Asking permission and other customer expectations
Your customers have many common expectations of your business that you must manage and fulfill. One basic expectation is that you will ask permission to email them. These days, very few people expect to be automatically added to an email list. Most consumers are savvy enough to understand that though you can email them to confirm a purchase and give them their shipment tracking information, they will not receive marketing emails from you unless they explicitly signed up to receive emails of that kind.
Consider this: Many websites have Contact Us pages with a form users can fill out for more information or to make a comment. In addition to having a field for the comments or inquiry, there is a field for the email address of the person making the inquiry/comment so that you can respond. When people enter their email address on a contact form such as this they are not expecting to be added to your email list. They are offering their email address so that you can reach them; but nothing in the interaction implies they are interested in receiving communication from you other than a response to their inquiry/comment.
When you take this email address and sign them up to your list, it’s tantamount to spam. And more importantly, you’ve failed to manage your customer’s expectations in filling out the form. If you want add their email address to your list, provide a tick box where they can explicitly opt-in to receive marketing email or your newsletter. Or tell them clearly on the page that by contacting you, they can expect to be added to your email list.
What other common expectations do your customers have when they interact with your business?
You will be respectful.
- You will ask for permission.
- You will not email them “a lot.” Yes, that’s vague and in the eye of the beholder. You should be very clear about how frequently you intend to email them when they sign up—and then stick to it.
- You will send them what they signed up for. If they signed up for a “hot deal” email, they are not going to get a weekly newsletter with articles and tips.
- You will let them unsubscribe.
You will be transparent:
- You won’t share their email address with other companies unless you explicitly state you will and get their explicit permission to do so. This pertains to third parties as well as other business groups within your company.
- You will email them as the company name/brand they signed up with.
- If you ask for a birthdate, they expect that you’ll be using it for something. If it’s just for your own demographics, then you should consider sending a Happy Birthday email to fulfill your customers’ expectation that you’ll use the information (in some way that benefits them).
- Same goes for other personal information: your customers want to know why you want the information that you’re asking for and how you intend to use it.
You will not be complicated.
- Customers expect to be able to change their email address, subscribe, and unsubscribe easily and quickly at any time.
- You will confirm a signup, unsubscribe, and other actions by an on-screen confirmation message or via email.
- Your email will open and be legible in their email client or browser.