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April 30, 2009
Keywords that matter
Last week, I had a small problem with a movie I rented via iTunes. Apple cleared it up quickly and all was well in Jackie Land. I hadn't responded to the company's last email when this email arrived:
This is Stacy, with a courtesy follow-up. I haven't heard from you and wanted to make sure that your request was handled to your satisfaction. You've truly been a remarkable asset to the iTunes Store Family and as such I don't want to leave you without any type of resolution, so if you do not respond, I will be closing this request. I hope that you continue to enjoy the iTunes Store and would like to thank you for being such a wonderful member of our family.
Please remember if you require any further assistance I'm only an email away. Have an awesome day!
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to assist you. You may receive an AppleCare survey email; any feedback you provide would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Stacy
Tier 1 iTunes Store Support
Sure, it may be something of a form letter, but it's a really good one. It's not a stilted, lifeless form letter from a big corporation, and that's because of Stacy's intelligent use emotional keywords:
- truly
- remarkable
- family
- wonderful
- awesome
Those keywords create emotional context. They are Pavlovian bells that remind us of our emotional attachment to Apple. Formal language need not be a standard formality, as Stacy's letter aptly demonstrates.
Now if her email had contained a thumbnail pict of a smiling Stacy, or a link to her Twitter profile, that would've been over the top, further cementing an already strong emotional connection I have with Apple.
Other blogs that reference Keywords that matter:
I agree Jackie. While I was reading this, I didn't get that form letter feeling. It seemed very personal. I had an issue with an iTunes movie a year ago and didn't get the same level of response. In fact the problem was never resolved and I lost $4.
Hi Jackie,
The phrase "You've truly been a remarkable asset to the iTunes Store Family" sounsds hollow to me. Tell us, do you believe they have a good reason for that statement or does everyone get that letter? Thanks, Simon
I agree with Bob - reading this email (particularly the first paragraph) I was thinking That's great that Apple took the time to follow up further with the issue. I wish companies I had issues with would make the extra effort (or any effort at all in some cases).
Following up on Simon's comment, WHAT did you do to earn the "remarkable asset" and "wonderful member of the family" labels? It smacks a bit of trying too hard to kiss your tush, so perhaps iTunes is aware you blog on the topic of customer service? Meanwhile, "have an awesome day" (surprised there was no "dude" in there) sounds like a teen waitress at Chili's. I'm less than impressed.
Hi Jackie,
Thanks for this article, do you have any suggestions for further reading?
I've just launched the beta of my online appointment booking service www.OpenYourDiary.com and I'm now in the process of writing the copy for both the website and the help system. As I'm pretty new to this, do you have any suggestions or examples of best practice that I could learn from?
Thanks
Alex
Great post. Companies like Apple seem to be so far ahead of the game.
Get emotionally attached with your customers and they will keep coming back. I have no doubt at all.
Wish more companies learn from Apple.
Shafiq Hamid
http://q8buzz.com
With all the emphasis on SEO and keywords, I think we forget the human interface. Thanks for the shove back to the personal touch!
Even if this is an automated response, triggered by the closing of a trouble ticket, it's still a follow-up that connects you to an individual at the company. And, the keywords do make for a more friendly letter.
Since the email had to do with a problem with their rental system, I don't think there is such a thing as trying too hard to kiss your tush.
I agree. Though I'm 95% it's a form letter I think personal/emotional touches are key. I'm part of a non-profit called Teach for America and whenever they send out emails for help, donations, or job opportunities that I would be interested in there always seems to be a personal touch, which then evokes a more willing or supportive response.
I wish the blog author would respond to these questions. We're the "customers" of this blog & I feel underserved. For the record, Ben's much better about this.
@Fermata, thanks for the feedback about the timeliness of my responses. To answer your first question/comment, I have been renting a bunch of movies recently so perhaps they see that. It is a bit over the top, but it's the over-the-topness that caught my attention.
@Bob, wow, that's weird. I get a follow-up every time I have contacted them.
@Simon, I'm guessing that everyone gets this letter. I have been renting a lot of movies lately to watch on my computer, so they may be seeing that.
@Alex, not sure I can point you to more reading on this. Anyone have a resource to recommend?
I still don't buy it & would be supremely turned off if I got a form letter calling me a remarkable asset for no other reason than I'd spent money, but I do thank you for the response, Jackie!
@Everyone...Are we all really getting this cynical? Jackie got this email because they had already cleared up her situation and they wanted to let her know, automated or not, that they cared to make sure it was resolved to her liking. Whether there is an algorithm that this happens to frequent buyers or not, they did it. Was the note over the top, could be, but I would say that I prefer over the top to "We are closing your issue since it was resolved". Can we all just take a step back for a minute and appreciate something? I read these blogs and get frustrated that negative responses seem to be so easy for everyone. Wait..isn't that what I am doing..."STRIKETHROUGH ALL" Replace with…..This is a great response Jackie. Thanks for sharing!!
I love the keywords! We do the same at our company - adds a lot of energy! Form letter or not, algorithm or not, it's warm compsred to some!
I loved the emotional Keywords that your post highlights. I couldn't agree more on how well Apple has used these to build their loyal user base.
I've only ever had the privilege of working with Apple's Executive Support group once and it was a pleasure. The issue took some time to resolved the they rep called me back every other day to let me know what was happening and what they were doing to fix the issue. It's really a pleasure to get a good service and support rep.
In a day and age where canned emails are the norm, I think any brand can learn from this well-written reply. It certainly sounds like the writer was caring and even reminded you that the representative was just an email away.
Great article.
James Hofheins http://twitter.com/jwhof
Operation Kindness
http://jameshofheins.blogspot.com/
This level of customer service will be the reason Microsoft will be taken over by Apple. Microsoft continues to focus on making their selling processes easier, instead of following Apple's lead and making the BUYING process easier. The follow-up by the Apple representative increases confidence, and this eases the friction of the buying process. Kudos, but they don't need kudos. They have money.
Customer followup like this example is fantastic. When I read it, I felt so taken care of--and I don't even use iTunes! One thing I always tell the people in my group is that the first words of any letter to a customer should be: "Thank you." As in, "Thank you for using our product." Or "Thank you for letting us know about this problem." Those words set the tone of the rest of the letter--it puts the company at the service of the customer.
Reposting: for some reason, my post was associated with "Ares Vista." I'd like to get credit for it. :-)
Customer followup like this example is fantastic. When I read it, I felt so taken care of--and I don't even use iTunes! One thing I always tell the people in my group is that the first words of any letter to a customer should be: "Thank you." As in, "Thank you for using our product." Or "Thank you for letting us know about this problem." Those words set the tone of the rest of the letter--it puts the company at the service of the customer.
