Writing Clear, Polite Customer Emails and Chats.

Lesson 9 focuses on written communication by email and live chat. You study real-world style examples of confirmation emails, simple information replies and short chat exchanges. You notice how subject lines, greetings and closings change depending on formality and channel, and how good agents use short paragraphs and clear sentence frames. You build a bank of standard phrases for thanking customers, apologising, explaining and confirming next steps. There is a focus on sounding polite but concise, not cold or mechanical. You also practise quickly checking your writing for spelling, punctuation and tone problems before you send it. By the end, you can write short, effective messages that you can adapt for many routine situations.

1. Analysing a simple customer email.

In this lesson we are going to focus on your written communication, especially emails. Many customer service jobs today are a mix of phone, chat and email, and a short, clear email can save a lot of time and avoid confusion. In this first step, I would like you to see what a good basic customer email looks like in a real situation. Imagine you work for an online electronics shop called TechWorld. A customer, John Miller, ordered a Bluetooth speaker yesterday. He is not sure if his order was successful, so he sends you an email. On the screen you can see his message and a reply from an experienced agent. As you read, pay attention to the structure of the reply. There is a subject line, a greeting, a short opening that thanks the customer, a clear confirmation of the order, some extra useful details and then a polite closing. Listen out for familiar phrases such as, Thank you for your email, I am writing to confirm and Kind regards. These are standard building blocks you can reuse again and again. In the activity at the bottom, I will ask you to answer some questions in your own words to check that you understood the main points of the exchange.

Scenario: A short email exchange.

You work for an online electronics shop called TechWorld. This morning you receive an email from a customer, John Miller. He is not sure if his order was successful. Below you can see his email and a good reply from an agent.

> Subject: Question about order 58473

>

> Dear Customer Service,

>

> I ordered a Bluetooth speaker yesterday (order 58473). I did not receive a confirmation email and I am not sure if the order was successful. Could you please check this for me and send me the invoice?

>

> Best regards,

> John Miller

Now look at the agent's reply.

> Subject: Confirmation of your order 58473

>

> Dear Mr Miller,

>

> Thank you for your email.

>

> I am writing to confirm that we received your order for one Bluetooth speaker (order 58473) on 20 March. I am sorry you did not receive the automatic confirmation message.

>

> Please find the invoice attached to this email. Your estimated delivery date is 23–24 March.

>

> If you have any other questions, please let me know.

>

> Kind regards,

> Sarah Green

> Customer Service Team

What makes this email clear and polite?.

Notice how the reply has a simple structure:

1. Subject line that shows the purpose: confirmation of your order.
2. Greeting with the customer's name and a polite thanks.
3. One short paragraph that answers the main question and gives key information.
4. One extra sentence with the attachment and delivery date.
5. A friendly closing line and professional sign-off.

The sentences are not very long, and each paragraph has one main idea. This makes the message easy to read, even on a mobile phone. The tone is polite but not too formal, which is good for most customer emails.

Many of the phrases are very typical in customer service writing:

• Thank you for your email.
• I am writing to confirm that...
• Please find the invoice attached to this email.
• If you have any other questions, please let me know.
• Kind regards, plus name and job title.

In the activity below, you will show that you understand the main information in this email exchange. Use complete sentences so you also get a little writing practice.

Practice & Feedback

Read the customer email and the agent's reply again carefully. Then answer these three questions in full sentences:

1. What problem does John Miller describe in his email?
2. What does the agent confirm about John's order?
3. What information or documents does the agent send or promise to John?

Write your answers in your own words, not just by copying sentences. Try to be clear and simple, as if you are explaining the situation to a colleague. Aim for two or three sentences per question. Do not worry about being perfect, but check basic spelling of words like order, invoice and names before you submit.

2. Choosing greetings, closings and subject lines.

Now that you have seen one complete email, let us zoom in on three very important parts of any customer message: the subject line, the greeting and the closing. These are small details, but they make a big difference to how professional and polite you sound. In many companies, customers first see only two things on their phone screen: the sender and the subject line. If the subject line is clear, the customer immediately knows what the email is about. Inside the email, a friendly greeting with their name helps to create a positive tone. A clear closing line and sign-off show that you care about the relationship, not just the information. On the screen you will see some common patterns for subject lines and different options for greetings and closings, from more formal to more neutral. Notice that email style is usually a little more formal than chat style. In chat we often use shorter greetings, but we still say thank you and we still close politely. In the activity, you will write greetings and closings for three different situations. This will help you build your own mini phrase bank that you can adapt at work.

Useful patterns for subject lines.

