Email to Repair Broken Customer Relationships

Email is one of the more personal forms of electronic communication. Notes from friends and family are co-mingled with marketing messages. This makes it an excellent vehicle for repairing broken relationships. When done well, an email apology letter drives sales in addition to mending relationships. A few years ago, a client had a system failure that resulted in delayed shipments of holiday orders. An email was sent to every customer who had placed an order that season (even the ones who had already received their orders.) The message explained what caused the problem, apologized for any inconvenience, promised to expedite shipments of remaining orders, and offered a gift certificate for future orders. The immediate response was so positive, the President quipped, "We should plan a problem once a quarter so we can apologize!" The revenue from the apology letter more than covered the expedited shipping. Furthermore, the relationship between customer and company became stronger. The people who received the letter consistently outperformed their counterparts who didn't get one in both sales and lifespan. Personal letters help salvage relationships but can they save a company from a death spiral? The management team at J.C. Penney is hoping that the recent note from CEO Ron Johnson will reverse (or at least slow down) the sales free fall for the last two quarters. In May, the first quarter results revealed a 20.1 percent drop in revenue because shoppers didn't like the new pricing and marketing strategy. Second quarter was worse with another revenue drop of almost 23 percent. Traffic was down 12 percent. When things are going south at this rate, quick action is required. Johnson admitted to pricing and marketing mistakes when speaking with investors, but his letter to customers is more like an introduction than an "Oops! We goofed." The letter reads: Dear valued customer, You've probably heard about recent changes at jcpenney. I'm honored to say that I'm one of them. I'm Ron Johnson, and I came here because I have a lifelong passion for retailing—and jcpenney has been one of America's favorite stores for over a hundred years. My goal is to make jcpenney your favorite place to shop. I've asked our team to innovate in many ways—to help you look and live better—and to make shopping more enjoyable. While you will see many changes, you can rest assured that we'll never lose sight of our founder's values. When James Cash Penney built his first retail stores over a century ago, he called them "The Golden Rule," because treating customers with respect was his highest priority. One of Mr. Penney's guiding principles was offering low prices every day—instead of running a series of "special sales." We're honoring Mr. Penney by returning to his pricing policy, so you'll find great prices every time you visit. We've also made it easier to return items, we're bringing in more great brands, adding excitement to our presentation, offering free back-to-school haircuts for kids, and much more. Basically, we're putting you and your family first, trying to give you new reasons to smile every time you visit a jcpenney store. You'll see many innovations in the coming months, and I'll keep you informed in a series of letters like this. I hope you'll let me know how we're doing, and share any ideas that could help us do better. Just click the link below to send me a note. On behalf of the jcpenney team, thank you for shopping with us. Ron I'd like to hear from you. View email with images. *Please be advised that any information disclosed or submitted will become jcp property and may be used in public communications." The timing of this letter is off. It should have been sent prior to the pricing changes. Now is the time for J.C. Penney to be open about the issues and invite people to share thoughts without the threat that they "may be used in public communications." Email messages designed to repair relationships are different from marketing emails. They have to be simple and personal. The J.C. Penney email is designed to look like a letter from the CEO, as you can see in the first picture in the media player at right. Unfortunately, it looks like the second picture in the media player when it lands in the inbox. The letter is an image instead of text. It isn't very inviting to a loyal customer much less an unhappy one. Do's and don'ts for creating personal relationship mending messages: Do personalize the name. "Dear valued customer" says "I don't know who you are." The individual who shared this email with me has been a loyal catalog shopper and had a J. C. Penney credit card. They should be on a first name basis. Don't use a ho-hum subject. You have to catch people's attention in a flash. "A letter from our CEO" doesn't do it. Wouldn't "Our CEO wants your advice" be better? Do identify the problem and take responsibility for it. "Oops! We goofed!" followed with an explanation and sincere apology is the first step to mending the relationship. If the recipient doesn't feel your sincerity, additional damage is done. Don't limit responses by qualifying. Mr. Johnson asks for feedback and then states that the information shared may be used in public communications. Some apology emails offer a discount based on a specific order size. Relationship mending emails have to do two things: Take responsibility and offer some form of restitution. A discount is a promotion. Basing it on a dollar amount is adding insult to injury. Do use text-only emails. A picture paints a thousand words and most of them send marketing signals and awaken spaminators. The purpose of relationship building emails is to restore the relationship. This won't happen if the email goes to spam or looks like a bunch of boxes with red X's. Don't ever forget that relationships with customers are a privilege not a right. When you are truly grateful for the opportunity to serve your customers, it resonates in your messages. Make sure that your marketing team (including the copywriter) has the right perspective when creating messages.

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Email to Repair Broken Customer Relationships—What J.C. Penney Got Wrong

Debra Ellis

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Debra Ellis