Email customer support by tahsin raza to sales and...
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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
Email Response Training 3
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
Email Response Training 4
What we need to focus..
Written language
Customer orientation
Problem solving
Email Response Training 5
5 Cs of Writing to a customer
Clear Correct Complete Concise
Connect
Email Response Training 6
Check your language skills
Email Response Training 7
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
Email Response Training 8
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”
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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
Email Response Training 10
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
Email Response Training 11
Sentence Builder # 2Use the active voice
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”
Email Response Training 12
Sentence Builder # 2Use the active voice
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”
Email Response Training 13
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
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Sentence Builder # 3Write with verbs
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
Email Response Training 15
Sentence Builder # 3Write with verbs
Verb FormWe thought
Return it after you use it
As you requested
Thank you for your call
Let’s talk
Email Response Training 16
Sentence Builder # 3Write 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
Email Response Training 17
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
Email Response Training 18
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
Email Response Training 19
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
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Sentence Builder # 5Don’t dangle your modifiers
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
Email Response Training 21
Sentence Builder # 5Don’t dangle your modifiers
Step 1: Identify the essential sentence
Step 2: Identify the implied sentence or phrase
Step 3: Add the missing subject
Email Response Training 22
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”
Email Response Training 23
Sentence Builder # 6Beware the Preposition Trap
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
Email Response Training 24
Sentence Builder # 6Beware the Preposition Trap
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.
Email Response Training 25
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
Email Response Training 26
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
Email Response Training 27
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
Email Response Training 28
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
Email Response Training 29
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
Email Response Training 30
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 )
Email Response Training 31
Parts of Speech
I , Me , My He , Him , His They , Them , Theirs She , Her , Hers It, It , Its You , You , Yours
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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 )
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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
Email Response Training 34
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
Email Response Training 35
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!
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Choice of Words
Here are few rules you could adapt
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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
Email Response Training 38
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
Email Response Training 39
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.
Email Response Training 40
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.
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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
Email Response Training 42
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
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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.
Email Response Training 44
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.
Email Response Training 45
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.
Email Response Training 46
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
Email Response Training 47
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
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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.
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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
Email Response Training 50
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
Email Response Training 51
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.
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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
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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
Email Response Training 54
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
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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”).
Email Response Training 56
mailman……………………….letter carrier salesman…………………sales representative policeman………………….… police officer newsman…………………..…..journalist fireman………………………. firefighter chairman…………………..… chairperson spokesman……………………spokesperson
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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)
Email Response Training 62
“ 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.
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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