Surviving Spam-Filled In-Boxes
Transactional email has three goals, the first is essential for success the other two:
- Avoid being mistaken for spam:
The from field should clearly show two things: a recognizable brand name and a function that clearly distinguishes the message as a transaction rather than an advertisement. A good subject line is gold :"Order has shipped.".
- Be a customer service ambassador:
Email should enhance a company's reputation for customer service and increase users' confidence in their dealings with the company.
- Prevent customers from calling in:
Telephone call centers are expensive. However, rather than simply eliminating contact information (which undermines goal number two), ensure that your email answers all common questions in easily understandable terms.
Avoid or Minimize Message Sequences
Companies that scattered a transaction across too many messages caused several usability problems. Users had difficulty keeping track of the messages, which contributed to in-box overload.
Tell Users What They Want to Know
- Start with the information that matters most to users in the context of the transaction. Almost everyone looks for tracking numbers, even if they never track packages. The tracking number seems to serve as comforting evidence that there's an actual package and that it's on its way.
- A simple description of specifics: exactly what was ordered (or done, for non-e-commerce transactions).
- Information about what to do if things go wrong.
Confirmation Email Builds Trust
Good email that respects users' time and quickly tells them what they need to know can do wonders for your customer service reputation. People don't really trust websites, but when they get a confirmation message, it seems like something is actually happening. Confirmation email and automated messages are great for connecting a website with its customers and for closing the loop in e-commerce and other transactions.