Tag Archives: autoresponder

Helpdesk and Contact Email Autoresponders Done Wrong

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This holiday season has been one of the most interesting when it comes to retailer email. I have received more email in the past 30 days before Christmas than any prior year. I have also ordered all of my holiday presents online and therefore had some questions and issues with products I bought or was about to buy. I had two interesting experiences this past week, one with a question I emailed and one with a help desk issue. Both companies appear to be using either auto-responders or canned answers and it is damaging their reputation.

Here is the Big Problem
The problem with using an auto-responder with the same answer to every question or canned answers that do not answer the question, or even come close, is that it completely defeats the purpose. The reason you or any company uses such a system is to decrease your overall operating costs of dealing with inquires. However you do not want to do that at the expense of having an upset, unhappy customer. Now you have not fixed the problem, made the customer mad, and they have to call to get the right answer. This is not what the system is intended to do so use it properly. Here are my two examples.

dish_networkExample 1 : Question to Dish Network
I could not find the information on the Dish site about their connectivity, nor in their FAQs so I followed their contact us link. There were two options, one to call or one to email. It was after hours so I emailed. My question was whether or not a particular receiver had an HDMI port. I was very clear in my question so I could receive a simple yes or no answer. What I got in return was a canned response that did not answer my question at all and simply said “thanks for the email call us at this number”. If you are going to send that out to all the emails you get please do not provide an email address. That is horrible use of an automated system.

flip_videoExample 2 : Question to Flip Video
This was much more frustrating than the Dish issue. I received my Flip Video and took some video. Then when I plugged it into my Mac (I also tried a Windows and a Linux machined) the Flip was not recognized, could not see it as a drive and therefore could not get the video off.

So I opened a help desk ticket.

First Correspondance
Having dealt with many help desk systems I know that their knee jerk reaction is to respond with questions such as: what model number, what serial number, what color is it, is raining outside, etc., the questions they (not Flip per say but anyone you contact via email) always first ask in order to not answer your question and push it off onto you. So I took the time to send all that info, the model number, the software version, a screen shot and I explained I also updated the software to their latest etc. I was actually painfully clear because I really wanted to avoid that first knee jerk reaction. No dice ! – they sent it anyway, they sent the canned email asking all those questions.

Second Correspondance
I politely let them know that I already answered all the questions as can be seen in the thread. However I went ahead and answered them again one by one. They knew I already updated the software, which was stated in my first email. Their response was a canned response telling me to update the software. I did it anyway and have replied again. I have not yet gotten the next canned answer.

Conclusion
Customer service is obviously important, but the real issue here is that someone recommended these systems to two companies and neither of them are using them properly. Dish decided to make their email completely useless, might as well remove it. Flip decided to not even read the customer inquires and just click and send canned answers. I like automation, I like saving in operating costs, I love increasing profits, but please use the systems properly and do not alienate your customers.

Build a List, a Newsletter, and Create Audience Retention

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Aweber has a tool that allows you to create an email list and send broadcast emails to your list easily. Try their free 30 day trial here, they provide easy templates to create a newsletter, incredible reporting and manage multiple lists.

Aweber started as an auto-repsonder and has perfected their auto-responder. The newsletter feature is much like ConstantContact and others. However, with one tool you can have both email newsletter managment and delivery as well as an autoresponder. Their service also provides the sign up forms for your lists to simply copy and paste into your site.

My newsletter list and auto-responder is managed through Aweber for only $19.95 a month and it handles both flawlessly. Since I have been using the subscribe code I have signed up thousands to my list with no effort on my part once it was set up.

Retention
The auto-responder sends emails that I have set up after a set amount of days from their first joining the list. These are sent in regular time intervals automatically without my interaction. It is on auto pilot. I can even send a newsletter at any time to the entire list, or a portion of it.

These mailings keep your audience coming back to your site, as long as your content is useful, desired, and compelling to your audience. What great retention tool to keep your site and brand in front of your visitors.

Reporting
The reporting shows each newsletter or auto-reponse that was sent:

  • the number it was sent to
  • the number that opened it
  • the number that did not make it to the recipient, and
  • the number that clicked a link within the mailing

All of these statistics help you determine the success of any one particular mailing and your audiences retention.

Value
I have found that not having to manage a list and worry about un-subscribes, spam or blocking and dealing with the delivery, using a service to handle that for me is gold. Aweber provides both auto-responders and newsletter/list (multiple newsletter) management for only $19.95 a month.

Try the Aweber free 30 day trial here, you will be amazed.

Also read my previous post Use an Autoresponder for Automatic Profit.

Use AWeber an Autoresponder for Automatic Profit

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Increase sales with an Autoresponder!

Once someone vistis your site they may never return. However if they find your site interesting they may provide their email but not yet be ready to purchase your service or product. Autoresponders are a simple and easy way to communicate with your leads since it is automated.

Here is how it works, once an email is entered into the system that user receives follow up emails at predetermined times, such as 1 day after they sign up, 3, days, 14 days etc. You only need to setup the autoresponder once by creating the messages you would like to have sent. In each message you put the link back to your site or service and allow this automated system to constantly market your product or service for you. You choose which messages to be sent when.

They provide incredible tools such as 51+ Templates for newsletter and follow up design, web forms so you do not need to code, training guides, videos and free customer support.

You can get started in three steps:

1. Sign up for a 30 day trial here.

2. Add a Form to Capture Website Visitor Subscriptions

Use their form generator, with video tutorials, to create unblockable pop-ups or standard forms that are easily installed on your website without programming experience.

3. Create and Send Follow Up Emails and Newsletters to Opt-in Subscribers

Configure unlimited follow up and newsletter messages with name personalization, click thru and open rate tracking, attachments, RSS, and split testing at no additional cost. Messages can include HTML using their 51+ pre-designed templates, or create your own with the integrated easy editor and images or plain text.

No Risk Offer

Their current offer is risk free for 30 days, if we don’t help build your opt-in list and convert more website visitors we’ll give you a 100% no questions asked refund. Sign up for a 30 day trial here.