FirstBank OnBoarding Manual - Flipbook - Page 52
CUSTOMER SERVICE TIPS
Providing Customer Service via Email
Before we start looking at what an E-mail should look like, let’s first look at when we should use e-mail.
I.
When should I use E-mail?
A. When relaying factual information or asking for a quick yes or no.
B. E-mails should not be used when you are trying to persuade somebody or if it contains sensitive or
possible emotional information.
C. Do not use e-mails as an excuse to avoid personal contact. Do not forget the value of face-to-face or even
voice-to-voice communication.
II. Email Guidelines
A. Use traditional spelling, grammar, and punctuation rules.
Your e-mail message reflects you and your company. People will judge you and FirstBank based on the
quality of your e-mails. Let your e-mails work for you, not against you.
B. Remember that an e-mail isn’t private.
• E-mail is considered company property and can be retrieved, examined, and used in a court of law.
• Never put in an e-mail message anything that you wouldn’t put on a postcard.
• Remember that e-mail can be forwarded, so unintended audiences may see what you’ve written.
You might also inadvertently send something to the wrong party, so always keep the content
professional to avoid embarrassment. Customers, Auditors and your Boss may read your e-mail.
• Do not forward internal emails to a potential customer. If you have information you need to relay
from another employee, it is wise to copy/paste the information or rewrite it on a separate email.
C. Keep messages brief and to the point.
• Just because your writing is grammatically correct does not mean that it has to be long. Nothing
is more frustrating than wading through an e-mail message that is twice as long as necessary.
Concentrate on one subject per message whenever possible.
D. Use sentence case.
• USING ALL CAPITAL LETTERS LOOKS AS IF YOU’RE SHOUTING.
• Using all lowercase letters looks lazy. For emphasis, use asterisks or bold formatting to accentuate
important words.
• Do not use a lot of colors or graphics embedded in your message, because not everyone uses an
e-mail program that can display them.
E. Font Style
Avoid ornate, playful, or colored fonts. These simply distract the recipient from your actual message.
F. Emoticons
Do not include emoticons in a professional email. Save these for personal correspondence.
G. PLZ avoid text speak (abbreviations and acronyms).
You may be ROFLOL (rolling on the floor laughing out loud), but your reader may be left wondering
WUWT (what’s up with that).
H. Attachments
When sending an attachment mention what’s being attached and make sure it’s sent. If you realize you
forgot to send it, re-send with an apology.
51
Onboarding Manual
Confidential. Property of FirstBank. Not for Distribution.
