What if there was an instant way to build more trust with your customers every time you sent emails? It costs zero and only takes about one minute one time to set up. The resulting boost in trust is often the difference between your messages being sent to trash, or actually being read and responded to.
I’m referring to the practice of simply adding FULL signature details to your emails. And by full, I mean including your first and last name, title, company name, company physical address (demonstrating this is a real entity and not a scam) and single preferred phone number.
Providing two or three phone numbers for home, work and cell is just confusing – pick one for them or state which one is to be used after hours. For even greater credibility, add a headshot. The full signature concept applies to emails you send both from your desktop computer and from your mobile device.
The result is similar to that of introducing yourself using your first and last names in person. Revealing fully who you are has three instant benefits:
- Demonstrates that you are transparent. You aren’t hiding anything, and you are comfortable being held accountable.
- Indicates that you are important enough to warrant their attention.
- Reminds them that they are interacting with a person – not an organization – subtly encouraging them to be more respectful.
Plus you’re making it easier for them to phone you if they opt to, without having to search for your number. All achieved by including a full signature to your initial emails. For long back and forth email chains you might use an abbreviated version of your signature for your replies.
Speaking of long emails that discourage people from actually reading it (especially on mobile devices requiring a lot of scrolling), you can omit all the, “This is confidential info intended for…” disclaimer legal jargon at the bottom of emails. The intended or accidental recipient hasn’t agreed to it, so it holds no legal weight if you don’t have a signed confidentiality agreement. It just takes up unnecessary space on email chains and clutters the conversation.
How about you – is there room for improvement in the way you end your emails?
This article is based on the bestselling book Influence with Ease by customer service strategist and Hall of Fame motivational speaker Jeff Mowatt. To obtain your own copy of his book or to inquire about engaging Jeff for your team, visit www.jeffmowatt.com.
