Use These 7 Email Templates For Your Customer Service Needs

In any online customer service or customer support environment, email plays a crucial role in providing great customer service and turning frustrated or angry customers back into happy customers. 

But good customer support emails take time and effort from your customer service agents and team. As you scale, that team can quickly become overwhelmed. And office workers already spend too long typing up emails, averaging 3.1 hours daily. 

Using templated email responses is a key time-saving strategy for growing businesses, allowing customer service reps to reply quickly and helpfully without starting from scratch every time. Wondering where to start? We’re here to help with 16 free and effective customer service email templates you can start using right now. 

Important Considerations When Writing Customer Service Emails

Before you jump into writing any customer service or customer support email, make sure you step back and think through the following questions.

Do You Understand What the Customer Is Asking for?

From the customer’s perspective, there’s nothing more frustrating than not being heard. If a customer feels like you don’t really understand their goal, request, or pain point, it increases the odds they’ll turn into an angry customer, either right away or down the road. 

With each message that comes in, take the time to fully evaluate what each customer is asking for. And if that isn’t clear based on the information you have, follow up with more questions to get the details you’re missing.

Are You Being Empathetic to the Customer’s Situation?

Putting yourself in the customer’s shoes can be challenging sometimes, but it’s vital if you want to leave them with a positive experience. Convey that you appreciate where they’re coming from by rephrasing their request, question, or concern. 

It’s especially tempting to shut down empathy when customers seem unreasonable or mean. But stick with it and find out what’s beneath each message or customer complaint. For example, you can look for any insights from past interactions or their initial customer intake form and reference them in your response.

Does Your Customer Service Email Give Them All the Answers and Resources They Need?

Any customer service operation that operates at scale is going to rely on customer service email templates to save time and increase their professionalism. Still, just dropping a standard, prepackaged answer on a customer rarely nurtures the kinds of customer relationships you want to build.

Templates are good, but they’re just a starting point. Make sure that you’ve given the customer all the information and tools they need to reach their specific goal or tackle similar issues in the future. 

Have You Personalized the Response to Show You’re Listening?

Also keep in mind that templates are customizable tools, not complete solutions. Personalize your customer service emails to give them as much human touch and personality as your brand allows. This way, the customer knows they’re interacting with a real human and are also being treated like one as well.

Some quick ideas for how to do this:

• Use your name and the customer’s name within the body text
• Repeat customer feedback so they know you’re actively listening
• Tweak boilerplate language to fit the actual customer issue
• Say, in your own words, how the situation will affect their workflow or day-to-day life (positive or negative) 

16 Helpful Customer Service Email Templates

Relying on well-built customer service email templates can help you increase customer satisfaction and improve the customer experience. They can also serve as part of your pre-sales support strategy, reducing the number of support requests that require manual intervention.

To get you started, here are 16 customer service email samples you can adapt for your needs.

1. Welcoming New Customers

A new customer welcome email sets the tone for the customer relationship. And that matters more than you might think since a whopping 90% of Americans consider customer service levels when choosing a company to buy from.

The welcome email should arrive either after signup or after a customer first pays for your product/service and shows your commitment to good customer service from day one. 

Email Template

Hey there {{Customer First Name}},

Thanks for {{Customer Action – First Purchase, Sign-up, Subscription}} with {{Company Name}}. We’re thrilled that you’ve joined us, and we’re excited to serve awesome customers like you in any way we can.

I know you’ve just joined us, so I want to put some {{Resource/Offer Links}} in front of you so you can get the most out of your experience with us.

If you haven’t yet, make sure to check out {{Blog Link}} for ongoing tutorials, tips, and stories, and give us a follow on social media! 

I hope you’re already enjoying {{Product Name}}, but if not, I’m happy to help. Or you can check out our {{FAQs or Knowledge Base Links}} to troubleshoot on your own.

If there’s anything you need, please write me or another member of our help desk team. We’re here for you!

Best,

{{Name}}

2. Notifying a Customer That Their Order Is Out of Stock

Customers don’t like hearing that their order is out of stock, but they always appreciate clear and proactive communication about it. Another pro tip is to provide good alternatives if you have them. 

Email Template

Hey {{Customer First Name}},

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your recent order, {{Product Name}}, is currently out of stock. We’re doing everything we can to get more in stock soon.

The good news is that our next shipment should arrive by {{Date of Availability}}, and you should receive your order within {{Number of Business Days}} once the shipment hits our warehouse.

Thanks for your patience! We’ll get you taken care of as soon as possible.

{{Name}}

3. Requesting Customer Feedback

Customer feedback is a powerful data collection tool for your business, helping you shape the future direction of your products or services and improve your email open rates. Even better, sending a heartfelt email requesting customer feedback usually creates another positive experience for your customer.

