For answering or following up with a customer via email we have the same customer service / quality guidelines that we do in person or in chat! The benchmark of a successful customer service e-mail effort should be the quality of the response. Here's a quick guide to excellent email reference!

Lets say a customer came into chat asking about resources for becoming a dental hygenist and the chatting librarian marked the session for follow-up via email. This is how you'd want to respond:

Lets take a closer look at the elements that make up an excellent email interaction:

Greet the customer

If you know the customer's name, use it! Studies show that name use makes a huge impact on satisfaction!

There are some cases where you would not use the customers name:

• if they used a screenname as their name- ie, "slicksally" or "rogerthat123"
• if they did not give us their name either initially or in the chat

If a screenname or no name was provided, simply say "Hello!" Don't say "Hello customer" as it is very impersonal.

Acknowledge the question

It is important to acknowledge the question or situation or thank them for their time:

"Thank you for contacting Montgomery County Public Library with your question about otters."

"Thanks for using Maryland AskUsNow!. I am emailing to provide some additional resources that I hope will be helpful for you."

"Thank you for using AskALibrarian email. Your question about paddle boats is an excellent one!”

If this is a follow-up email to a chat session, be sure to read over the session as you may want to comment on any issues that arose. Let's take a case where a customer survey was less than ideal:

"I'm sorry your chat session on Monday did not go how you expected. I hope that I can provide some additional resources here that will be of use to you on your search for divorce statistics in the US."

Answer the question and cite your sources!

Answer the question the customer asks. If you veer off from the actual question, be sure to explain your departure. If they ask for a factual answer and you can only provide sources, say so and explain why. Go the extra mile but don't skip over the customer's actual question in an effort to provide other resources.

Make sure to note where the information or resources are coming from! Also explain why you chose this particular resource:

"http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos097.htm - The U.S. Department of Labor Occupation Handbook Online entry for Dental Hygienist provides an excellent overview of the profession, including specific training requirements and salary averages."

Deep link whenever possible, sending the customer to exactly where they need to be. "http://bcpl.info/branches/branch_ar.html" is much more helpful than "check our website at http://bcpl.info".

Sign your name

In closing, thank the customer for using the service (if you haven't already) and invite them back if they have any additional questions. Unless your library's procedure is to have a general email signature (like "Sincerely, Librarian at HCPL") ALWAYS sign your emails, it's professional and gives the customer the knowledge that an actual person answered their questions.

"Thank you for using Maryland AskUsNow!. Good luck with your project! Please feel free to contact us again by replying to this email or logging in at www.askusnow.info if you have any additional questions.
Sincerely, Julie Strange, MLIS
Librarian, Baltimore County Public Library"

The transformation to email excellence

A customer entered AUN chat but was not picked up by a librarian before the customer logged off. The customer did leave an email address and had a question about resetting their pin. Email follow-up was possible. Let's take a look at two ways of answering this customer:

With just a few additions and edits, your email response is more professional, helpful, and welcoming. Your emails to customers should always be a complete communication with as many details as possible. Avoid starting your emails as if you are in the middle of a conversation with your friends.

What are your tricks or policies for email reference at your library? Please share them in the comments.