⚡ Get All Content for 20% Off ⚡

4 Questions to Ask When Planning Effective Customer Messages When it comes to communicating with your customers, just a few minutes of planning will save you time, energy and possibly, trouble, later down the line.

By Peter Gasca

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Entrepreneurs and businesses often pour considerable resources into crafting great marketing strategies and messages. Why then do so many fall short in other areas of business messaging, specifically communicating with customers?

One challenge is the need today to act quickly, especially in our hyper connected social world. Customers expect prompt responses to inquiries, and grievances can go social and viral quickly. Businesses often do not have the luxury of time when it comes to reacting.

Keep in mind two goals for your message.

Related: How My 5-Year-Old Helped Me Better Understand Customers

The first is that it must be effective, delivering the five elements of an effective communication, namely being concise, clear, credible and compelling while delivering value to whomever receives it. Whether it is trying to persuade them or change their minds, it should move the recipients to an action or a result.

Second, it needs to be efficient, respecting the time of your audience, especially given the volume of information we receive today. Whatever you do, do not craft messages that will waste time.

The real secret to crafting great business messages, however, does not involve spending hours agonizing over a specific word or sentence (although I am guilty of both). It comes down to asking yourself a few simple questions before you start.

1. What is the purpose of your message?

Whether you are answering a customer inquiry or writing a correspondence to a business partner, the purpose of your message will set the tone, style and structure.

This is not as straightforward as you may think. For instance, your supposed purpose for a customer message might be to establish credibility or trust, but ultimately, you want recipients to buy your product or engage in your business. The way you write your message should lead to that result.

2. Who is your audience?

Have you considered the makeup of the audience with whom you are communicating? Again, knowing general background information will help you structure the tone and style of your message.

Composition: What is the age, education, vocation, social status and cultural background of your audience?

Level of understanding: Will the audience understand the information you are providing or does it require additional explanation and supporting documentation?

Related: 5-Star Customer Service Should Hurt a Little

Expectations: What are they expecting from you? Keep in mind that some people might have hidden agendas or ulterior motives.

Also, even if you believe your target audience is one person, if your message is sent digitally (email or social media), you should write your message as if it will be seen by many (because it just might be).

3. What information do they want?

Business owners often do not understand exactly what is being asked. Instead, we look at the task through our "filters" and assume that we know what information is needed, then we rush to provide it. Indeed, many customers also do not fully know what they what to ask, which makes getting to the root problem more important.

Before you start, be certain you understand what is being asked of you and ask clarifying questions if necessary.

4. What information do they need?

Once you understand what information they want, be sure that you only provide the information they need. Producing more information for the sake of building credibility or making a point will ultimately raise more questions and could have the opposite affect you intended. Choose your information, make certain that it is accurate and ethical, and leave it at that.

When in doubt, leave it out.

Some may look at planning something as simple as a customer message as being a task that will take up more time than it's worth. From my experience, however, just taking a few minutes to think about what you want to say saves an immense amount of work, energy and even embarrassment later down the line.

How do you go about planning your business messages? Please share your tips with others in the comments section below.

Related: Customers Are Not Always Right. They Are Just Never Wrong.

Peter Gasca

Management and Entrepreneur Consultant

Peter Gasca is an author and consultant at Peter Paul Advisors. He also serves as Executive-in-Residence and Director of the Community and Business Engagement Institute at Coastal Carolina University. His book, One Million Frogs', details his early entrepreneurial journey.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Remote Side Hustle a 43-Year-Old Musician Works on for 1 Hour a Day Earns Nearly $3,000 a Month: 'All From the Comfort of Home'

Sam Ziegler wanted to supplement his income as a professional drummer — then his tech skills and desire to help people came together.

Business News

Costco CFO Reveals Uncertain Fate of $1.50 Hot Dog and Soda Combo

CFO Richard Galanti reveals that the price will stay the same — but only "for a while."

Business News

The Most Unexpectedly Popular Side Hustle of the Decade Has Low Startup Costs and High Markups

A new report shows that vending machines are a popular investment — and the industry is set to grow up to $3 billion by 2031.

Marketing

Ever Wonder Why Certain Websites Rank Higher Than Yours? This SEO Expert Reveals The Secret to Dominating Search Results

It's often the smart use of SEO, now supercharged with AI, particularly in keyword optimization.

Business News

AI Is Impacting Jobs. Here Are the Gigs Affected the Most, According to an Analysis of 5 Million Upwork Postings

The researcher said in the report that freelance jobs were analyzed first because that market will likely see AI's immediate impact.

Leadership

Former Interrogator Shares 5 Behaviors Liars Exhibit and How to Handle Them

Five deceptive behaviors to look for and how to respond to those behaviors when you encounter them.