This style guide takes you through a handful of good-to-know tips for writing customer
support emails, along with some real-life scenarios.
But before that, please take a minute to read Vont’s core voice:
Style Guide v1
1. Write Like A Human
Yes, we use templates and macros most of the time, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room
for some “humanity” here and there.
Personalization goes a long way, no matter how small the effort is. Here are some quick tips
to help you write like a human and not some robot who just wants to answer a question.
● Use the customer’s first name
● Respond to something that they said in their email
🙂
● Introduce yourself
● Use an emoji when appropriate — it makes you look more expressive
Here’s an example:
Customer: I love your string lights! Is there a way to get a discount on that? I’d like to buy
more for my patio.
Meh response:
Yay response:
2. Use Vont Branding
Whenever you mention a product, always use the Vont branding. This strategy helps people
be more familiar with our brand and reassures them that they are talking to the right
company.
For example:
❌ Pyro Bike Lights
✅ Vont Pyro
❌ Vont 2-Pack Headlamps
✅ Vont Spark
❌ 10 LED Clip-on Reading Lights
✅ Vont 10 LED Clip-on Reading Lights
3. Maintain A Positive Tone And Attitude
While we can’t always let the customer have their way, and not all situations require a
positive attitude, we should always do our best to remain positive.
Here are some helpful phrases to turn a negative situation to sound positive:
● “I understand that this was not the answer you were expecting, but...”
● “You are right. We made a mistake. Here’s what I can offer….”
Here are some positive phrases you can use to sound more friendly and help put the
customer feel at ease:
● “If you can send us (the screenshot), we’ll be glad to look into it for you... However”
● “Might we suggest that…”
● “One option open to you is….”
● “We can help you do...if you send us….”
Avoid intensely negative words like:
● Awful
● Horrible
● Terrible
● Bad
● Never
● Dumb
● Rude
Sometimes customers ask for something you can’t give them. For example, they may ask for
two replacement sets just so they can get an extra spare set. Here are some positive
phrases to help you out:
● “I would love to help, but… Here’s what I can do instead….”
● “I can see how that would be useful, but..”
● “That sounds like a reasonable request, however….”
4. Mind Your Format
A poorly written customer support email response could lead to a frustrated customer.
Consider how a customer will approach the answer you’ve given them. Are your implied
“Steps 1, 2, & 3” the actual order the customer should be doing them in? Are they logically
organized, not only by what should be done but by difficulty?
Here are concepts you should always live by:
● Explain things chronologically - If it requires chronological order, make sure you
always explain it as it should. Step 1 should always be the first thing that the
customer does.
● Order by difficulty - Have the customers perform the most straightforward task
before asking them to do something complex. Early friction decreases the likelihood
that they’ll finish or even follow what you have said.
● Be strategic with the flow - Avoid placing links at the beginning of your response,
as this will interrupt the customer from reading the complete answer and disrupt their
flow.
● Use bullet lists for complex instructions - Complex instructions or processes
should always be broken down into bullet lists.
● Keep your paragraphs short - Make sure your paragraphs are clear, concise, and
keep short as possible. 1-3 sentences per paragraph are more than enough. When
you send a wall of text, you’re not painting a very clear picture in their heads.
Here are some examples:
5. Practice Apolophrase
When apologizing, merely saying you’re ‘sorry for the inconvenience’ won’t cut it with Vont
customers. Mistakes are inevitable. However, the way we handle those mistakes is what
we’ll help set us apart.
Apolophrase is when you apologize and paraphrase at the same time.
Instead of saying: “I apologize for the inconvenience that this situation has caused you.”
You can say: “I apologize if your Vont Pyro is causing you any inconvenience whenever
you’re biking at night.”
Why do we apolophrase?
● To sound like a human being and not just merely apologize for the sake of
empathizing.
● To show our customers that we understand their concerns clearly—because if not,
they will tell us what the problem is.
● It shows active listening and taking ownership of the issue.
6. Use Links But Don’t Abandon
Our FAQ page and resource page are a great way to explain things in much more detail.
While we encourage you to link to these pages, don’t leave the customer hanging.
Simply linking to an FAQ article or product video might be seen as dismissive. Instead,
explain the answer they need as briefly as possible first, and then refer them to the resource
if they find it necessary.
Here is an example:
7. Match The Tone
If a customer talks very casually and uses a lot of emojis, it could only mean one thing; this
customer is pleased with us and wants to have a conversation with Vont. The only way to
respond to these types of customers is to match their tone and respond accordingly.
However, you should never steer the conversation just to change the tone. If the customer is
overly-formal or disappointed, it’s not appropriate to change the conversation’s tone on them.
Matching the tone means you know how to adapt to how the customer speaks and make
changes to our templates and macros as you deem appropriate.
Here are some examples:
Customer: I’m so happy with my camping lanterns! I used them all weekend with the
batteries that they came with, and they still light up.
I can’t wait to use them for my next trip ⚡⚡
Customer: I’m so frustrated with these smart bulbs. It does not have a ‘real white’ option. I
need a cool white LED bulb! Replace this or offer me a refund.
8. Keep It Simple
Most of our customers come from various backgrounds, and most of them don’t have a
diploma in information technology, so please keep the technical jargon to a minimum.
Never assume that the customer knows what you’re talking about unless explicit or implied
with their message. For instance, if you ask for their Vont Home app version, tell them how
and where to look for it. When there are more straightforward instructions available, use
them in place of long unnecessary words.
Just because it’s familiar to you doesn’t mean it’s familiar to our customers.
Here is an example:
