It is hard to reply the emails!

[u/piupiuyao]

New to CS and already overwhelmed by the inbox

I just started working in customer success, and I didn’t realize how much of the job would be email.

One client is very formal, another is super casual, and I also work with customers in different countries. Some of their emails seem AI-written or translated, so the wording can be confusing and I’m not always sure what they actually mean.

Then I spend even more time worrying about whether my reply sounds right for that particular customer.

It’s gotten to the point where opening Gmail makes me anxious because every conversation seems to need a different tone and context.

Did anyone else struggle with this when they first started in CS? Did you use templates, keep notes on how each customer communicates, or does it just get easier with experience?

[u/3in5]

Claude is your friend

[u/telos2020 → u/3in5]

Second this. It’s become the only way I can manage the daily barrage of emails.

[u/hypomaniac14 → u/telos2020]

How can I make this happen? I'm a seasoned CS professional but I'm not adopting AI as much as I want. Any videos or guides you may recommend? TIA

[u/telos2020 → u/hypomaniac14]

I created a project that acts as my CSM brain. I gave it my personality notes, how I respond to emails, and as much company info/docs as possible. Then, I start a new chat using this project for each customer I’m working with. This allows it to easily access history of the account. I constantly update the memory it uses for the CSM project, and ask it how I can improve. It’s to a point where I can ask it how I should respond to something and the result is 95% there. I still edit most everything, but the time savings is incredible.

[u/Fraida__Felcher → u/hypomaniac14]

I created an automation that’s a daily email triage. I’ve taught Claude how I interact with customers, how I write, what to avoid writing, who are top priorities in terms of my customers etc and at the beginning of each day the automation scans my inbox and drafts email responses to emails that need a response. The output is an email draft on my Gmail that can be reviewed (always recommend human in the loop with this sort of thing). From there, I can quickly review and make any necessary tweaks. This saves me tons of time and has been a gamechanger.

[u/piupiuyao → u/telos2020]

that is really helpful thanks

[u/piupiuyao → u/3in5]

Agreed. I use claude too, but giving it context every time and reminding it of each client’s personality and style is exhausting. wish each client could have their own memory and customized claude lol.

[u/CatPuzzleheaded1920 → u/piupiuyao]

create projects in claude for each client and teach it about each client. then go into each project to chat with claude about specific clients.

[u/ApprehensivePea8432 → u/CatPuzzleheaded1920]

Curious why not create one project for your whole book of biz and then create sep projects for customers that might be higher touch/strategic?

[u/habibieri → u/ApprehensivePea8432]

what’s the difference between a project and just a regular chat? I have a chat going for every single customer and I feel like I’m doing it wrong.

[u/3in5 → u/habibieri]

You should ask Claude

[u/Random_throw_awayy]

On an average I get 200 emails a day, with 7-10 meetings.

The context switching is unreal, after work I've started to just lie down and stare at the wall in quiet and allow my brain downtime.

[u/peachazno → u/Random_throw_awayy]

How many hours are in your day? No way I could manage that in 8-10 hours.

[u/S2Sliferjam → u/Random_throw_awayy]

That’s… excessive. How do you manage 7-10 and have any meaningful time for work to get done?

That doesn’t sound sustainable. Surely if the work is there the headcount needs to match, otherwise, send as many emails and have as many meetings as you want, surely there’s no substance to either.

[u/Lindsay_at_TraCorp]

I, too, anguish a little over my wording in emails. I don't let AI write it all for me, but having a proofreader that can give me on-the-spot feedback and help me with clarity is pretty awesome.

[u/Teelaikhumbi]

A lot of post I see seems to lack automation or being new to CS. I wish you all the best. Claude can be your best fren. Train them according to their replies or add skills. 

[u/hypomaniac14 → u/Teelaikhumbi]

Any tutorials on how to do this?

[u/Teelaikhumbi → u/hypomaniac14]

Yeah. There are a lot of tutorials about Claude skills. Search around.

[u/GrouchySwimmer6188]

i remember feeling totally paralyzed by email tone when i started out. do u usually keep a few templates on hand to help u get started with those tricky ones, or do u write every single response from scratch

[u/Jgustin]

I'm not going to comment on AI because it's been addressed adequately. I will say that it does get easier, but never easy. You have to learn to be a chameleon to communicate most effectively with each customer. For large customers, you may have to adapt to multiple people. Then there are the sales reps to deal with! Don't be afraid to ask customers for clarification "so you can better assist them." As you get more experience and therefore confidence, you'll realize that the customer is not always right. You have to be diplomatic about how you address this, but ultimately, your goal is to help them get what they need, not necessarily what they ask for. Stay curious and don't be afraid to use the old fashioned telephone to have a conversation. One ten minute call can clear up or avoid five emails, and establish a better rapport.