Customer Communication Guidelines

Overview

This document defines how we communicate with customers about releases, updates, issues, and general product information for our SaaS CRM application.

Communication Channels

Channel Matrix

Channel	Purpose	Audience	Frequency	Owner
Email	Release notes, announcements	All customers	As needed	Product team
In-App	Feature updates, tips	Active users	Real-time	Product team
Status Page	System status, incidents	All	Real-time	DevOps team
Blog	Feature stories, best practices	Public	Weekly	Marketing
Newsletter	Product updates, tips	Subscribers	Monthly	Marketing
Support Portal	Help articles, FAQs	All	Continuous	Support team

Release Communications

Release Email Template

Subject: [Product Update] New Features in CRM v2.1.0

Dear [Customer Name],

We're excited to share the latest updates to your CRM platform!

🎯 What's New
─────────────
• Advanced Reporting Dashboard - Create custom reports with ease
• Bulk Import Improvements - Handle larger files, better error reporting
• API Rate Limiting - Enhanced stability and performance

🚀 Improvements
─────────────
• 30% faster page load times
• Enhanced mobile experience
• Better search relevance

🐛 Bug Fixes
─────────────
• Fixed session timeout issues
• Resolved export formatting bugs
• Corrected timezone displays

📚 Learn More
─────────────
[View Full Release Notes] [Watch Video Tutorial] [Read Documentation]

Questions? Our support team is here to help at support@ourcrm.com

Best regards,
The CRM Team

[Unsubscribe] | [Preferences] | [Privacy Policy]

In-App Notification Examples

Feature Announcement

{
  "type": "feature",
  "priority": "medium",
  "title": "New Feature Available! 🎉",
  "message": "Check out our new Advanced Reporting Dashboard",
  "cta": {
    "text": "Explore Now",
    "action": "/features/reporting"
  },
  "dismissible": true,
  "duration": 7
}

Maintenance Notice

{
  "type": "maintenance",
  "priority": "high",
  "title": "Scheduled Maintenance",
  "message": "Brief maintenance on Feb 1, 2:00-3:00 PM EST",
  "cta": {
    "text": "Learn More",
    "action": "/status"
  },
  "dismissible": false,
  "countdown": true
}

Customer Segmentation

Segment Definitions

Segment	Criteria	Communication Style	Frequency
Enterprise	>1000 users	Personalized, formal	Bi-weekly
Mid-Market	100-1000 users	Semi-personalized	Monthly
SMB	<100 users	Automated, friendly	Monthly
Trial	Trial period	Educational, engaging	Weekly
Churned	Cancelled <90 days	Win-back focused	Bi-monthly

Personalization Strategy

## Enterprise Customer Email

Dear [Customer Name],

As discussed with your account manager [AM Name], we've prioritized 
the features your team requested:

• Custom workflow automation - Now available
• Advanced security settings - Coming next month
• Dedicated support line - Active as of today

Your success manager will schedule a training session for these 
new capabilities.

## SMB Customer Email

Hi [First Name]! 👋

Great news - we've added features to help growing teams like yours:

• Quick setup templates
• Automated workflows
• Better mobile experience

[Get Started] with our 5-minute setup guide!

Incident Communication

Severity-Based Communication

Severity	Channels	Timing	Updates
Critical	Email, In-app, Status page	Immediate	Every 30 min
High	Status page, In-app	Within 15 min	Every hour
Medium	Status page	Within 1 hour	Every 2 hours
Low	Status page	Within 4 hours	As needed

Incident Communication Templates

Initial Notice

Subject: [Action Required] Service Disruption Detected

Dear Customer,

We are currently experiencing a service disruption affecting [service].

**Impact**: [Describe impact]
**Started**: [Time] EST
**Status**: Investigating

We are working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.

Check real-time updates: status.ourcrm.com

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Update Notice

Subject: [Update] Service Disruption - Fix In Progress

Dear Customer,

Update on the service disruption:

**Status**: Fix identified and being deployed
**ETA**: 30 minutes
**Workaround**: [If available]

Latest updates: status.ourcrm.com

Resolution Notice

Subject: [Resolved] Service Fully Restored

Dear Customer,

The service disruption has been resolved.

**Duration**: [Start] - [End] EST
**Root Cause**: [Brief explanation]
**Prevention**: [What we're doing to prevent recurrence]

Full incident report: [Link]

Thank you for your patience.

Proactive Communications

Feature Adoption Campaigns

Email Series

## Welcome Series (New Customers)

Email 1 (Day 1): Welcome & Getting Started
Email 2 (Day 3): Key Features Overview
Email 3 (Day 7): Success Tips
Email 4 (Day 14): Advanced Features
Email 5 (Day 30): Check-in & Feedback

Feature Spotlight

Subject: 🌟 Feature Spotlight: Advanced Reporting

Did you know you can create custom reports in minutes?

[Screenshot of feature]

With Advanced Reporting, you can:
✓ Drag-and-drop report builder
✓ Real-time data visualization
✓ Schedule automated reports
✓ Export to multiple formats

[Watch 2-min Tutorial] [Read Guide] [Try It Now]

Pro Tip: Save your favorite reports as templates!

