How to Write Engaging Customer Success Emails With 8 Samples

Every business leader has felt the sting of losing a customer. It’s not fun when it happens. It’s a hollow feeling, only surpassed by the confusion of not knowing why they left in the first place. 

So, you wonder. Was it the product? The pricing? Or perhaps, the lack of adequate support post-purchase? — Might be. 

As you can probably tell from your industry, consumers today have countless options at their fingertips. It’s easy for them to jump ship and still find satisfaction wherever they land. 

Because of this, ensuring a positive, lasting relationship with your customers is paramount. That’s where customer success emails come into play. 

These aren’t just emails; they’re your company’s lifeline to sustained customer relationships, reduced churn, and enhanced loyalty.

In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about customer success emails and why they matter. You’ll also learn how to write them and get email samples to get started. 

But before diving into the art of crafting the perfect customer success email, it’s important to understand what “customer success” means and its significance in the business ecosystem.

Understanding customer success and why it matters for business

Customer success is the process of ensuring that customers achieve their desired outcomes while using your product or service. It goes beyond just delivering a product; it’s about ensuring the product or service aligns with the customer’s goals and facilitates their success. 

It’s a proactive approach that focuses on understanding customer needs, guiding them towards optimal use of a product, and ensuring they derive maximum value from it. The real reason this is so important is because the customer’s journey doesn’t end once a sale is made. 

Traditionally, the primary concern for businesses was to make a sale. Once the company completed the transaction, interaction with the customer typically decreased, only picking up if the customer lodged a complaint or required technical support.

But today, the customer journey (going from customer satisfaction to customer loyalty) is recognized as a continuous loop, encompassing pre-purchase, purchase, post-purchase, and potential repurchase phases. 

With that in the corner, the reality is that if your customer success managers only offers aftersales support, you are leaving a lot of (potential) money and opportunities to win the hearts of your customers on the table. 

So, customer success teams aim to make each of these stages seamless and rewarding for the customer. And it results in positive customer sentiment and increased revenue. Here are a couple of reasons your business should consider a comprehensive customer success strategy:

• Reduces customer churn: This is basic. When your customers see consistent value and feel supported in their journey, they’re less likely to look for alternative solutions.
• Enhances lifetime value: A satisfied customer is more likely to buy again, upgrade, or invest in other products/services you offer. 
• Facilitates retention: Acquiring new customers is much more expensive than retaining existing ones. 
• Offers competitive differentiation: In markets where similar products or services are offered by multiple vendors, the quality of the customer experience can serve as a significant differentiator.
• Boosts word-of-mouth marketing: This is well-established. Happy customers become brand advocates. They’re more likely to recommend your product or service to peers, amplifying your organic reach.
• Fosters predictability in revenue: With metrics like Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), a business can forecast future earnings more reliably.
• Reduces negative publicity: A proactive Customer Success team can nip problems in the bud before they escalate into issues that can harm the company’s reputation.
• Provides actionable customer feedback: Engaging with your customers gives you first-hand insights into the way your product or service is perceived. This allows you to ensure continuous improvement.

That said, the best way customer success teams operate or interact with customers is by way of email. So, what are customer success emails, and how do you write an effective one?

What are customer success emails? 

Customer success emails are strategic messages sent to customers at different stages of their lifecycle with your business. These emails aim to nurture, educate, and engage customers, ensuring they derive the most value from your product or service.

Here’s what sets them apart:

1. Educational in nature: These emails often include tutorials, tips, and best practices related to your product or service. 
2. Proactive, not reactive: Instead of waiting for a customer to face a problem, these emails anticipate potential challenges and provide solutions in advance. 
3. Personalized: They’re not generic marketing emails. These messages are tailored based on the user’s behavior, preferences, and stage in the customer lifecycle. 
4. Aims for long-term engagement: While promotional emails might seek an immediate purchase, customer success emails aim for long-term relationship building, ensuring customers remain connected and committed to your brand. 

Now, here is how to write customer success emails.

How to write customer success emails

Writing customer success emails requires a cocktail of various ingredients. In this section, we’ll examine these key elements and give you a blueprint for creating emails that not only serve your customers but also reinforce your brand.

Key elements of an engaging customer success email

Here are the key elements that make a good customer success email. 

1. Personalization

When it comes to email marketing, personalization always wins. It fosters a sense of connection. When your customer feels the email is tailored for them, they are more likely to engage with the content.

So, always start the email by addressing the customer by their name. It’s a simple, yet impactful gesture — and it immediately captures attention and builds rapport.

