Recently in Transactional Emails Category

From: Zipcar
Subject Line: Zipcar Satisfaction Survey
Date: Monday, August 22, 2011

From: Decipher Research
Subject Line: Virgin America invites you to share your thoughts about your recent flight!
Date: Wednesday, August 17, 2011

From: Decipher Research
Subject Line: REMINDER: Virgin America invites you to share your thoughts about your recent flight!
Date: Monday, August 22, 2011

While I appreciate the idea behind Customer Survey emails, I find myself annoyed when I receive them if they aren't well-executed. These two examples from Virgin and Zipcar recently came to my inbox, and while they are both super-simple in execution (plain text and HTML light respectively), the tones are very different from each other, and only the Zipcar email compelled me to follow through. (For professional purposes I actually attempted both surveys, but more on that later)

The email on Virgin's behalf sent by Decipher Research could take a few lessons from the Zipcar email.

• The sender: Zipcar's email was sent by Zipcar vs. Virgin's email was sent by a 3rd party, which feels slightly off-putting to me. I know, trust and respect Virgin as a brand, but previously knew nothing about Decipher Research... and the email was signed off by "Hall & Partners, research partner of Virgin America". Again, I don't know them. (For the record, I am a huge fan of Virgin's regular email program)
  
• The subject lines: Zipcar Satisfaction Survey vs. Virgin America invites you... Zipcar's is short and very to the point. Virgin's is longer than it needs to be, and by using the the word "invites", I got my hopes up that there might be some sort of offer or incentive. Also the REMINDER in all caps for the second send bothered me... Don't shout at me! Why didn't you take the hint I don't want to complete your survey the first time?!
  
• The greeting: Dear Customer vs, Hi Lyla. I appreciate the personal greeting from Zipcar. 
• The general tone and content: all business for Virgin vs. casual and friendly for Zipcar. Again, the bolding and underlining in the Virgin email seems overly strong.
  

As for the survey itself, my feelings towards the emails carry over to the the overall experience. The Zipcar email requests that I take the "2-minute" survey which links to the Zipcar site. Of their 4 total questions 3 were multiple choice, so it is truly a speedy experience. The Virgin survey claims to be 5 minutes. I won't know for sure how long it would have actually taken for me to fully complete, because I got annoyed with it for not allowing me to skip answers, and having a forceful tone about it. Additionally, the first 10 questions that I did answer before I gave up, were all about information that I assume Virgin would have about me anyways based on my flight bookings.

Both bottom line is, if you are going to ask your customers to take a survey, make sure that you keep it simple, and be cautious with your tone. Ideally, there should be some sort of incentive, such as a driving or flight credit, but at the very least provide your customers with a survey taking experience that is easy and pleasurable.

From: n+1

Subject Line: $5 off your n+1 renewal on Cinco de Mayo

Date: Thursday, May 5, 2011

I can't say I woke up on this glorious Cinco de Mayo thinking, "Why, I bet it's time to resubscribe to my favorite thrice-yearly lit and culture journal!" Even so, the clever folks at n+1 took the holiday to throw a little incentive and delight my way.

I was tickled by the plea to resubscribe being tied to the (delicious) unrelated holiday. What a creative way to be relevant. Further kudos for clearly calling out the how to take advantage of the offer--and the short window of time open to do so.

Sure, we usually go for emails with a little more going on visually, but I'm endeared to know I can discuss this with them over a Corona at their office after resubscribing.

From: Virgin America
Subject Line: Credit File Reminder
Date: Friday, April 8, 2011

This email is a travel MIRACLE. I must have credits with every major US airline, but for what amount, with which airline and where that information is stored is beyond me.

When an airline make credit information less accessible, as customers, many of us feel like that airline is trying to keep our dollars in their pockets. This doesn't inspire us to fly with that airline. For instance, not long ago, an airline I will not name here told me that the only way they could give me a credit is via a postal mail voucher. (Strike one.) I never received it in the mail. (Strike two.) I called their customer service number to explain that it never came, and they said the only way they could help me is if I sent them a description of my problem via postal mail. WHAT!? (Strike 3.) I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was the year 1800. 

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Virgin America sent me this helpful reminder today, listing out my credits with their respective expiration dates. I appreciate not only the credit details, but the many contact information options Virgin provides. When I see the actual phone number listed in the email, I feel like Virgin really wants to help me! 

Next time I book a trip, will this message inspire me to fly Virgin instead of another airline? You bet. 

Now Virgin, just give me a direct flight from Seattle to New York and we're all set!

From: AT&T U-verse
Subject Line: AT&T U-verse Order Confirmation
Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2011

From: AT&T U-verse
Subject Line: Get to know your AT&T U-verse
Date: Monday, January 31, 2011

From: AT&T U-verse
Subject Line: AT&T U-verse: one day away
Date: Monday, February 7, 2011

I received a surprisingly catchy email confirmation from AT&T U-verse within 24 hours of signing up. A week later, I got an email encouraging me to become acquainted with the AT&T U-verse services and a "one day away from installation" email prior to the installation.

 

The design and layout for the most part are eye-catching and visually appealing. The concept of the AT&T U-verse email transactional series is nice. I liked their clever headline "Confirmed for Liftoff" for the confirmation email. They reinforced this concept of "taking off" with hot air balloon images and illustrations throughout the series.

 

There are some formatting issues, however, in the details section of the confirmation email where tables are not aligning. I confirmed this by opening it in different email clients to see if the issue would be recreated.

