The customer relationship usually begins with a registration. Be it for an online store, a newsletter or for the trial version of a product. Companies often respond with a standardized welcome e-mail. But registration is already a success! For many customers, providing their own e-mail address is not something that comes naturally. That’s why it should be more than just a simple thank-you note. Welcome e-mails lay the foundation for a successful relationship, raise expectations, and offer enormous potential for customer retention and activation.

Above-average opening rates

What makes it special: Welcome e-mails are read more often than average. The open rates are around 50 percent. This means that they are opened four times more frequently on average than normal advertising e-mails. The high willingness to interact creates opportunities to familiarize customers with the company, to set central messages and to excite the customers for the company.

What a successful welcome email should look like varies from case to case, from product to product, and from company to company. However, some basic principles should always be followed:

• Showing face is imperative to any good relationship. A welcome email is perfect for presenting the company’s value proposition and personality. Whether serious or humorous, an authentic and natural look behind the scenes creates closeness and a sense of belonging.
• Opening eyes: Customers want to know what they can expect from the shared relationship. To present the company in an entertaining and appealing way, it is advisable to use explanatory videos about the products and services offered. For products that require more explanation, multi-level welcome sections can be set up – An ideal opportunity to provide assistance early in the relationship or to dispel myths and untruths.
• Getting personal: EA generic approach is not a good way to start a relationship. Customers who are addressed in a personalized way, on the other hand, generally feel closer to the sender. Addressing each individual customer in a customized way and according to their needs is made possible by the use of Artificial Intelligence. Acceleraid provides corresponding software solutions that can be used to personalize and automate the addressing of customers.
• Reach out: Welcome emails are the ideal way to promote a company’s own social media channels and provide customers with low-threshold options for making contact. The message: we’re always here for you.
• Pointing the way: Providing information about what customers can expect from their relationship with the company is important. Equally important is letting them know what is expected of them. An unambiguous call-to-action adorns any good welcome email.
• Don’t cling: Every good relationship is based on voluntariness. And when customers decide against the relationship, they expect a clearly defined way out. Anyone who tries to make the breakup more difficult with red herrings or hide-and-seek games strains nerves and lacks credibility. A low-threshold opt-out procedure is important to honor the trust that has been shown and to ensure that the situation is clear.

The first contact is a small gesture. And yet it is of great importance. If you don’t take this into account, you’re squandering a great opportunity. Used skillfully, a welcome email can activate customers for a successful and fruitful relationship. Acceleraid helps companies set the right tone at every moment with automated, personalized email messages.