The even better way to personalize your customer success emails is to use specific references to their activity or purchase. You can show that you know their journey by referencing recent interactions, purchases, or milestones. 

This indicates a solid attention to detail from your customer success manager and shows that they’re not just another number in your database.

2. Clear objective

Specifying what each email aims to achieve makes the message easy to understand. It ensures that the reader knows the intended takeaway or action. Even more importantly, customer success emails aren’t promotional or casual emails you can send as you please. 

The email needs to have a clear purpose, and you need to have a good reason for reaching out to the customers. So, whether it’s to guide a customer through a new feature, address potential concerns, or share tips, ensure the objective of each email is clear and focused.

3. Proactive issue resolution and forward-thinking

This is one of the main reasons customer success emails are so darn successful and why you need them. Your customers don’t want to suffer through how to use your service. It’s the job of your customer success team to facilitate it for them. 

Customer success emails prevent customer frustration, reduce churn, and build a reputation for being attentive and considerate. The idea here is for your customer success team to anticipate challenges your customers might face and address them before they become issues. 

So, (some of) your customer success emails should offer solutions proactively that can dramatically enhance trust and brand loyalty.

4. Brand representation

We all know consistency in branding ensures recognizability, builds trust, and reinforces the company’s identity in every customer interaction. But the idea here goes beyond simple branding materials or consistency in brand messaging across your emails. 

You need to continually reinforce your value proposition to your customers. It’s about making sure the customers understand the reasons they choose your business and the attributes that make your business unique.

Certainly, it’s you’ll have to provide evidence of your credibility. You can do this by sharing links to your online profiles, showcasing reviews, and highlighting relevant case studies. This step is crucial, particularly at the beginning of a customer’s experience with you.

5. Actionable content

This is the attribute that allows customer success emails to deepen engagement and encourage the customer to take steps that enhance their experience or resolve their queries.

So, always make your content actionable by providing clear, step-by-step guidance so the customer knows what to do next. Also, format your emails in a way that allows customers to glean key information quickly. Use bullet points, headings, and visuals for clarity.

Last but not least, the email needs to have a good CTA that drives action, whether it’s reading a blog, watching a tutorial, or reaching out for support. Make your CTAs prominent and compelling.

6. Communication timing and frequency

Timely communication with customer success emails enhances user experience, ensures relevance, and reduces the risk of customers feeling neglected.

So, here is an idea: Send welcome and onboarding emails immediately after a purchase, educational emails when new features roll out, and check-ins at regular intervals. 

Understand that too frequent communication can come off as spammy and push customers away. So, you’ll need to find the right balance to ensure sustained engagement without overwhelming the customer.

Customer success email format: How to structure your customer success emails

The structure of a customer success email is the same as most business emails. It needs to be a compelling subject line that encourages the recipients to open, an email body that shares your content and encourages action, and a conclusion. 

Customer success email subject line 

The subject line is the gatekeeper of your email. It’s the first thing your customer will see and will decide whether your email gets opened or is sent straight to the archive. 

Here are some tips for crafting a captivating subject line:

• Make it relevant: It should simply seek to reflect the email’s content and not be ‘clickbaity’.
• Keep it short and sweet: Ideally, keep it under 50 characters to ensure it’s fully visible on most email platforms.
• Use action words: Verbs can inspire action and draw readers in. E.g., “Discover”, “Maximize”, “Unearth”, etc.
• Add personalization: As mentioned before, personalization goes a long way. “John, here’s how to maximize your new subscription” is more compelling than a generic message.

Customer success email body

The body of the email is where the magic happens. So, once you’ve got them to open the email, the body content must deliver what the subject line promised. Here’s how to structure it:

• Greeting: Keep it simple, formal, and personalized. E.g., “Hello [name],”
• Purpose statement: Clearly state the email’s purpose in the first few lines. E.g., “We noticed you haven’t tried [feature X] yet, and we’re here to help you get started!”
• Content: Provide the main information, which could be educational, informative, or supportive. Consider using subheadings, bullet points, or images to break up the text.
• Value proposition: Highlight the benefits or value of what you’re communicating. E.g., “By utilizing [feature X], you can boost your efficiency by 40%.”
• Links or resources: If you’re referencing a tutorial, new feature, or any other resource, provide direct links to them.

