Contacting customers who don't open their emails?

[Lucan Unlordly]

We have a problem!

When sending vital messages to our customers - information they will want to know and are expected to act on - around 40% do not access and open their email.

We have their phone numbers and a facility within BREVO a new mailing site we are trying, to make contact via What's App but I feel pretty certain that we can't just do that without customer's permission which we can't get unless they open their email LOL!

Short of spending days on the phone has anybody got any suggestions as to how to solve this problem?

 

[WaveJumper]

Are these messages regarding actual on going / current orders you are working on for a client

 

[fisicx]

When they became customers did they give permission for marketing?

If so you can contact via WhatsApp.

However, maybe they aren’t opening because they have marked as junk or no longer want to be a customer.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Why not set up a process where if they do not open (not 100% measurable), after a few days, you automatically send a follow up email?

 

[Newchodge]

information they will want to know and are expected to act on

Why will they want to know? Is it to do with an order they have placed, or is it marketing?

 

[Gecko001]

Here are a few reasons:

Your emails might be going straight into spam folders.
They might have been regarded as span and not opened at all
The email domain (eg. gmail etc) of your email, might have been blocked if it is a domain that spammers regularly use.

 

[DontAsk]

Are DMARC/DKIM setup correctly for sending e-mails?

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Send a test email to https://www.mail-tester.com/ and see the results.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Are these messages regarding actual on going / current orders you are working on for a client

They are bona fide customers that pay for a system they need. We are making some necessary changes which will effect out of date content so it's a request to update their information.

When they became customers did they give permission for marketing?

If so you can contact via WhatsApp.

However, maybe they aren’t opening because they have marked as junk or no longer want to be a customer.

Possibly not as many have been customers since Dinosaurs roamed the earth so I will need to check.

Why not set up a process where if they do not open (not 100% measurable), after a few days, you automatically send a follow up email?

I've done that Paul and whilst we've had a marginally better response it still leaves a good number who haven't opened their emails.

Why will they want to know? Is it to do with an order they have placed, or is it marketing?

See my first reply above. They need to know to prevent them having to rectify any issues when we make some software upgrades.

Here are a few reasons:

Your emails might be going straight into spam folders.
They might have been regarded as span and not opened at all
The email domain (eg. gmail etc) of your email, might have been blocked if it is a domain that spammers regularly use.

It's fair to say that a lot of our customers are not using email as a part of their daily routine but we know the emails are being delivered.

 

[Newchodge]

They need to know to prevent them having to rectify any issues when we make some software upgrades.

When they have the issues they will contact you.

 

[fisicx]

Add a function to the software that alerts them to the upgrade. They then acknowledge and proceed. If it all goes pear shaped they know to call you.

 

[DontAsk]

When they have the issues they will contact you.

yeah “Why didn’t you contact us if you knew there were going to be issues”.

Doesn’t look great.

 

[DontAsk]

They’re paying customers, just phone them.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

When they have the issues they will contact you.

They may not realise that some of their information is outdated and has disappeared. Which will have a small effect on the overall value of our service to them and other customers but one we'd prefer to avoid.

Add a function to the software that alerts them to the upgrade. They then acknowledge and proceed. If it all goes pear shaped they know to call you.

They've had pop ups, when logging in, social media posts aplenty etc.,

yeah “Why didn’t you contact us if you knew there were going to be issues”.

Doesn’t look great.

We did........... ( I've never subscribed to the theory that the customer is always right or the other one 'Glass half empty or half full?)

They’re paying customers, just phone them.

1300 emails sent out, opening rate of just over 50% - possible maximum number of phone calls 374!

Word is getting out there and whilst the actual number of required calls will be significantly lower we're not talking half a dozen customers here.

 

[numbersrule]

From my experience, some people seem to have such high volumes of emails that they seem to give up on actually replying to emails. I know of some companies who adopt deliberate policies of no response. And I have known business owners who avoid replying to emails and always insist on speaking as opposed to replying by email. It's part of the trend whereby people don't want to be held accountable for anything they mistakenly give away in an email so they just adopt blankness.

