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Lessons learned from onboarding emails with no HTML styling

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Re: Lessons learned from onboarding emails with no HTML styling

#131

Post by clairity »

currymj wrote: post #87
encom wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But it happens all the time (according to my tiny sample size). A tong time ago, I was in an American coffee shop (probably Starbucks, I guess), and they asked for my name. I found that very strange and weird. You would neither be able to spell or pronouce it, so let's just go with James. This trend is beginning in Denmark as well, and I don't like it. It'd be easier for everyone if you just assign me a number and an…

the real point of the store greeters is to limit shoplifting -- they hang around the entrance watching people and may check people's receipts against what they are taking out of the store. making them say hi and act friendly to everyone is just a way of camouflaging this and making it seem less hostile.

you’re right about the goal, but not the mechanism. shoplifting is curtailed because greeting induces a sense of familiarity between the potential thief and greeter, thereby reducing the veil of anonymity, raising senses of guilt, reciprocity, and duty, while lowering the perception of potential success. it’s not foolproof of course, but helps at the margins. random receipt checks don’t do much other than impede flow.

Re: Lessons learned from onboarding emails with no HTML styling

#132

Post by type0 »

encom wrote: post #81
eatingCake wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Perhaps American culture is more receptive to this As an American I don't think people like corporations feigning social intimacy either.

But it happens all the time (according to my tiny sample size). A tong time ago, I was in an American coffee shop (probably Starbucks, I guess), and they asked for my name. I found that very strange and weird. You would neither be able to spell or pronouce it, so let's just go with James. This trend is beginning in Denmark as well, and I don't like it. It'd be easier for everyone if you just assign me a number and an…

Happened to me in one of those definitely hipsterish places, I told them no and that it was bizzare, then barista told me: "all-right I'll call you Joe". My guess is that he already had a couple of John Does waiting or what.

Re: Lessons learned from onboarding emails with no HTML styling

#133

Post by ZephyrBlu »

arethuza wrote: post #28
hjanssen wrote: post #9

To add to the points others have made: If I see an email with a name in the title I don't recognize, I instantly think it is spam. Please do not do this, it neither helps with your credibility nor does it help to build a "connection". I want to know where this email is coming from, and if I have signed up at Spotify, I expect to recieve my emails from Spotify, not Tom whoever at Spotify.

I really dislike emails that claim to come from a person but obviously come from an automated system - I find it remarkably dishonest. Edit: I don't mind if I think the person is even vaguely aware I exist. But an email claiming to be from an executive of some huge company saying how happy they are that I have signed up doesn't fall into that category.

Why? It's just a matter of time and scale. It's impossible to email thousands of people a personalized message.

I still see it as an email from that person, assuming they wrote the template themselves. I would also expect to be able to reply directly to that person if I wanted to, though.

Re: Lessons learned from onboarding emails with no HTML styling

#134

Post by pwinnski »

rovr138 wrote: post #98
jandrese wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Coffee shops ask for your name so they can write it on the cup to make sure you get the right order at the pickup counter. It's a quality control measure. I guess they could ask you to think up a random number instead, but some people would find that mildly offputting I think .

Perfect,your order is #56 You don't have to ask for a number, just give them one.

That is indeed what most places do: the names are a more recent thing. Of course, now you need to keep the paper receipt with the number on it, or a plastic number card that might or might not be returned to the counter, then train yourself to listen for an arbitrary number, even though your brain is already quite adept at hearing your name. For most people, most of the time, the first name is an upgrade. For edge cases, unfortunately, it's worse.

One restaurant I love approaches the problem by giving out name cards (brightly-colored paper, so disposable or cheaply replaceable) rather than numbers on the receipt, but the names are of famous personalities. I've been Dolly Parton, I've been Arnold Schwarzenegger, I've been Jackie Robinson, etc. They're fun because unlike numbers, they're easy to remember and can provoke conversation in a group, or fond thoughts when alone. Bravo to Twisted Root Burger Co for this approach!

