Four transactional emails your workshop should be sending in 2022.
You drop off your job at the local workshop, the guy that takes your parts gives you the nod and tells you to check back with them by the end of next week. The waiting starts.
Admit it; online shopping has spoiled you. It would be best to remind yourself this is a local workshop, not Amazon Prime. You won't get a booking confirmation, and the only way to find out when the job is ready is to call.
High-speed internet, mobile devices, transactional email and SMS, has made us all a little impatient. But, unfortunately, most workshops and repair services don't have the workforce to turn jobs around the same day, so we are just going to have to wait.
But there is a secret weapon at your disposal. Your confirmation, notification and tracking emails are your customers best friend. So if your customers have to wait, you may as well score bonus points and make it worthwhile.
Why do these emails matter
Transactional emails are the best-kept secret of the modernized workshop. Your booking, parts-landed, job-delayed and job-ready emails are your customers peak behind the scenes into what happens in your workshop. Transactional emails make up 25% of all emails sent, and triggering these critical messages around the progress of jobs in your workshop is a big step to delivering a first-class workshop service.
Nobody wants to place an order only to be met by radio blackout, or at best, the bare minimum communication. Confirmation of parts received, job-delayed, and ready for pick-up will allow you to give you a better-tuned service.
Here is what those emails should do
Keep customers updated and build trust. Confirmation emails should be all about transparency and clarity. Use these emails to keep your customers in the loop and tell them what to expect.
Get customers excited. Make every job a celebration, reward your customers for choosing your service, and celebrate the small steps, especially when the job is ready for collection. Create a positive experience, and your customers will thank you for it.
Make waiting easier. Everybody has to wait; even the fastest services on the planet make you wait. It's not the waiting we don't like; it's keeping us in the dark. So keep customers posted while they wait. If there is a delay, tell them fast. And most of all, make the wait a worthwhile experience.
Email templates
#1 Confirmation parts arrived at the service centre.
What is it?
The confirmation that the customer parts have arrived at your service centre is an excellent email to win points for service. Most service centres rely on customers to call to check a parcel has landed or relied on the courier tracking link. You can win your customers attention by notifying them the moment a parcel lands. It's also a great way to confirm 'what' you received and outline the next steps of your service. It reduces the issue of missing parts by proving what you received the moment a parcel landed.
Important points:
Tell your customer as soon as their parcel arrives.
List what parts you received.
Take photographs for physical evidence and condition reports.
Send the customer a booking form, so everything is written down clearly.
Give them a way to contact you if something is wrong.
Detail what the next steps are.
Why do you need it?
Help's reduce missing items and costly pay-outs.
Stops customers calling.
Better customer experience and service.
Provides an easy route for customers to communicate by reply email or SMS.
Provides a tracking link to reduce the time spent updating customers.
Get this set-up in under 5 mins:
Example email template #1:
Dear {{contact.first_name}},
Good news, your parts just arrived at our service centre. We are pleased to confirm your item(s) arrived earlier today. We have logged all parts received and taken visual photographs. You can refer to the attached PDF 'Booking form'. If anything is missing, please let us know within 48 hours by replying to this email.
In the meantime, we will provide a full assessment and written estimate to carry out the service(s) requested shortly. You can use the link below to track progress or reply to this email for assistance at any time.
Thank you for choosing ACNE CO LLC.
Example email template #2
Dear {{contact.first_name}},
Here is a polite notification your parcel has arrived safely at ACNE & Co LLC.
Your items will be unpacked, photographed and checked into our system over the next couple of days. We will update you again shortly. You can track your job using the link below or reply to this email for a more specific update.
Thank you for choosing ACNE & Co.
#2 Notification parts dropped off.
What is it?
The confirmation that a customer has dropped off parts at your facility works the same as the landed confirmation. Use this notification when a customer physically drops items off at your premises.
Important points:
List what parts you received.
Take photographs for physical evidence and condition reports.
Send the customer a booking form, so everything is written down clearly.
Give them a way to contact you if something is wrong.
Detail what the next steps are.
Why do you need it?
Confirms what items were dropped off and what service you are providing.
Reduce printed paper and send a digital copy to their phone
Better customer experience and service.
Provides an easy route for customers to communicate by reply email or SMS.
Provides a tracking link to reduce the time spent updating customers.
Get this set-up in under 5 mins:
Example email template #1
Hi {{contact.first_name}},
Thank you for checking your parts into ACNE Repair & Co. See the attached PDF booking form for full confirmation.
Our team will process your part(s) shortly. You can track progress using the link below or reply to this email at any time for assistance.
Thank you for choosing ACNE Repair & Co.
#3 Notification of order delays.
What is it?
Busy workshops and service centres can intake many jobs every day. However, a typical workshop may not have a managed system to determine when assignments are due. This can often result in customers constantly calling for progress updates or, even worse, disgruntled customers. An automated notification that warns customers of pending delays based on a 'wait' time is a great way to combat these issues and alarm staff to overdue jobs.
Why do you need it?
Notify customers automatically when jobs sit waiting for a period determined to be too long (x days).
Use multiple notifications that are triggered as jobs are left waiting for prolonged periods.
Notify your team when jobs are left untouched.
Provides a tracking link to reduce the time spent updating customers.
Provide an easy point of contact via email.
Get this set-up in under 5 mins:
Example email #1.
Hi {{contact.first_name}},
Here is a polite notification that your job ref: {{document.doc_id}} is experiencing delays. Our workshop team has been notified of the delay and are working to expedite your job.
You can use the link below to track progress or reply to this email for assistance.
We will notify you again shortly when we have more updates.
Thank you so much for being so patient,
#4 Notification your job is ready for pick-up.
What is it?
When your workshop completes jobs, someone must notify the customer that the job is ready for pick-up. This may entail conveying an address, opening times, directions and even payment details. Often this takes multiple phone calls or emails. The automated notification can save your team valuable time by completing this task numerous times.
Important points:
Convey's essential information without constant repetition.
Operates the moment a job completes in your workshop.
Can use multiple emails to send reminders when customers fail to collect work.
Why do you need it?
It saves your business and customers time.
It improves efficiency.
It reduces delays
It reduces human error.
It can convey everything the customer needs to know to collect items and make payment.
Get this set-up in under 5 mins:
Example email #1
Dear {{contact.first_name}},
We are happy to inform you that your job is now complete and ready for collection. You may collect your finished parts Mon - Fri 8 am - 6 pm, Or by appointment outside these hours.
We accept major credit/debit cards or cash. However, full payment is required before any parts can be released unless approved by a credit account.
We look forward to seeing you soon,
Example email #2
Dear {{contact.first_name}},
Great news! Your parts are now complete and ready for collection from our premises. You may collect your finished pieces Mon - Fri 8 am - 6 pm, Or by appointment outside these hours.
Full payment is required on collection. We accept all major credit/debit cards or cash. If you cannot collect your item(s) within ten days, please let us know so we can arrange storage of your items, charged at 1% of the invoice value/per week.
We look forward to seeing you soon,