Educational Content

Best Practices Email

Subject: 5 Ways to Boost Your Team's Productivity with CRM

1. **Automate Repetitive Tasks**
   Set up workflows to save 2+ hours daily
   [Learn How →]

2. **Use Templates**
   Create email and document templates
   [Browse Templates →]

3. **Set Up Dashboards**
   Monitor KPIs at a glance
   [Build Dashboard →]

4. **Enable Integrations**
   Connect your favorite tools
   [View Integrations →]

5. **Train Your Team**
   Access our free training resources
   [Start Training →]

Customer Feedback Collection

Feedback Channels

Method	Purpose	Frequency	Response Rate
NPS Survey	Overall satisfaction	Quarterly	25-30%
Feature Feedback	Specific feature input	After use	15-20%
Support Survey	Support quality	After ticket	40-45%
Email Survey	General feedback	Bi-annually	10-15%
In-app Polls	Quick questions	As needed	30-35%

Survey Templates

NPS Survey

How likely are you to recommend our CRM to a colleague?

[0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10]

What's the primary reason for your score?
[Text field]

[Submit]

Feature Feedback

How would you rate the new Reporting feature?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What do you like most?
[Text field]

What could be improved?
[Text field]

[Submit]

Marketing Communications

Newsletter Structure

# CRM Monthly Newsletter - January 2025

## 📰 Product Updates
- New reporting dashboard launched
- Mobile app performance improvements
- 5 new integrations added

## 📚 Featured Content
- [Blog] "10 Sales Strategies for 2025"
- [Guide] "Complete CRM Setup Checklist"
- [Video] "Advanced Automation Tutorial"

## 💡 Pro Tip of the Month
Use keyboard shortcuts to navigate 50% faster!
[View All Shortcuts →]

## 🎯 Customer Spotlight
See how TechCorp increased sales by 40% using our CRM
[Read Case Study →]

## 📅 Upcoming
- Webinar: "Mastering CRM Analytics" - Feb 15
- Feature Release: AI-powered insights - March
- User Conference: Save the date - April 20-22

## 🎁 Special Offer
Upgrade to Premium and save 20% this month
[Upgrade Now →]

Blog Post Categories

Category	Topics	Frequency	Author
Product Updates	New features, improvements	Weekly	Product team
Best Practices	How-to guides, tips	Bi-weekly	Success team
Customer Stories	Case studies, testimonials	Monthly	Marketing
Industry Insights	Trends, analysis	Monthly	Leadership
Technical	API updates, integrations	As needed	Engineering

Communication Guidelines

Writing Style

Tone & Voice

• Professional but friendly
• Clear and concise
• Action-oriented language
• Empathetic to customer needs
• Positive framing

Writing Rules

1. Use active voice
2. Keep sentences under 20 words
3. One idea per paragraph
4. Use bullet points for lists
5. Include clear CTAs

Visual Standards

Email Design

• Company logo at top
• Consistent color scheme
• Mobile-responsive layout
• Clear hierarchy
• Accessible fonts (14px minimum)

Screenshots & Images

• High resolution (retina-ready)
• Annotated for clarity
• Compressed for fast loading
• Alt text for accessibility

Compliance & Legal

Required Elements

Email Footer

Company Name | Address | Phone
[Unsubscribe] | [Preferences] | [Privacy Policy] | [Terms of Service]

This email was sent to {email} because you are a registered user.
© 2025 Company Name. All rights reserved.

GDPR Compliance

• Clear opt-in/opt-out mechanisms
• Data processing transparency
• Right to be forgotten
• Data portability options

CAN-SPAM Requirements

• Accurate "From" name
• Clear subject lines
• Physical address included
• Unsubscribe link functional
• Process opt-outs within 10 days

Success Metrics

Communication KPIs

Metric	Target	Measurement
Email Open Rate	>40%	Email platform
Click-through Rate	>10%	Email platform
In-app Engagement	>60%	Analytics
NPS Score	>50	Survey tool
Support Satisfaction	>4.5/5	Support system
Unsubscribe Rate	<2%	Email platform

Monthly Reporting

## Communication Metrics - January 2025

### Email Performance
- Sent: 50,000
- Opened: 22,500 (45%)
- Clicked: 5,500 (11%)
- Unsubscribed: 500 (1%)

### In-app Notifications
- Displayed: 100,000
- Engaged: 65,000 (65%)
- Dismissed: 35,000 (35%)

### Customer Feedback
- NPS Score: 52 (+3 from last month)
- Support Satisfaction: 4.6/5
- Feature Requests: 125

### Action Items
- Improve email subject lines
- A/B test notification timing
- Address top 3 feature requests

Crisis Communication

Crisis Response Plan

Response Team

• Lead: CEO/VP Product
• Spokesperson: Head of Communications
• Technical: CTO/Engineering Lead
• Support: Head of Customer Success

Communication Priorities

1. Customer safety and data security
2. Transparent, timely updates
3. Clear action steps
4. Empathetic tone
5. Follow-up and resolution

Crisis Templates

Subject: Important Security Update - Action Required

Dear Customer,

We recently discovered a security issue that may affect your account.

**What Happened**: [Brief, clear explanation]
**Impact**: [Who is affected and how]
**Action Required**: [Specific steps customers should take]
**What We're Doing**: [Our response and prevention measures]

For immediate assistance: [Dedicated hotline]
More information: [Dedicated webpage]

We take security seriously and apologize for any concern this may cause.

[CEO Name]
CEO, Company Name

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Last Updated: January 2025 Version: 1.0.0