 

I also think integrating the "Your order details" closer to the top left section of the email would be more effective because it would deliver the most important information upfront. Since I was expecting this email, it might not have been as crucial but in a land of tens to hundreds of daily emails, making it easy for customers to find out the reason for the email and any important information is key to a successful email campaign.

 

Overall, the concept came through in the emails and built anticipation in my mind for their services.

From: MobileMe
Subject Line: MobileMe account notice: update your credit card
Date: Monday, February 8, 2010

Technology is not my friend today. It all started at 6:30 a.m. with this email from Apple MobileMe. Apparently, my credit card on file had expired, so they needed me to update it on my account. Okay, no problem. But, um, how about a link to my Mobile Me log-in page? No? Too much to ask? Just a button? An underlined word? Heck, I'd even settle for a clickable logo. I found some small links at the bottom, but none of them specifically said 'GO HERE TO UPDATE ACCOUNT'. Making your subscribers do the work is not the way to get them to spend more money with you. Especially with a service-oriented feature like Mobile Me, which is supposed to make my life on the go easier. Sorry, Apple. This one was a major miss for me. On a positive note, I love the headline and the body copy. It's short, sweet and friendly.

Follow-Up Note: Stefan Pollard, our resident strategy genius, offered some interesting insight that I think is important to share. (See below) One thing that's interesting is that AT & T includes a button in their "your bill is ready" emails, so I guess it really is about the individual company and what they're comfortable with.

"Some financial institutions will provide links to "sign in", others are afraid to do so. What often makes the difference is the brand and the likeliness of being attached by phishing and fraud. The bigger the brand, the more likely they become a target and many FI's will include language that says they will never ask you for information or to log in directly, but rather simply remind you to visit their home page. This works well if you provide a URL that isn't tracked by your provider so it is fully branded. Consumers have learned to mouse over images and links to make sure the destination matches the target for protection."

From: Barnes & Noble
Subject Line: Nook: The World's Most Advanced eBook Reader
Date: Friday, December 11, 2009

The real secret to a successful product is having people use it. Barnes & Noble truly understand this and use an automated message after purchase to make it easy for first time users to learn the ins and outs of their top selling holiday product, the "nook". After the receipt, this secondary transactional response focuses on how easy it is to use the product you just purchased.

Notice how this message starts with a thank you but immediately re-enforces the benefits of the product. Then, it moves right into a simple three step guide on how to get the most from your new nook (complete with a link to a short video tutorial). Rounding out the perfect activation message, Barnes & Noble include a simple yet subtle CTA to their eBookstore. I can quickly add the newest Alex Cross eBook by James Patterson to read while I sit at the airport during my Christmas break. Now, I won't mind so much if my flight is delayed for the third time cause I can just sit back and lose myself in my new nook.

From: Williams-Sonoma
Subject Line: Order Confirmation #092857855452
Date: Monday, October 12, 2009

If you're looking for the right way to do transactional messaging, this Williams-Sonoma Order Confirmation message is a bastion of best practices:
(1) The smarts start with the subject line, including the order number for folks who quickly need to reference it, perhaps while on the phone with a customer service rep.
(2) The ease of use continues just beneath the navigation area, with a order number stacked above the customer service telephone number.
(3) I love that the "You May Also Consider:" items (and what classy language!) are actually related to the item I purchased, which isn't always the case on these "enhanced transactional" message types. A bread box buyer might just like a Classic Bread Knife. Wüsthof knives really are awesome, although I'm now partial to Global knives, since those are the kind the contestants draw on "Top Chef" ;).
(4) The WS team observes the 80/20 rule of thumb: no more than 20% promotion in a transactional message. They also adhere to the guideline that promotional items be kept to the right and to the bottom of the primary transactional message.
(5) It just plain looks good. Neat and sleek. Not designed by a database system output script or something. You can have beauty and brains after all.

From: Hotel Max
Subject Line: Your Stay with Us
Date: September 1, 2009

From: Hotel Max
Subject Line: Thank You for Visiting!
Date: September 2, 2009

Last week, I was up in Seattle for a meeting and stayed at the Hotel Max. After checking in at the front desk, I went up to my room and got online to catch up on my email. Amidst the regular cast of characters in my inbox was an unexpected surprise. Apparently, the minute I checked in, scratch that, the SECOND I checked in, Hotel Max sent me a welcome email. Talk about timely. Signed by the hotel manager, the email was personal and helpful, plus I have to give them kudos for taking the opportunity to plug the restaurant that's attached to the hotel.

To round out the customer service experience, they also sent me a follow-up email asking for feedback about my stay. I won't go into the details, but I did have some feedback and decided to send it in. I got a prompt personal email from the hotel manager letting me know what they were doing to fix the snafu. The only puzzle in all of this is that the first email I received welcoming me to the hotel lists one guy as the hotel manager, but the personal email I received was from a completely different guy who also held the hotel manager title. My guess is that there was a personnel switch and no one updated the emails. Oops. Now that's the perfect example of why it's so important to make sure the content in your triggered messages is up to date.

From: Twitter
Subject Line: Reset your Twitter password
Date: Wednesday, August 26, 2009

It's super-easy to overlook or "dial in" your transactional messaging. Twitter does it smarter with their "password reset" email message:

"Can't remember your password, huh? It happens to the best of us... login and change it to something you'll remember."

The copy is straightforward, cute, "human." Very Twitter.