Here are some simple subject line patterns you can reuse and adapt:

• Question about order 58473
• Confirmation of your booking on 12 May
• Information about your delivery
• Update on your refund request
• Invoice for your recent purchase

Good subject lines are:

• short and clear
• without extra small words
• focused on the main topic

Avoid very general subjects like Hello or Question because the customer cannot see quickly what the email is about.

Greetings: more formal vs neutral.

You can change the greeting depending on the customer and your company style.

More formal options:

• Dear Sir or Madam,
• Dear Mr Miller,
• Dear Ms Lopez,

Neutral or semi-formal options:

• Dear John,
• Hello John,
• Hi John, (only if your company allows this more friendly style)

In emails, we normally put a comma after the greeting. In live chat, we often write a shorter opening like Hello John, thank you for contacting TechWorld via chat.

Closings and sign-offs.

Common polite closing sentences:

• Thank you for your email.
• Please let me know if you have any questions.
• Thank you for your patience.

Typical sign-offs for customer emails:

• Best regards,
• Kind regards,
• Many thanks,

After the sign-off, add your name and, if needed, your job title or team name, for example:

> Kind regards,

> Sarah Green

> Customer Service Team

In the task below you will choose suitable greetings and closings for three real-world style situations.

Practice & Feedback

You will now practise writing greetings and closings for three different customer email situations. Read the situations in the box carefully. Then write one greeting and one closing for each situation.

Please:

• Number your answers 1, 2 and 3.
• For each number, write the greeting on one line and the closing on the next line.
• Use polite and natural phrases from the examples above, and adapt them if necessary.

Example format:

Dear Mr Brown,

Best regards,

Try to vary your language a little. Do not use the same greeting and closing for all three. Check capital letters for names and the first word of the sentence. Keep your tone friendly and professional, not too informal.

3. Noticing style in live chat conversations.

So far we have focused on emails, which are usually a bit more formal and structured. Now let us move to live chat, which is faster and more like a written conversation. Many of the same ideas still apply: you need to greet the customer, thank them for contacting you, answer their questions clearly and close the chat politely. However, the style in chat is different. Messages are shorter, and you normally write one idea per message. You do not use a subject line, and you usually do not add a full postal signature at the end. Even so, you should avoid writing like a text message to a friend. No strange abbreviations, no all capitals, and keep a calm, professional tone. On the screen you will see a short example chat between John Miller and an agent from TechWorld. Notice the opening line, how the agent checks the order number, and how they confirm the information. After that, in the activity, you will listen to a short explanation of good chat style from a supervisor and then write a few opening chat messages yourself. As you work, think about how your greeting and closing change when you move from email to chat, and which chunks from the lesson, such as thank you for contacting us via chat, you can reuse.

Example live chat: customer and agent.

Imagine that the next day, John Miller uses the live chat on the TechWorld website to ask about his delivery.

> Agent: Hello John, thank you for contacting TechWorld via chat. How can I help you today?

> John: Hi, I ordered a Bluetooth speaker yesterday, order 58473. I just want to check the delivery date.

> Agent: Thank you for your message. One moment while I check that for you.

> Agent: I can see your order in our system. The estimated delivery date is 23–24 March.

> John: Great, thanks for confirming.

> Agent: You are welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with today?

> John: No, that is all. Bye.

> Agent: Thank you for chatting with TechWorld. Have a great day.

What is different from email style?.

Compare this chat with the email reply from Sarah Green that you saw earlier.

• There is no subject line. We go straight to the greeting and question.
• The greeting is still polite and includes the name and company.
• Messages are short. Often just one sentence each.
• The agent still thanks the customer and still checks the order before giving information.
• The chat ends with a simple closing question and a friendly final line.

Typical chat chunks from this example:

• Thank you for contacting TechWorld via chat.
• How can I help you today?
• One moment while I check that for you.
• Is there anything else I can help you with today?
• Thank you for chatting with TechWorld. Have a great day.

When you write in chat, imagine you are speaking to the customer on the phone but writing your sentences. Keep them short, clear and polite.

In the activity, you will listen to a short message from a supervisor about good chat style and then write your own opening lines for a live chat.

Practice & Feedback

First, listen carefully to the short audio from the supervisor about good live chat style. You can listen more than once if you like. While you listen, note any useful phrases or tips that you hear.

Then, imagine you are starting a new chat with a customer on your own company website. The customer has just opened the chat box, but they have not written anything yet.

Write three different opening chat messages that you could send as the agent. Each message should:

• greet the customer,
• thank them for contacting you, and
• invite them to explain their question or problem.

