Learn how to reply to customers gracefully on their refund status with these customizable response templates.
To help you provide positive experiences for both existing and new customers, here are email templates for 9 specific situations:
Unfortunately, every company will have a small percentage of customers who wish to return your product. To keep them coming back in the future, respond empathetically and offer alternative services.
This is [Insert your name] from [Insert company name] and we received your refund request for [insert product name]. I've gone ahead and approved the request for [insert refund amount] and you should be able to see this transaction in your account within 3 business days.
We offer a few alternatives to [service/product] that may be a better fit. If you're interested, please let me know, I'd be happy to share more options.
Thank you for your business.
Due to the company’s refund policy — or maybe its return policy — you’re unable to offer the customer their refund. No doubt that will leave customers disappointed. The best way to soften the blow is to respond with empathy, follow up with an explanation, and offer a goodwill gesture like a store credit or discount.
Breathe in, breathe out. It’s time to remedy the situation to your best abilities.
Is the customer issue transparent? If not, it's not the best time to poke and prod for more details. Address this person with an apologetic tone to maintain a neutral customer dynamic.
Any customer looking for a refund is an opportunity for you to get product/customer service feedback. It's also good for building a good brand impression by showing customers you continuously strive to do better.
Whether it’s the bank’s fault or your fault, communication is key to upholding your customer’s trust.
Send an email to your accounting department to double-check that the funds were sent out, and then shoot off this reply.
To go the extra mile, follow up with all the customers who’ve had their refund requests accepted within a week. This time frame allows your company to credit their account and the bank to process with an additional 2-3 days to spare.
Customers will appreciate the extension of responsibility. Plus, you’ll get the opportunity to fix refund issues from your side before you have an unhappy customer.
Now and then, your business might have to issue reimbursement to existing customers. When this happens, fill them in so they can anticipate the extra funds on their account.
A loyal customer of two years just canceled their membership for your service, what gives? 65% of a business’s profit comes from its current customers.
To reduce churn rates and retain customer loyalty, send out a brief questionnaire. Customers will feel good knowing you noticed their absence.
The initial interaction was sparked by the customer reaching out to you. It doesn’t matter if the scenario is a customer request, general FAQ, complaint, or feedback — you need to follow up.
A study performed by Harvard Business reveals a staggering 56% of customers are unhappy because of poor follow-up. You set yourself apart from competitors by re-acknowledging your valued customer’s initial email.
There are hundreds of ways to follow up appropriately in any business scenario, but here is our basic recommendation.
The common thread to the email templates above is personalization. If you ever need to craft more templated responses, always keep these best practices in mind:
Being on the receiving end of an unaddressed email is a bad customer experience. Marketing greats understand customers need to feel special and acknowledged for any sale or scenario.
If their email is without a signature, pull the customer’s name from their most recent purchase or transaction matching their email address.
How long has this individual been a consumer in your company? Is there a history of recurring complaints regarding the service?
Knowing the amount of time this customer has been loyal to your business is key in resolving whatever conflicts arise. It’s possible they might not comprehend clearly how your product/service functions and need a tutorial.
For repetitive complaints, it’s time to ask specific questions to get to the crux of the issue, like, “What would you like to see as a resolution?”
If the explanation in the email is not clear to you, ask for a second opinion.
Understanding and empathy are the two mandatory components of customer conflict resolution. If the customer is vague in their criticisms, ask clarifying questions to paint the whole picture.
Never simply assume the “why.”
Firing off a quick response email within seconds discredits the genuine nature of your words. Customers will assume it’s an automatic reply, and it could worsen the scenario.
Instead, take a minute to detox from any negative communication or hire a trained customer service representative to respond on your behalf.
According to a 2020 study, one-third of customers expect a reply in about one hour. The average business takes 12 hours to respond, and 62% of companies fail to respond at all.
Complaints should be resolved swiftly to mitigate a bad review or alleviate an unhappy customer. Other emails, such as product questions, should be attended to at the same speed, if not instantly.
Potential customers tend to care less when product answers are readily available to them through a knowledge base or help desk. 55% of users will abandon their cart if they’re unable to find an explanation for their question within minutes.
Show your customer you value their time and boost your retention rates.
Ghosting a customer after you resolve their help request leaves a bad taste in their mouth. A quick support email reassures them they’ve been heard and that your company is taking steps to avoid future problems.
Customers want to know this issue won’t be a repeat offense and cause them more stress down the road. Smoothing out the problem by promising it won’t reoccur maintains a positive B2C relationship.
Make your customer feel like part of the solution. Reference the “Customer Follow-Up Email” in the list below.
Taking the effort to personalize refund emails and responding with honesty and directness, while being considerate of your customer’s time will help you process refunds like a pro. You may even impress customers. To be efficient about it, keep these 9 refund email templates on hand - just make sure to customize them to reflect your brand tone & voice.
If customer interaction isn’t your strong suit, it’s normal. You’re running a company, and it’s challenging to balance everything at once. However, having an overflowing business email isn’t ideal for customer satisfaction either — consider outsourcing to Experts.
Chatdesk can help supercharge your customer support — even if it’s just after-hours or on weekends. Our customer support agents are based in the US and we offer super affordable and flexible pricing. More importantly, previous clients report conversion rates of 10% or more. You can learn more here or schedule a demo with us.
