Email customer support by tahsin raza to sales and marketing...........................................................................................................................................

Email Customer
Support
It’s Different !

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

Email Response Training

2

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


3

What we need to focus..
 Written

language

 Customer

 Problem

orientation

solving


4

5 Cs of Writing to a customer
 Clear
 Correct
 Complete
 Concise

 Connect


5

Check your language skills


6

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

7

Sentence Builder # 1
Put 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”

8

Put 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


9

Use 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

10


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”

11

 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”

12

Write 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

13

Write with verbs
 Turn

needless nouns into verbs

Noun Form
Careful thought was given
Return it after each use
As per your request
Thank you for your call
Let’s have a talk


14

Write with verbs
 Verb

Form

We thought
Return it after you use it
As you requested
Thank you for your call
Let’s talk


15

Write with verbs
 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


16

Parallelism 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


17

Parallelism 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

18

Don’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


19

 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

20

 Step

1: Identify the essential sentence

 Step

2: Identify the implied sentence or
phrase

 Step

3: Add the missing subject


21

Beware 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”

22

 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

23

 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.

24

Break 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

25

State 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

26

Reduce 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

27

Reduce Redundancy
 Plan

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

28

Create 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


29

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 )


30

Parts of Speech
I

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


31

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 )


32

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

33

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


34

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 brought the chocolate cake to the party
Jim and his friends ate the whole cake
Wow! That cake was great!

35

Choice of Words

 Here

are few rules you could adapt


36

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


37

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


38

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.


39

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.




40

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


41

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


42

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.


43

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.

44

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.


45

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


46

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
Heretofore
To be in receipt of
Enclosed please find
Commensurate with
Termination

∆ From now
∆ Before
∆ Have
∆ Here is
∆ Equal to
∆ End


47

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.

48

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


49

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

50

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.


51

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

52

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

53

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


54





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”).

55

 mailman……………………….letter

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

56






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

57

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

58

 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

59

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

60

 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)

61

“ 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.

62

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


63

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