Service Untitled

Yesterday’s post was about a company that used technology to their advantage. Today’s post is about a company that doesn’t.

I received a letter from the said company that addressed me by name on the address label, but had a generic greeting in the actual letter (like Dear Friend). It’s obvious that they had my name in their database, but they decided not to use it in the actual letter. The company missed out on a great (and simple) opportunity to personalize the experience. The letter they sent tried to have a personal and friendly tone, but that’s difficult to do when the letter is addressed to the generic “friend.”

When you have someone’s name, use it in as many places as possible. The front page of the user section on your web site should say “Hi -Name-“, the emails you send should address the customer by name, the bills and invoices should have the customer’s name on them, etc. You don’t want to obnoxious, but the line between obnoxious and personal is usually pretty clear (it always depends on the situation, of course).

You should especially make it a point to use the customer’s name when you send out a mailing asking for information or asking a customer to buy something. A majority of software programs that design or send mailings have features built into them that allow you to put the customer’s name right on the letter, as well as the envelope or label (Microsoft Word has a feature to do it). It definitely is not complicated, it isn’t expensive, and it doesn’t take up much extra time. It shows the customer that you at least put some effort into personalizing the letter they’re received.

This relates to “use my name, especially if you have it,” which I wrote about back in November.

Technorati Tags: Customer Service, Customer Service Experience, Mailings, Personalize, Technology