How to end a customer success email

The ending of your email serves as a gentle nudge toward the desired action and leaves a lasting impression. Here’s how to wrap up:

• Call to action (CTA): Clearly define what you’d like the recipient to do next. E.g., “Start using [feature X] now!” Ensure the CTA stands out, either by using a button or bold text.
• Email closing line: For the closing line, we recommend that you make a support offer.  Reiterate that you’re there to help. E.g., “Got questions? We’re just an email away!”
• Sign-off: Keep it warm and aligned with your brand voice. E.g., “Happy exploring!” or “To your success!”
• Footer: This can include links to your customer support, FAQs, or other related resources, ensuring customers have all the tools they need.

10 customer success email templates for various scenarios

Here are 10 distinct customer success templates for different scenarios that you can use.

1. Sales to customer success handoff email template: Transitioning from sales to customer success team

A sales-to-customer-success handoff email bridges the gap between a customer’s purchase decision and their journey of maximizing value from that purchase. See as customer success introduction email. It’s designed to smoothly transition the relationship from the sales team to the customer success or account management team. 

This email should be reassuring, informative, and should set clear expectations for the next steps. Here is a template you can customize to write this: 

2. Customer welcome email template: Introducing the customer to your product or service.

A customer welcome email is the digital equivalent of rolling out the red carpet for your new user. It introduces them to your product or service, sets expectations, and begins the journey of trust and understanding.

Here is a customer success email template for this:

3. Onboarding email sample: Guiding the customer through initial setup or usage.

The onboarding email is a friendly guide, ensuring your customer smoothly navigates the early stages of using your product or service. It breaks down initial steps, offers helpful resources, and assures them of support.

Here is a customer success email sample for this:

4. Product update email template: Informing the customer about new features or improvements.

A product update email keeps your customers in the loop about the latest features or improvements. It showcases your brand’s commitment to growth and serves to educate users on how these updates can enhance their experience. Here is a template:

5. Milestone or achievement email sample: Celebrating a customer’s specific accomplishment or duration with your product/service.

Recognizing and celebrating customer milestones fosters goodwill and appreciation. Such customer success emails show that you’re not just observing transactions but are genuinely invested in the customer’s journey and success. Here is a sample you can emulate: 

6. Customer check-in email template: A friendly and short check-in email to stay in contact with your customers.

Customer check-in emails serve as touchpoints to maintain a connection with your customers, even when there isn’t any immediate transactional context. 

They help reinforce the idea that your brand cares about their overall well-being and experience. As you write this, maintain a genuine, succinct, and friendly tone. Ensure the message doesn’t feel intrusive or forced.

Here is a template you can use here:

7. Feedback request email template: Asking for reviews or feedback on their experience.

Feedback request emails are crucial in understanding customer experience, needs, and areas of improvement. When crafting such emails, it’s essential to be genuine, emphasize the value of the customer’s input, and ensure the feedback process is as seamless as possible.

Here is a template: 

8. Educational content email sample: Providing useful tips, guides, or best practices for your product/service.

Educational content emails enrich your customers’ experience by offering value beyond the product or service. These emails position your brand as an industry authority, empower users, and deepen their engagement. Here is a customer success email example you can emulate here: 

9. Renewal or upsell email template: Encouraging the customer to continue or expand their engagement with your offerings.

Renewal or upsell emails focus on extending or amplifying the customer’s relationship with your brand. The key is to highlight the benefits they’ve enjoyed, introduce new offerings or advantages, and make the continuation process hassle-free. Here is a renewal reminder email template you use here:

10. Thank you or appreciation email sample: Expressing gratitude for their loyalty and trust.

Thank you emails are a heartfelt gesture, showcasing your brand’s appreciation and human touch. They are an opportunity to reaffirm your commitment and thank customers for their trust and loyalty. You can send this after a purchase or after the customer has achieved some milestone with your brand.

Here is an excellent template you can learn from here:

Key takeaways

• Every customer success email should have a clear objective, whether it’s seeking feedback, guiding through onboarding, or celebrating milestones. Accompanying this objective with actionable content, such as steps to follow or a strong call to action, ensures that the customer has a clear path forward after reading the email.
• Referencing their specific activities or interactions with your brand can make your emails resonate more. Personal touches not only capture attention but foster a deeper connection between your brand and the customer. You can use a customer success platform to monitor their activities and collect data you can use for personalization.
• The timing and frequency of your emails play a significant role in their impact. Whether it’s a check-in, a renewal reminder, or an appreciation note, ensure it’s sent at a moment when it’s most relevant and beneficial to the customer.
• Need help with email marketing and lead generation? We are ready to help. Nerdy Joe can help you get stellar results from our sophisticated email marketing efforts. Talk with us today.