30 Customer Service Templates For Your Business

Does personalised customer service email take up too much time? Do your customers complain about the “impersonal” reply emails? We understand that companies use a lot of time connecting and converting leads into authentic clients. A good customer service email can boost client loyalty and satisfaction. 

In the following, we will show you a perfect guide to do email templates for customer service  with a human touch —— efficiently and effectively. We provide 30 email template letters for customer service to refund, offer discount, offer free trial to your customers

1 | What are customer service templates?

Customer service officers mainly respond to customer enquiries. They also take up the lead to connect to customers by sending onboarding emails and letters to retain old customers. Apart from that, they may send notification emails regarding the change in the company’s operations as well. 

2 | How to write a good customer service email?

2.a Read the email carefully 

It is necessary to fully understand the customer’s enquiry or complaint before you start replying them. In particular, you should read between the lines, discern the emotions and what they truly need. Customers often might not understand what their true problems are. Hence, it is necessary to try going through their thought process.  

2.b Reply the email with empathy

Customer service officers are familiar with the user manual of the company’s service or product. Thus, they may be intolerant of the customers’ “minor” mistake. Besides, customer service officers may be frustrated when reading aggressive emails. In this scenario, one should be empathetic and patient. Listing out the details and giving out examples in the email are good ways to guide your customers to fix the issue. 

2.c Ask if not sure

No matter how familiar you are with the products, there will still be room for uncertainties. It is a nice practice that you approach the operations or development team if you are unsure about the products. If you are not sure about the issue, you can ask them to provide screenshot or further elaboration before you give a concrete solution. 

2.d Respond promptly

It is significant to solve the customers’ issues fixed as soon as possible. Why? If the customers do not hear from you in a reasonable amount of time (e.g. 24 hours), they may try to look for other vendors instead. This is particular the case if the customer needs to pay monthly subscription. Hence, responding promptly and effectively would retain your clients better.

2.e Be flexible! 

Companies provide different routines and procedures for answering customer enquiries. However, customers usually encounter unique issues — there is no true standard code to fix all problems. Hence, you could put yourself in the shoes. Through observing the client’s plight, you can come up with a client-specific solution. 

3 | Why Customer Service emails? 

“No one actually reads customer service email.” 

This statement may be true sometimes, but in most of the times, people do need them. In emergency situations (e.g. the laptop breaks down), customers will go to the customer service department to lodge a complaint or refund first. Customers also wish to know how to extend or cancel their subscription: it’s the customer service officer — but not operations officer — that helps. 

Moreover, customer service emails bridges the gap between customers and the company. Usually the company locates and reaches out to the customer through marketing department. However, the customer service department helps build a lasting bond by handling the complaints and enquiries in a polite and professional way. 

4 | Templates for Customer Service

4.a Thank you emails

It’s important to send thank you emails to keep the customers connected to you. Not only is this a nice gesture, but also a great way to remind the customers of the company. Through the emails, you evince your gratitude towards the customer for purchasing from you.  

See our templates below: 

• Thank you letter - for new clients: This is a thank you letter addressed to a new customer. You can thank the customer for their trust and ask them to purchase from you in the future.  
• Thank you letter - for long-time clients: You can express gratitude to the customer and provide a discount on the next purchase as a gift, using this template. This helps boost customer loyalty and is conducive to a long-term business relationship. 

4.b Emails to retain old clients

Long-time clients may choose to not purchase from the company. In this case, you can use our template to provide a discount for the customer. In this template, the writer expresses the willingness to provide products and services that match the usual standard. 

4.c Response to enquiry about stock availability 

Though there is no fixed pattern for what a customer may ask, you can use our templates directly or use them as a reference. The following templates are best used to reply a customer’s enquiry on goods which are currently out of stock. 

• Response to product / goods enquiry - Not available, suggest buy later: This is a response to an enquiry about a product, which runs out of stock. The sender expresses willingness to help the customer place an order to reserve the product. Moreover, the sender suggests a substitute product.
• Response to services enquiry - Not available, suggest buy later: This is generally identical to the template above, except this is for services enquiry. 

4.d Notification emails (changes in operation)

Apart from answering customers’ enquiries, customer service officers notify customers of substantial news and changes. Companies face different operational challenges throughout the year, for instance, shop closure and suspension of service. In this case, it is crucial to notify customers of these circumstances so that you can retain them in the future. 

• Sales / Marketing Communication - Shop relocation
• Sales / Marketing Communication - Shop closure
• Sales / Marketing Communication - Suspension of Service (COVID-19)
• Sales / Marketing Communication - Suspension of Service (Staff Shortage)

4.e Notification emails (building rapport with customers)

It’s also the customer service officers’ responsibility to maintain a good relationship with the customers. To maintain a strong link between the company and the customers, you can provide the latest news and special offers in the emails to keep the clients updated. 

•  Sales / Marketing Communication - Wishlist updates: This template can be used when the customer has remained inactive for some time. Apart from reminding the customers to buy the items on the wishlist, the email also shows the way to place the order. 
• Sales / Marketing Communication - Free Trial

4.f Apology emails

Having complex operations, companies may make mistakes unintentionally. This is particular the case when companies forget to reply the customers’ enquiries promptly. In this case, sending apology emails is a good way to express genuine willingness to fix the issue. See our templates below: 

• Apology letter for not responding or delay in response: There are two forms in this template. Please choose the appropriate one. 
• Apology email for billing mistake
• Apology email - Referral / Reference (Unable to refer clients) 
• Apology email - Referral / Reference (Failure to cancel order) 
• Apology email - response to general issues: Some customers may send you a letter of complaint about defective goods. In this template, you can apologise for delivering such goods and offer a discount as a gift for that. 

4.g Refund emails

While some mistakes can be corrected, some cannot — the customer may be determined to settle the whole dispute by getting refund. This is particular the case if your original solution (e.g. sending a technician to fix the product) does not work. To avoid frustrating the client, you may wish to stop providing alternative solution (other than refund). In this case, you can start with an apology and arrange a refund. View our template here. 

4.h Holiday Greetings

Companies usually host a number of holiday sales throughout the year. Perhaps one of the best ways to advertise the sales is to send holiday greetings email. In our template, you can make an announcement to send holiday wishes to your clients as well as informing them of the opening hours of their office during this season. This will help boost sales! 

4.c Response to enquiry about discounts

Customers may request for discounts or try to negotiate a lower price. While companies may be happy to offer a discount on bulk purchase, they might wish to reject the request if the customers due to high manufacture cost. In the following, we will introduce you how to accept or reject the enquiry about granting discounts.

• Response to goods enquiry about discounts - negative response 
• Response to goods enquiry about discounts - positive response 

4.j Customer survey email 

It is important to understand your clients and their preferences. The most direct way to know what they like or dislike is to send them an email. In this email, you can request your customers to fill out a survey so you could better tailor make your business plan. 

• Sales and marketing communication - Customer Survey 
• Thank you letter - to clients (with survey): This is a thank you email to a client for purchasing from you. The sender also asks for the client's feedback and attaches a link to the survey in the email. This helps you understand the clients’ needs and the newest market trend.
• Request for feedback - product survey 
• Request for feedback - product survey 

5 | Common FAQ

5.a Can I obtain more information? 

We are more than happy to help. In our previous blog, we have introduced the following templates: 

• Receipt for purchase
• Free upgrade for a user or account 
• Automatic renewal notice
• Reminder prior to the expiry of a customer’s account
• Notification email regarding payment failure 
• Email warning the customer of account lapse in the case of non-renewal
• Deactivation or termination notice email

6 | Conclusion 

Customer service is still significant in an automated world. While automatic response raises efficiency, it may leave the customers an “impersonal” impression. You can use our templates to add a personal touch to your standard emails while improving the effectiveness. 

Please note that this is a general summary of the position under common law and does not constitute legal advice. As the laws of each jurisdiction may be different, you may wish to consult your lawyer.