Writing skills in Customer Success are often underrated.
Your primary objective in any written communication with your customers is to get to the point fast without any misunderstanding.
As a general rule, you should always ask yourself:
“Does what I’m saying add any more value to the topic?”
If so, go ahead. If not, simply remove it.
But unfortunately, there are still a few phrases people often use that don’t move the needle any further.
Worse, these are damaging your reputation as a highly effective Customer Success professional.
So here are 3 of them you should remove from your communications to avoid ruining your relationships with your customers over time:
1. “As per my last email”
We’ve all used this at least once, right?
We wanted to tell customers we already discussed it and that we thought it was a great way to remind them.
But looking at it closely, there is way too much aggressivity in this phrase.
Why?
Telling your customers that you’re repeating yourself in such a formal manner can make you feel empowered.
But in reality, it has the opposite consequences.
Basically what you’re saying is:
“I mentioned this to you earlier and was expecting you’d take it into consideration. But here I am to remind you a second time. Please ensure you read it as I want to avoid telling you again.”
The point people are missing out here is that your customer is also busy with other priorities.
Your email might simply have been buried within tens of others without any voluntary intention from your customer not to read it.
So instead of assuming anything, you can simply bring your email back on top of your customer’s inbox and say something like:
“Hi, I’ve just seen [this other topic that can interest you] and it reminded me [what you need them to take action about]”
It’s a nice way to catch up without looking too intrusive.
But overall, sending emails is sometimes not enough to get an alignment right on the spot.
So if your customer is not responsive to an important request, all you need is to go back to the basics:
Skip the email and just give them a call instead—like in the great old times :)
2. “Just checking in”
In Customer Success, taking action with empathy is key.
But like in the previous example, you are setting the focus on yourself whereas it should be on your customer.
Saying this sounds like:
“Hey, I’ve asked you something but you didn’t respond yet. Can you please prioritize and get back to me?”
Besides, you also don’t bring any extra value to the conversation that would trigger your customer to react.
Instead of telling them you are still waiting for a response, a better approach here is to bring in something new:
You could say something like:
“Curious to see the results of our last conversation around [topic]. Have you had a chance to look into it yet?”
“Here’s some more information that would be interesting to you based on our last conversation. Do you have some time on [date/time] to review?”
or: “Have you given up on…?”
This is my preferred one. It comes from Chris Voss’s book “Never Split the Difference”.
Basically, no one likes to say they’ve failed in doing something.
So when you remind people about their promise, it will trigger an immediate reaction.
Give it a try and let me know—I guarantee it works.
3. “In my honest opinion”
Honesty is the foundation of all your actions.
And your expert knowledge is what your customers are looking for.
You do your best to give your customers all the information they need at all times.
You show integrity and honesty which are fundamental to your role.
But in saying such a phrase, you suggest you’ve not always been honest which we know is not true of course, right?
So, simply remove it from your vocabulary and move on.
And That’s It!
These are 3 common phrases you should remove from your emails to avoid ruining your relationships with customers:
As per my last email
Just checking in
To be honest with you
There are more that I’ll be covering in the upcoming editions.
Stay tuned.
Bonus
Here are some powerful techniques you can use to write and communicate better with your customers:
Use more periods and fewer commas.
Cut all jargon, acronyms, and most redundant adjectives.
Keep sentences short so everyone can assimilate fast without confusion.
Don’t use complex or complicated words. Break them into simpler ones.
Always place your audience as the hero of your copy, using the words “You”, more than “Me” or “I”.
Do not use passive voice sentences.
Ex: say “I wrote this”, not “It was written by me”.
And finally, read out loud what you’ve just written. Your customers must feel your enthusiasm and energy.
I hope that helps.
Let me know if any questions.
-Hakan.
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I absolutely agree with the importance of writing skills in customer success, and I’ve used some of these myself, ah! Deconstructing em, I do agree on how impolite they somewhat sound. Thanks for the thoughtful gift of communication