Using a generic contact email address might seem like a good idea, but it’s damaging your brand. Here’s what to do instead.
Global companies and sole proprietorships have several things in common. Despite the difference in size or revenue they are all run by humans.
Companies do many things to personalize the customer experience. However, some forget to add a person to the first and most impactful customer touch point – their contact email address.
Directing people to contact jnfo@your company might seem like an efficient way to handle things, but it’s a mistake.
Your customer doesn’t trust Info.
Trust is hard won and easily lost. Your customer doesn’t trust a robot to take care of them, therefore, Info is damaging your company’s reputation.
There’s a reason Info is never pictured on any company’s Meet our Team webpage.
Customers like me dread contacting Info. We feel vulnerable and ridiculous starting an email with Dear Info… However, we do it and hope for the best. Unfortunately, my optimism gets punched in the nose when I receive Info’s automated response:
“Thank you for your inquiry. We return all messages within 2-3 business days.”
Two to three DAYS?!!
I am willing to bet there isn’t a human on the planet who hasn’t screamed, “NO!!!,” when they saw the post-purchase confirmation screen showing the wrong shipping address.
Since that’s true, why do companies still use info@ emails?
The reasons I hear are:
- “We need it to be generic in case the person assigned to managing it leaves.”
- “No team member wants to have their email “junked up,” so we set up a generic inbox.
You’ll notice that the reasons are related to responsibility. Someone is ultimately responsible, so use a name!
Person-alize it.
Personalizing customer communications is smart, and you will stand out even more with a person-alized company contact email.
The best solution is to assign the responsibility to someone on your team and use their email address. The second-best solution is to create a fictitious team member, set up an email address, and assign the responsibility to a real team member.
Here’s an example:
- You decide your fictitious contact person’s name will be Steve, so you create Steve@yourcompany.com
- The inbox for Steve is managed by Sam [an actual human team member].
- The password for the address is recorded digitally and/or on paper and placed in a central location that everyone can access. [On a team server or file, etc.]
- If Sam moves on to another role, the responsibility is reassigned, and the password can be easily changed.
Build trust
Using a person’s name in your company contact address improves public perception and trust. Your company is perceived as personable, accessible, and “high-touch” [your interactions feel real]. You build trust because customers feel like they are being “heard” and served by someone on your team.
The best customer experience makes your customers feel good.
Never forget that your customers have hearts, minds, and feelings like you. Look at your procedures, processes, and customer touch points through that lens, and you can’t go wrong!
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