What shape and size is your email signature?
How often do you get an email without a signature and therefore have to dig through past emails or notes to locate that person’s phone number or other contact information? This may seem like a minor thing, but to me a complete signature adds a level of completeness and professionalism to the email.
Email signatures come in all shapes and sizes - those that are non-existent, those with a name and title, those with a name, title and phone number, those with a quote, etc - the list can go on and on.
I just read this post about a very unique email signature - a ‘customer service’ signature - in which the blog author received an email with the following signature:
How’s My Driving?
Did this answer appropriately address your question(s)?
If Yes; send an email to this address: salesteam701@booksurge.com
1 – Excellent – (explanation optional)
If No; send an email to this address: salesteam702@booksurge.com
2 – Unsatisfactory (please explain)
Like the author, I found this to be a really fresh and fun idea. It is an excellent way to proactively ask for feedback; you discover what you are doing well and are also able to immediately address any customer complaints. A signature like this exemplifies that the company has a clear interest in knowing what their customers have to say, and it provides a very easy way for their customers to reach them.
This ‘customer service’ signature is not a fit for everyone, but I find it interesting to think about what message you are sending with the shape and size of your email signature.
Kristen Langham
Marketing Manager
Palo Alto Software
Kristen-
I like your post. Seems to be a hot topic lately. I was seeing so many blog posts about email signatures that I posted on it myself.
http://chrisbonney.typepad.com/chris_bonney/2008/02/top-11-list-wha.html
Always nice to see another blogger carrying the same flame. Keep up the good work.
Kristen,
Like you, I believe our email signature is an often overlooked revenue or information seeking opportunity.
About six months ago, I decided to grow bold from lame signature to Call-to-Action.
If you received an email from me it would contain the following P.S. addition with a link to my men@pause seminars website:
P.S. Want instant access to my men@pause tele-seminars and workshops where I equip you for professional success and personal significance before you too dead to regret…? Join me now!
It has really been successful. I change it up every other month or so depending on where I want to drive people.
Great post.
Matthew
Google men@pause
Matthew,
The first time I saw your sig line that said, “I want you to help me write my book!” I had to stop and really think about it. “But he hardly knows me!!”
It gave me a good chuckle once I’d figured it out.
‘Chelle
Great comments - it’s interesting that email signatures can be such a hot topic. A signature seems like such a small and simple part of an email; but the content (or lack there of) can certainly convey a very clear message.
Chris, I like your top 11 list of what it takes to have a great signature, and I wish more people would follow #1 - “Don’t say too little”. However, it is interesting that #2 and #3 seem to counter what Matthew includes in his signature; and that he has found success with this.
Thanks for the comments - it’s great to hear that others find this seemingly simple topic interesting as well!
Thanks for the mention of my post on email signatures. I thought this signature from Booksurge really gave me more confidence in their customer service. I have been researching customer service as a topic for tmy third book.
My pleasure Barry; your post was fun and thought I could expand a bit with my thoughts. So thanks for the inspiration for my post!
Customer service is such an important part of every business, yet I am amazed at the number of businesses with a serious lack of good customer service. I think the topic of providing good customer service can never get old, so it seems like a great topic for your next book. Best of luck!
Mine is ridiculously long, well past good common sense of 4-7 lines. That being said, every day I look at (and share) measurable, achievable, transparent goals that can be observed by anyone, and are being usually being “measured” by a outside third party online web sites.
N: Mark Grimes
P: 503-502-0185
E: wellnotonlinebutyougetit@ned.com
W: http://www.ned.com/
C: Ned - a better world, every day
M: 4888 NW Bethany Blvd, K5-222 Portland, OR 97229
O: 107 SE Washington St, Suite 520 Portland, OR 97214
2007 Ned Accomplishments & Milestones
=====================================
78,850 youtube neddotcom channel video views
59 microloans: http://www.kiva.org/lender/neddotcom
64 better world videos: http://www.youtube.com/neddotcom
345 members: http://www.ned.com/
2008 Ned Goals & Deliverables
=============================
1,000,000 web site page views monthly
500,000 youtube neddotcom channel video views
1,000 registered ned.com members
500 Better World Island monthly project revenue
150 microloans
25 good quality inbound web site links
10 ongoing monthly ned.com sponsors
7 new videos at neddotcom YouTube channel
6 projects anywhere in the world
3 microfinance workshop sessions in Portland
2 events where five or more Ned members meet FTF
2 thriving real world locations
2 or more totally unexpected spectacular things
Signing an email is a great way to help people remember your phone number just as you said and it can also be a great way to market. I have been using a program called Muvar to test out these types of variables in my email marketing program. I will have to come back to let you know if statistically you are accurate in your preference for the signature! I enjoyed the read thanks.
Sarah, please do keep me posted on what you discover through your research with Muvar. I think everyone will always have their own opinion of what they want to include in their signature, but I am definitely interested to know what you discover. Thanks for the comment!