Responsive Customer Service

I reached out to Chobani.com about some yogurt that was rancid and others that were still in my fridge that had the expiration dates that were supposed to have been pulled off the grocery store shelves last week. The website was down, so I messaged the company via Twitter at @Chobani and got an immediate reply. I was told that I deserve good yogurt, so they would replace the ones that weren't perfect.

Chobani‏@Chobani4 Sep

@JuliaBSullivan If they're within the code/date we're happy to replace! Email care[at]chobani dot com so we can make it up to you.

Great. I was very pleased with their customer service. So, I followed the instructions and sent off an e-mail. Which brings me to today's topic on responsive customer service.

You can have the best customer service practices on the phone, in the workplace and, even via Twitter. But, why is it that so many of us fall short when it comes to responding to our "contact us" e-mails? Well, here's a tip. When you can't check and respond to these e-mails within 24 hours, set up an auto reply that let's your customer know that the e-mail was received and appreciated and when the customer can expect to hear back from you. In the case of my Chobani experience, that didn't happen and I have yet to hear back from the e-mail I sent on Wednesday (Sept. 4). I'm not upset with Chobani. I figure that they've been swamped with e-mails and the good service I received via Twitter matter. Plus, I still love the yogurt and will continue to stock it in my fridge. But not everyone will have that same attitude. So, here's a script that Chobani can use and that can be modified for any of us.

Thank you for contacting Chobani. We appreciate your business and want to hear from you. Currently, we're experiencing a high volume of e-mail traffic and promise to respond back to you just as quickly as possible, but no later than five business days from today. We apologize for the inconvenience. Please know we care about your business and will respond as quickly as possible.

Best Regards

Chobani

At the magazine I edited, I responded to my e-mails several times a day, but could only check our "contact us" responses from our website about once a day and sometimes every other day. So our auto-reply message reflected that. I made it a point to respond to all inquiries in a timely manner, which, in this case was within 48 hours. When the magazine closed, I implemented this message:

It is with a heavy heart that I report that Lady Couture Magazine will cease publication. All contests have been disabled. We are so sorry. All of us at Lady Couture Magazine appreciate our loyal advertisers, readers and fans and want you to know that we're going to regroup, and if possible, will come back to you sometime in the future. If you'd like to see that happen, please subscribe on our website at ... so that we can have your information on file. Blessings to you all!
This e-mail and website will be disabled soon.
To reach our corporate offices, call 956-...

More than ever, it's important to do everything we can to provide our audiences a good experience. Responsive customer service begins with good and timely communications, so when you can't respond in a timely manner, allow your auto reply to be your first contact and then keep your word to respond when you say you will.