particularly if many of those responses will be the same or similar? That’s where customer service email templates can help you save time and energy.
You can pre-draft a follow-up email template requesting feedback after a purchase, a renewal reminder email template for monthly subscriptions, or a product discount email template for your most loyal customers.
Learn how you can use templates to streamline your digital customer service, including templates you can use to craft your own responses.
Reasons to use customer service email templates
Customer service email templates can help you and your team:
-
Save time. Using templated responses can save time while still maintaining quality—assuming your templates are well written. When your customer support team can clear the bulk of their inboxes quickly, they can devote more time to complicated customer emails.
-
Improve response times. When reps don’t have to reinvent the wheel on every email, they can respond to customers more quickly—which your customers will appreciate.
-
Standardize your tone and approach. Using templated emails eliminates variability, as you know that your entire support team can use on-brand, pre-approved copy when responding to common queries or issues.
-
Keep it cool. When an email from an angry customer hits, a rep might struggle to respond with a level head. You can pre-empt a potentially emotional response with templates that address customer frustration with empathy.
Best practices for writing templated customer service emails
These best practices will keep your customers happy and make the process smooth for your customer success team:
Gather data
One of the best things you can do for your customer success team is listen to them. What types of emails or problems do they encounter frequently? What tactics have been most successful in resolving cases, and how can you incorporate those insights into new templates? It’s likely your team has answers to all of these questions, which can direct your template development.
Personalize
Templates shouldn’t feel impersonal to the customer receiving them. Make sure you personalize the content of a templated email with the customer name, details of the relevant recent purchase and the problem they have, and other basic details to make your follow-up feel more like a personalized solution. A little personalization can turn a customer’s negative experience into an interaction that creates a loyal customer.
Link to resources
A templated customer service email is a great place to include links to resources that can help customers solve problems themselves or get more information. Resources like FAQ pages or blog posts might pre-empt the customer from asking further questions if they can find the information they need.
Free Customer Service Email Templates
Make responding to customer inquiries quicker and more effective with these free templates.
Be empathetic
Apologizing and acknowledging a mistake can help paying customers know that you care. Recognize the distress that the problem may have caused, and then immediately work to resolve the problem. If the customer is at fault, you can still empathize with the problem that made the customer angry and work together to resolve it.
It’s crucial that templated apologies show empathy to the customer. Show you can put yourself in their shoes with a key customer service phrase like, “I would be frustrated/upset/confused/annoyed too.” Language like this validates the customer’s concerns and shows that your customer service reps are fellow humans who understand their frustrations.
Create space to recap
It’s a good practice to summarize the customer’s request at the start of your response. Leave space at the top of your templates for reps to recap what they heard from the customer in their inquiry. Then, outline exactly what you can do to help them—even if that solution doesn’t fully resolve their problem.
For example, in a templated response to complaints about delayed shipping, you’d have the rep recap the specific delay the customer experienced, then plug in the templated discount offer or shipping fee refund.
Follow up
One of the most important email templates you can create is a follow-up sent after you’ve resolved the issue. Consider templatizing a request for feedback on the customer’s satisfaction level with their interaction with your customer service team. Make it lightweight for the customer, so you’re more likely to get the valuable feedback you need.
12 customer service email templates for common scenarios
- Thank you email
- Order confirmation email
- Product back in stock
- Order delayed
- Product arrived damaged
- Product is unsatisfactory
- Birthday discount offer
- Cart abandonment
- Process opt-out
- Technical issue reported
- Follow-up
- Survey request
The following templates can help make responding to customer service emails a breeze. Don’t be afraid to insert your specific brand voice so your customers feel like they’re talking to you.
1. Thank you email
Hi [customer name],
We wanted to take a moment to thank you for being a loyal customer. Seriously, thank you so much for [the positive review, repeat purchases, etc.]. It’s an honor to serve you and we look forward to doing it again.
If you have any feedback to share or questions to ask, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We appreciate you!
Take care,
[company or service representative name]
2. Order confirmation email
Hi [customer name],
We’re reaching out to confirm we have placed your order for [product details]. We look forward to delivering your package on [date of delivery]. If you have any questions in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us by [responding to this email, reaching out to customer service department, etc.].
Thank you for choosing [company].
