Trigger Alert: How Emails Keep Customers Engaged

Ever check your personal email and start to feel really popular? Companies sending you promos, order confirmations and reminders.

Well, there a reason for that: 86% of consumers are willing to pay more for a great customer experience! We’ll explain what makes an experience “great” later, but for now let’s focus on that point, straight from the customer’s mouth.

Customers want to be cared for.

Now, you don’t have to email to show you care. You could send an SMS text, post on social media or hand write a letter (handwritten letters have a 99% open rate!). But email is just so convenient.

And by the time you finish reading our tips on email triggering for customer engagement, you’ll be in a better position to build better client relationships.

Let’s start with the basics.

WHY ARE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT EMAILS SO IMPORTANT?

We covered how to reduce cancellations  in a previous post and customer loyalty was a common theme. For example, loyal customers are 63% less likely to churn. And get this: Companies that make customer experience a priority receive 55% more market share.

Sounds like it’s probably worth the effort to send a few more emails, right?

But at the same time, the average extended car warranty company only has 15 employees. Odds are your sales reps and administrators are long on responsibilities and short on time.

Keep reading and we’ll share how the customer engagement email capabilities of Inline CRM can help.

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT EMAILS

Did you know that 55% of consumers who purchase an extended car warranty never use it?

And of those 55%, some are bound to think they’re wasting their money. That means you have a real opportunity to show your service is worth it, even if your customer ends up not needing it.

So, if you’re struggling to come up with a topic for a customer email, the good news is you have tons of options:

Welcome Series

• • Summarizing what your client purchased

• • A link to their portal or policy center with proper documents

• • Instructions on how to file a claim

Product Recommendations

• • If a customer has a VSC, inform them about the benefits of an extended warranty for their home (or vice versa)

• • Is there a certain air filter, type of oil or brand that your company believes will help your customer in any way? Recommend them.

Post-Purchase

• • A “Happy Birthday” message

• • Customer satisfaction survey

• • Service review after a claim is filed and complete

• • Warranty recalls

• • Claim status

Reminder

• • Payment reminder

• • Renewal notice

• • Seasonal maintenance

If you’re already doing any of these, you deserve a big pat on the back.

But if you’re like most extended warranty sellers, you might have trouble convincing leads that your policies are valuable. Just consider what you have to combat from an educational standpoint. According to PEGA:

• • 35% feel extended warranties are too expensive

• • 32% don’t feel they need an extended warranty

• • 48% only somewhat understand what’s covered in their policy

• • 7% don’t understand their policy at all!

So, when following up with a lead who’s on the fence or confused, you might want to send a pre-formatted email dispelling these myths.

Ultimately, the common thread with each of these triggered emails is they deliver value somehow: Either a “thinking of you” message, DIY instructions, recommendations to make their life easier, etc. The more you can deliver in this respect, the more likely your customers choose your email to open from among the swarm in their inbox — and that’s what makes a great customer experience

CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT EMAIL BEST PRACTICES

Now that you know why these emails are important and the different types you can send, let’s discuss some ways you can enhance their performance.

Use a CRM

What would happen if you sent an email to the owner of a Ford about a recall for a Mitsubishi?

That customer might think you:

• • Sent it by mistake

• • Aren’t very professional

• • Have incorrect information about their policy

Regardless, it makes your company look bad!

When you segment your customer base, you’re able to send targeted, specific, relevant information.

That’s why an extended warranty CRM can be so helpful: You can group your customers based on any number of criteria, from their state of residence, to the make or model of their car, policy tier and more.

You can also trigger emails by lead quality, lead type, or the outcome of previous calls or actions made by sales reps.

And if you believe the people at Adobe (we do), segmented email campaigns lead to a 760% revenue increase.

Here’s how to segment with Inline:

Email send criteria for payment reminder

• • Policy is active in Inline CRM

• • Monthly payment is scheduled for 5 days from now

• • Customer has email stored in Inline CRM

Or

Email send criteria for expiring contract

• • Policy is active in Inline CRM

• • Policy will expire in 3 months (repeat at 2 months, 1 month, 2 weeks and 5 days before expiration)

• • Customer record has email stored in Inline CRM

Pay Attention to Links

If you send a “maintenance reminder” email, you still want your customer to engage with your brand. Yes, even if you won’t make any money from that interaction.

And as it turns out, the number of links you include in your emails can make a big difference in their performance.

Pro Tip:  Triggered emails with two or three links are 120% more likely to convert than a triggered email with just one link.

When To Send

Emailing can be a tricky balancing act. You don’t want to send too frequently or too infrequently.

Fortunately, there are data-based studies, like the one done by Sendinblue, that shows the best days and times to send.