Templates are created and edited from the Settings window.
Click Tools >> Settings >> Templates tab.
To create a new Template, click the Add button. The Add Template window appears. Each Template must have a unique name. It's important to give a Template an easily-recognized name, so that your representatives can quickly find the right answer in the list of Templates. In the main area of the window, type the message.
1. Make the response as general as possible
The major benefit of using Email Responder is eliminating repetitive typing. Creating a template for every product would require more work to maintain them and would make it harder for customer service staff to choose the correct response from a list of templates. Using a general template reduces the selection and maintains dramatically.
2. Answer related questions
In order to save time, both for you and the customer, it's a good idea to answer not just the customer's actual question, but related questions that you know or expect customers to have when they ask the first one. When purchasing Deskshare software, we know that when customers have just bought the program, they will need download and installation information. By mentioning that here, we save time for both our customers and our support staff.
3. Use Smart Tags to Personalize Templates
You'll notice some things missing from the Template. There's nothing after “Hello” or "... purchase of", the web address for the download is not present, and there's a missing product name before "will be instantly activated to the full version." This is where we use Email Responder's Smart Tags. I'll move the cursor to a point after “Hello” and then click the Tags button.
After “Hello”, we want the customer's name, so we'll select Full Name. Similarly, after “of” and at the bottom, we will insert the Smart Tag for Product Name, and for the download link, Product Trial URL. After this editing, the body of the Template looks like this:
When you send a message using this Template, the Smart Tags will be replaced with the correct information: the customer's name, the product name, and the product's web page.
Notice that messages sent using this template will automatically be personal answers, containing the customer's name, and “knowing” which product he asked about, with only one thing typed, the unique coupon code. To reply to this question requires only a few clicks and a few seconds.
You may have noticed another thing apparently missing from this Template: the message is unsigned. Email Responder can automatically add a signature to all messages, based on what account the message was received by. Signatures are explained here.
Here is what the customer sees, when the “Coupon Code” Template is used:
The items in the blue rectangles were added automatically by Email Responder, replacing the Smart Tags. The automatic signature is in the green rectangle.
Conclusion
The three principles of Template design are:
- Make it as General as Possible
- Answer Related Questions
- Use Smart Tags to Personalize Templates
Using Templates makes responding to customers faster and more accurate, and gives the customer a better experience by personalizing answers. Proper Template design can make your job even easier.
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