Best,
[company or service representative name]
3. Product back in stock
Hi [customer name],
We’ve got good news! The [item name and size, if relevant] is back in stock. Order now to get it before it sells out again.
Any questions? Just reply to this email and we’ll get in touch.
—[company name]
4. Order delayed
Hi [customer name],
Thank you for reaching out. We apologize for the delay in receiving your package [note if they paid for a certain shipping speed; for example: especially since you selected and paid for two-day express shipping].
I’ve checked the tracking information, and it looks like [state the status].
To make up for the inconvenience, I’ve [state the action taken; for example: issued a full refund for your shipping fee/attached a 10% discount for your next order].
If you have any further questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
Best,
[service representative name]
5. Product arrived damaged
Hi [customer name],
I’m so sorry to hear that the [specify the item] from your order arrived damaged. I can definitely see how that would be frustrating. Here’s what we’ll do to address this: [Specify the action you’ll take, per your company policy. For example: We’ll get a new one shipped to you right away and I’ll send the tracking information as soon as I have it.]
Thank you,
[service representative name]
6. Product is unsatisfactory
Hi [customer name],
I’m sorry to hear that the product wasn’t what you expected.
Here’s what we can do: [Specify what you can offer them or the action you can take, per your company policy. For example: We can send you a pre-paid return label so you can return the item for a full refund.]
Best,
[service representative name]
7. Birthday discount offer
Happy birthday [customer name]!
To celebrate, we have a [10%-off, buy-one-get-one, etc.] discount just for you. Plug-in code [code number] at checkout to claim your gift.
Wishing you a fun, festive day!
[company or service representative name]
8. Cart abandonment
Hey there [customer name],
We noticed you left the [item name hyperlinked to product page] in your cart. In case you’re still thinking about it, we’d like to offer you a 10% discount to seal the deal.
If you have any questions or hesitations, just reply to this email. We’ll be happy to help.
Best,
[company or service representative name]
Free Sales Email Templates
Craft compelling emails that convert! Our customizable templates help you engage prospects and close deals.
9. Process opt-out
Hello [customer name],
Thank you for reaching out. We have received and completed your request to [opt out of subscription renewal, unsubscribe, etc.].
Naturally, we’re sorry to see you go but hope to cross paths again in the future. If you have any questions about [service, subscription, etc.] or would like to [opt back in, resubscribe, etc.], please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Best,
[company or service representative name]
10. Technical issue reported
Hi [customer name],
Thank you for letting us know about [technical issue they reported]. We’ve passed your feedback on to our technical support team, and they are currently working to resolve this issue.
Please let us know if you have any questions or experience any other problems with our website.
Best,
[service representative name]
11. Follow-up
Hi [customer name],
We just wanted to check in and see how you’re enjoying the [product, service, subscription, etc.].
Have any questions? Concerns? Your feedback is extremely important to us and we’re here if you need help with anything. Don’t be a stranger and contact us at [email address, phone number, etc.] any time.
Cheers,
[company or service representative name]
12. Survey request
Hi [customer name],
We’re always looking for ways to improve our [service, products, etc]. Would you be willing to share your thoughts with us?
If you have a moment, we’d love your input via this short [tell them how many questions it has] survey. It won’t take you more than [tell them how many minutes] to complete.
We sincerely appreciate your feedback!
Cheers,
[company or service representative name]
Customer service email templates FAQ
How do you write a customer service email?
To write an email to a customer hoping to resolve issues with their order, begin by addressing them by their name (Hi, customer name), then summarizing the problem they’re having, empathizing with their frustration, and then providing an explanation or solution.
What is an example of a customer service email response?
If you’re looking to gather more customer feedback to improve your product, you could send a survey request email using this template:
Hi [customer name],
We’re always looking for ways to improve our [service, products, etc]. Would you be willing to share your thoughts with us?
If you have a moment, we’d love your input via this short [tell them how many questions it has] survey. It won’t take you more than [tell them how many minutes] to complete.
We sincerely appreciate your feedback!
Cheers,
[company or account manager name]
Why is a customer service email template useful?
Customer service email templates can help improve response times and will streamline your tone and approach to issues. Writing customer service emails in advance may seem less personal, but you can use autofill to automatically insert details like a customer’s name and contact details to create a more personalized solution.