Make each message one or two short sentences. Use ideas from the example chat on the screen and from the audio, for example, Thank you for contacting [company name] via chat or How can I help you today?. Try to change the wording a little each time so you build variety.

4. Editing emails for clarity, tone and mistakes.

Being able to write a clear email the first time is great, but in real life we often need to edit and improve our writing. Even experienced agents quickly check their message before they press send. A short review can catch spelling mistakes, missing information or a tone that sounds a bit too cold or too emotional. In this block, you will see an example of a customer email reply that is not very good. The information is fine, but the style and accuracy are weak. Then you will see a improved version. I want you to notice exactly what changed: shorter sentences, clearer structure, more polite phrases and corrected spelling and punctuation. We will also use a very simple checklist that you can keep next to your computer. It focuses on three questions: Is the structure clear, with short paragraphs? Is the tone polite but concise? Are there any obvious spelling or grammar mistakes? In the activity, you will use this idea to improve another short email. Remember, editing is not about writing perfect English. It is about making your message easy to read and professional for the customer.

A weak email reply.

Read this reply from a new agent to John Miller. The information is mostly correct, but the email has problems.

> subject: your order 58473

>

> hi john

>

> thanks for email I checked and the order is ok and we will send in 3 to 4 days and invoice is here.

>

> bye

> sarah

What feels wrong?

• The subject line does not start with a capital letter.
• The greeting is too informal for most companies and the name is not capitalised.
• There is one long sentence with no commas or full stops.
• The tone at the end (bye) feels like a message to a friend, not to a customer.
• There is no clear confirmation sentence.

An improved version.

Here is a better version of the same email.

> Subject: Confirmation of your order 58473

>

> Dear Mr Miller,

>

> Thank you for your email.

>

> I am writing to confirm that your order 58473 is active in our system. Your order will be sent within three to four days and I have attached the invoice to this email.

>

> If you have any other questions, please let me know.

>

> Kind regards,

> Sarah Green

> Customer Service Team

What has changed?

• The subject clearly shows the purpose.
• The greeting and closing are polite and professional.
• There are two short paragraphs instead of one long messy sentence.
• The key sentence I am writing to confirm that your order 58473 is active makes the main message very clear.
• Spelling and punctuation are correct.

A quick checklist before you send.

Before you send a customer email, quickly ask yourself:

1. Structure: Do I have a clear subject, greeting, short body and closing?
2. Tone: Do I say thank you or sorry where needed? Do I sound polite but direct?
3. Accuracy: Are names, numbers, dates and attachments correct? Are there any spelling or punctuation mistakes that are easy to fix?

In the activity, you will improve another short email using this checklist.

Practice & Feedback

Read the short draft email in the box carefully. It has similar problems to the weak email above: informal style, long sentences and some mistakes.

Your task is to rewrite the email completely so that it looks professional and clear for a customer. Please:

• Keep the same information and meaning.
• Improve the subject line, greeting and closing.
• Divide the body into one or two short paragraphs.
• Use some standard phrases from this lesson, such as Thank you for your email, I am writing to confirm that... or Please find the invoice attached.

Write the full improved email in the box, including subject, greeting, body and closing. Before you submit, quickly check structure, tone and accuracy using the three questions from the checklist.

5. Simulating a short live chat with a customer.

You have now looked in detail at both email and live chat language. It is time to put everything together in a more realistic, flowing conversation. In this block, you will simulate a short live chat with a customer, using several separate messages, just like in your real job. We will stay with our customer, John Miller, and our company, TechWorld. Imagine that there is a small delay with his order. You need to apologise, explain the situation in simple English and confirm the new delivery date. You also want to keep a friendly, calm tone so that John still feels positive about the company. On the screen you will see John's first chat messages to you. Your job is to respond as the agent in three to six short messages. Each message should feel like one natural step in the chat: greeting and thanking, apologising, explaining the problem, confirming the new date, and closing the chat politely. Remember the chunks you have practised: thank you for contacting us via chat, I am very sorry about the delay, I am writing to confirm, please let me know if you have any other questions, and so on. In the activity, you will write your messages in a simple script format, starting each line with 'Agent:'. I will read your whole conversation and give you feedback on clarity, politeness and structure, and I will also reply as John at the end.

Situation: a delayed order in live chat.

There is a small delay with John's order. He opens the TechWorld chat window and writes:

> John: Hello, I ordered a Bluetooth speaker two days ago, order 58473. The confirmation says delivery today, but nothing has arrived yet.

> John: Can you tell me what is happening with my order?