 

[DontAsk]

And I have known business owners who avoid replying to emails and always insist on speaking as opposed to replying by email.

LOL, I'm the opposite. I'd rather have an e-mail than a 'phone call (or even face-to-face). I'd rather do everything by e-mail but at least I can call back at a time that suits me if I have to use the 'phone.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

Call them?

Snail mail (use a hybrid service to reduce costs)?

 

[Gecko001]

@Lucan Unlordly. You are obviously someone who does not like the using the phone. Maybe the customers, who are not replying to your emails, do not share your aversion to the use of the phone to conduct business.

 

[Ozzy]

They've had pop ups, when logging in, social media posts aplenty etc.,

I was about to suggest adding a message to the platform (that's what we do with eFiling) and see @fisicx suggested that, and you have already done this plus social media posts.

So basically, and this is the apprach we take, you can lead a horse to water but cannot make it drink. So do what we can, and then await the support call from people who ignore our emails and in-app notifications, so it's on them.

 

[tony84]

Why not just call them?
Under GDPR it would be fine under legitimate interest.

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

@Lucan Unlordly. You are obviously someone who does not like the using the phone. Maybe the customers, who are not replying to your emails, do not share your aversion to the use of the phone to conduct business.

I run 2 businesses - one that is software based and the basis of this thread - and one the supply of products that require ordering, assembly, packing, despatch and delivery. Apart from a lack of time my software customers do employed work during the day and volunteer several nights a week and at weekends in niche sports. Calling is an option that I'm using, but it's not a solution that scales efficiently to solve the problem.
Your assumption that I'm averse to using the phone couldn't be more wrong. As a salesman by profession I'll wager that I've spent more hours with a phone at my ear than you've had asleep at night.

Why not just call them?
Under GDPR it would be fine under legitimate interest.

See reply to Gecko001 above

There's a few technical replies on here that I'll follow up on, so thanks everyone for your replies. I'll let you know how I get on...

 

[Gecko001]

@Lucan Unlordly You did not make it clear in your first post that you supply software. Software was my biggest expense before I retired, and even though I was spending thousands a year for some software, I did not have any phone calls from the company supplying it. Like you say, it seems like you need a technical fix. Sorry for any offence caused.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

If software, add a mechanism to deliver messages into the control panel of the system?

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

@Lucan Unlordly You did not make it clear in your first post that you supply software. Software was my biggest expense before I retired, and even though I was spending thousands a year for some software, I did not have any phone calls from the company supplying it. Like you say, it seems like you need a technical fix. Sorry for any offence caused.

No offence taken.

We don't supply software but an online service using such that was created for us.

What's frustrating is that so far this month 96% of our customers have logged in, used the service and been presented with a pop up asking them to check their email. Just 56% have

 

[Newchodge]

No offence taken.

We don't supply software but an online service using such that was created for us.

What's frustrating is that so far this month 96% of our customers have logged in, used the service and been presented with a pop up asking them to check their email. Just 56% have

Perhaps the pop up needs to be moree explanatory, rather than issuing an instruction?

 

[Lucan Unlordly]

Perhaps the pop up needs to be moree explanatory, rather than issuing an instruction?

In the run up to the changes we've posted explanatory pops up with timelines etc.,

The changes will start biting in the next couple of weeks and I expect my customer service skills to be tested to the limit

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

been presented with a pop up asking them to check their email.

Yes - give them the message - don't make them work for it!

 

[Nick@Daydot]

One thing I haven't seen suggested which you may have done, is to work on the subject line and 'from' that shows up. In gmail for example I get emails from 'customer service'.... which could be anyone. And then as a limited number of characters are displayed, if the start of the subject line is waffle then I might not know at all what it's about. Make the first words direct and meaningful to grab attention.