Email Template

{{Customer First Name}},

Thanks so much for your recent purchase. By now, [your item should have arrived, you’ve hopefully started exploring our solutions, etc], and you likely have a good idea of what you think about your purchase.

I’d love to get some feedback from you about your experience so far with us. You can just reply to this email and share your thoughts if you’d like. Even more helpful is if you wouldn’t mind filling out this {{Survey Link}}. It shouldn’t take more than {{Estimated Completion Time}}, and it will help us keep improving so we can better serve you.

Of course, if you’re having trouble of any kind (or your purchase hasn’t arrived yet), please let me know. I’ll do everything I can to help.

Thanks again for your time!

{{Name}}

4. Thanking Customers for Their Feedback

Customers who take the time to send in feedback are generating value for you. A quick thank-you is a major retention tool and helps you foster stronger customer relationships over time.

Note: The template below is for customers who gave positive feedback. You’ll want to take a different approach for an unhappy customer, of course.

Email Template

{{Customer First Name}},

Thanks so much for taking the time to give us feedback. We’re always working to improve our products and services, and we’re thrilled when we hear that we’re doing something right. Constructive criticism is great, too, since it helps us improve!

If you’re still feeling the love from your recent purchase, would you mind writing a quick review of your positive experience with us on {{Review Site}}? It may not seem like much, but these reviews go a long way.

Thanks again,

{{Name}}

5. Inquiring About a Customer’s Abandoned Cart (Reminder)

Users abandon carts for all sorts of reasons, and sometimes all they need to come back and purchase is a little nudge. A well-timed email reminding a customer about an abandoned item might be all it takes to net a sale.

Another powerful approach in this category is to tack an abandoned cart message onto a transactional email since they have higher open rates and contribute to better customer lifetime values ($0.75 per open, to be precise).

If you want to stick with a standalone approach, this template should do the trick.

Email Template

Hey there {{Customer First Name}}!

We couldn’t help but notice you stopped by today, and you were this close to pulling the trigger on {{Product Name}}.

In case you were interrupted or pulled away, it’s not too late to buy!

{{Abandoned Cart Link}}

I can even offer you a {{Coupon/Special Offer}} if you’re ready to buy right now. This link will give you {{Describe the Offer or Discount}} if you purchase within {{Timeframe}}.

Thanks again for checking out our store! Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

Best,

{{Name}}

6. Promoting Sales and Time-Sensitive Deals

Time-sensitive sales emails can be tricky to get right, given the sheer volume of promotional emails most people receive. Taking a personal approach can cut through the noise. Make sure you indicate what the deals are and the window of time readers have to snag the sale price.

Email Template

Hey {{Customer First Name}}!

Here at {{Company Name}} we’re always looking for more and better ways to reach even more people with our exciting lineup of {{Products/Services}}.

I’m excited to let you know about a fresh deal that’s available to you — but only for a limited time.

For the next {{Length of Time}}, you can enjoy {{Offer Details}} on {{Products/Services}}.

We stand behind our quality {{Products/Services}}, and sales like this don’t come often. That makes now the perfect time to {{Desired Action – Buy/Expand/Upgrade/Sign Up}}!

For starters, check out our {{Popular Sale Item/Service}}, it’s going fast!

Best,

{{Name}}

7. Upselling a Customer After Their Initial Purchase

For many businesses, upselling can be a huge revenue driver when implemented well. Upsell after-purchase emails should drive home the value of the upsell (what it can do for the customer) without feeling like a bait and switch (for example, withholding core functions from a basic software solution).

Email Template

Hi {{Customer First Name}},

Thanks for your recent purchase of {{Product Name}} — all of us here at {{Company Name}} truly appreciate your business.

I’m reaching out today because I want to make sure you’re getting the most out of that purchase. {{Product Name}} is fantastic as a standalone, but it shines when you use it alongside some of our other offerings.

For example, {{Strong Explanation of How Product/Service Enhances Product They Bought}}.

Does this sound like something you’d be interested in? If so, check out {{Product Link}} or simply reply to this email.

Best,

{{Name}}

Email templates are even more powerful when combined with equally powerful customer service scripts, keeping your brand messaging consistent and on-target. 

Recommended Reading: 27 Customer Service Scripts for Ecommerce Companies

Give Customers the Support and Service They Deserve With Gorgias

Your customer service teams can greatly benefit from using the customer service email templates included here, but these are just a start. Give your reps the ability to solve customers’ problems in minutes, not hours or days, with an automated helpdesk solution and live chat support tool like Gorgias.

Gorgias is the #1-rated helpdesk solution for eCommerce merchants. Our platform can supercharge your customer service and helpdesk operations, helping every team member get more efficient and effective over time.

Interested? Book a demo to see what Gorgias can do for your business.

Special thanks to our friends at Gorgias for their insights on this topic.