You check the system and see this information:

• The order is active.
• There is a one day delay with the courier.
• The new estimated delivery date is tomorrow.
• As an apology, TechWorld offers a 10 percent discount on John's next order.

Your task as the agent.

Your goal is to answer John in a short live chat exchange. You will write three to six messages as the agent. Use one idea per message.

For example, your conversation might include these steps:

1. Greet John, thank him for contacting you via chat and check the order number.
2. Apologise for the delay and say you understand it is frustrating.
3. Explain briefly that there is a courier delay and confirm the new delivery date.
4. Offer the 10 percent discount on his next order.
5. Ask if there is anything else you can help with and close the chat politely.

Helpful phrases.

• Hello John, thank you for contacting TechWorld via chat.
• I am very sorry for the delay with your order.
• I can see that your order 58473 is active in our system.
• There is a short delay with the courier, so the new delivery date is tomorrow.
• As an apology, we can offer you a 10 percent discount on your next order.
• Is there anything else I can help you with today?
• Thank you for chatting with TechWorld. Have a great day.

In the activity, you will write your messages as a mini script.

Practice & Feedback

Imagine you are the agent in this live chat with John. Please write a short chat conversation as a script.

Guidelines:

• Write three to six lines.
• Each line should be one message from the agent.
• Start every line with Agent: so it is clear who is speaking.
• Follow the logical order: greeting and thanks, apology, explanation and confirmation, discount offer, closing.

Example of format (do not just copy this):

Agent: Hello John, thank you for contacting TechWorld via chat.

Agent: I am very sorry for the delay with your order.

Use polite, simple sentences and some of the useful phrases on the screen. When you finish, read your chat once more to check spelling of names and numbers, and that the tone feels calm and professional.

6. Writing a complete follow up email.

To finish this lesson, you are going to write one complete customer email from start to finish. This is your chance to bring together everything you have practised: a clear subject line, an appropriate greeting, short paragraphs, polite phrases for apologising and confirming, and a friendly closing. We will stay with the same story. After the live chat, John asks you to send him a confirmation email with the new delivery date and the discount for his next order. This is very common in real work. Customers like to have written confirmation so they can check details later. On the screen you will see a short note with the key information you need to include. Use it like a briefing from your supervisor. Your email should be short but complete. Imagine John is reading it quickly on his mobile phone. In your message, try to reuse some of the strong chunks from this lesson: Thank you for contacting TechWorld, I am writing to confirm that, I am very sorry for the delay, Please find more details below, If you have any questions, please let me know, and a professional sign-off such as Kind regards. After you write your email, take a moment to check three things before you submit: structure, tone and accuracy. Does it look like a real email you would be happy to send to a customer?

Final task: follow up email after a chat.

After your live chat with John about the delayed order, he says:

> Could you please send me an email to confirm the new delivery date and the discount for my next order?

Your supervisor gives you this short internal note:

> Customer: John Miller

> Order: 58473

> Original delivery date: today

> New delivery date: tomorrow

> Issue: one day courier delay, agent apologised in chat

> Solution: confirm new delivery date by email and offer 10 percent discount on next order

What your email should include.

Your email reply to John should:

• have a clear subject line about the order and new delivery date;
• start with an appropriate greeting;
• thank John for contacting TechWorld and mention the recent chat;
• apologise briefly again for the delay;
• confirm the new delivery date and that the order is active;
• clearly explain the 10 percent discount for his next order (for example, how he will receive it);
• end with a polite closing sentence and a professional sign-off.

Mini checklist for your email.

Before you send your final answer, quickly check:

Structure

• Do you have subject, greeting, short body paragraphs and closing?
• Is each paragraph one clear idea?

Tone

• Do you say thank you and sorry in a natural way?
• Do you sound polite but not too long or formal?

Accuracy

• Are the name, order number and dates correct?
• Is your spelling and punctuation acceptable for a customer email?

Use the standard chunks from this lesson where possible, but feel free to adapt them to your own style.

Practice & Feedback

Write a full email to John Miller to confirm the solution. Include everything: subject line, greeting, body and closing.

Please:

• Use a clear subject, for example about confirmation and the new delivery date.
• Start with a polite greeting and a short thank you, and mention the recent chat.
• Apologise again briefly for the one day delay.
• Confirm that order 58473 is active and state clearly that the new delivery date is tomorrow.
• Explain the 10 percent discount on his next order in one short sentence.
• Finish with a friendly closing sentence and a sign-off such as Kind regards plus your name and team.

Aim for 120 to 180 words. When you have written your email, read it once more and use the checklist on the screen: structure, tone and accuracy. Then submit your final version.