Caught myself using the same reply template for every client email

I had this one response I copied and pasted for quote requests, just swapping the numbers. Then a customer wrote back asking if I was a bot because my wording was exactly the same as my voicemail greeting. That's when I realized I sounded like a robot myself. Has anyone else had a moment where their own words felt fake?

3 comments

3 Comments

jordan_hill6d ago

I started adding ONE personal detail to every client email, like mentioning their town or a recent project they posted about, and it totally changed how people responded to me. @charles720, I feel you on that corporate robot speak thing - I used to write "per our conversation" so much that my friend made a drinking game out of it. Now I just use a mix of templates but throw in a casual sentence that's specific to the person, and nobody has asked if I'm a bot since.

charles7206d ago

Three clients in one week have asked if I was just reading from a script when I replied to their emails. I wasn't, but now I kind of wish I was because at least then I'd have a good excuse for sounding so stiff and lifeless. It's a humbling moment when you realize your own natural voice somehow turned into corporate robot speak without you even noticing.

tessaperry6d ago

My friend Jenna actually had this exact problem @charles720. She worked at a small accounting firm and one day her boss pulled her aside saying clients thought she was copying and pasting everything. Turns out she had been using the same 5 sentence structure for every email for like 2 years straight lol. She started mixing up her openings and adding little personal details like "hope the kids are feeling better" or "loved that photo you posted of your dog" and suddenly people stopped asking if she was a bot. It's wild how fast we slip into robot mode without even noticing.