Re: Lessons learned from onboarding emails with no HTML styling

#135

Post by shard »

currymj wrote: post #87
encom wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But it happens all the time (according to my tiny sample size). A tong time ago, I was in an American coffee shop (probably Starbucks, I guess), and they asked for my name. I found that very strange and weird. You would neither be able to spell or pronouce it, so let's just go with James. This trend is beginning in Denmark as well, and I don't like it. It'd be easier for everyone if you just assign me a number and an…

the real point of the store greeters is to limit shoplifting -- they hang around the entrance watching people and may check people's receipts against what they are taking out of the store. making them say hi and act friendly to everyone is just a way of camouflaging this and making it seem less hostile.

The usefulness of having a greeter to limit shoplifting has been reduced drastically as many stores have implemented policies where regular employees are prohibited from preventing a shoplifter from leaving, due to liability issues if the employee gets injured in an altercation. This has led to a situation where shoplifters would brazenly walk out of the store with armful of merchandise, knowing that they won't be stopped.

Re: Lessons learned from onboarding emails with no HTML styling

#136

Post by bshimmin »

scollet wrote: post #125
hombre_fatal wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd need a ticketing system so people even remember what their number is. And for what upside when names work fine?

> ticketing system Receipt.

Yes, precisely. Even my local (definitely not very high-tech) fish-and-chip shop can manage to print a number at the top of the receipt, and then call that number out when your food is ready.

Starbucks ask you for a name to make the process seem more personal and friendly. Apparently they started doing this in 2012; it was met with quite some head-scratching in the UK at the time. The other big coffee chains here do not do this, to the best of my knowledge.

Re: Lessons learned from onboarding emails with no HTML styling

#137

Post by pgwhalen »

xapata wrote: post #66
bonoboTP wrote: post #54

I really hate these cheesy lines that are "excellent" according to the article, like: - "You had enough fluff marketing content and so did we. So the absofreakinlutely BEST thing you could do right now..." - "Writing this from my couch at home, hoping to find you safe and well at yours. It's been a busy summer! I wanted to share more about out 2.9 release..." No, just no. Leave me alone, we aren't friends, you did no…

That's American business culture. You are expected to be fake happy.

Aren't you expected to be fake happy in all portions of American culture? I am American so cannot meaningfully comment on other cultures, but it I suppose it could be true for every culture as well.

People just like being around happy people.

Re: Lessons learned from onboarding emails with no HTML styling

#138

Post by another-dave »

hombre_fatal wrote: post #106
rovr138 wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perfect,your order is #56 You don't have to ask for a number, just give them one.

You'd need a ticketing system so people even remember what their number is. And for what upside when names work fine?

Names work fine if your name is easily pronounced. Otherwise you end up making up a name just for Starbucks which takes away from their personalisation thing

Re: Lessons learned from onboarding emails with no HTML styling

#139

Post by pbhjpbhj »

encom wrote: post #81
eatingCake wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Perhaps American culture is more receptive to this As an American I don't think people like corporations feigning social intimacy either.

But it happens all the time (according to my tiny sample size). A tong time ago, I was in an American coffee shop (probably Starbucks, I guess), and they asked for my name. I found that very strange and weird. You would neither be able to spell or pronouce it, so let's just go with James. This trend is beginning in Denmark as well, and I don't like it. It'd be easier for everyone if you just assign me a number and an…

UK comedian Dave Gorman did a section on this: he claims that his coffee shop, I assume Starbucks, stopped doing a particular drink he liked - maybe caramel macchiato? - so he heard someone in front ask for that drink, then said his name was "caramel macchiato" just to mess with them. They'd call the order as "caramel macchiato" and, he seemingly hoped, get trouble from the other customers who had been refused that drink ... cute.

Aside: I always assumed the whole 'spell your name wrong' thing that Starbucks did was a marketing thing - they certainly got a lot of social media posts out of it!

Re: Lessons learned from onboarding emails with no HTML styling

#140

Post by pbhjpbhj »

frosted-flakes wrote: post #104
choward wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I always feel awkward when I don’t know who is writing on the other side. Is it the CEO? Someone from Sales? Is it a super intelligent baby? Why would someone feel awkward? It's from neither of those. It's automated so I think it's awkward and misleading to use a name.

Well, someone wrote the email. It didn't write itself.

They didn't write it to you, they wrote it to all new customers, it's misleading.
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