4 ms·

Epic "Your Order Has Shipped" customer service email (2005)

25 points by dcaldwell 16y ago

RiderOfGiraffes 16y ago
OK, personal opinion only, but ... I find this sort of thing annoying. It would be especially annoying if I bought more than one thing, unless they changed it every time. But that, in turn, would force me to read through the entire email every time just to make sure they really were just saying - it's shipped. In short, life's short, and I've got better things to do than read through an entire, cutesy email to make sure that it's saying what I think it's saying, and not saying anything unexpected. It's also lying. I bet they didn't do any of that. "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" expresses clearly the difference between "Funny Always", "Funny Once", and "Funny Never". For me, this is somewhere between the last two. I hope it doesn't catch on. And it's not "epic". </rant>
- jeffmould 16y ago
  I kind of agree with you on that. While it shows the company has personality, if it was the first time I ordered and I only ordered a single CD, I would find the following a bit rude: Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year". Combined with the rest of the email it almost comes across as "wow thanks for only ordering a single CD from us you have wasted our time and resources for little profit." Just my opinion though. It is not a deal breaker to me in that it wouldn't stop me from ordering from them again, that would be my first thought though after reading it initially.
- ugh 16y ago
  My opinion about this depends on the subject line. What do I care about the cutesy text as long as I can get the important information without even opening the email? (“Your CD Baby order has shipped” would be ok. Bonus points for mentioning the date of the order right there. The body of the email should definitely contain a table with the ordered products. Oh, and put the tracking number in an obvious place if you have one.) You really shouldn’t even have to open order or shipping confirmation emails. Who am I to complain when they contain a gem on those rare occasions when I open them? (Those kinds of mails seem full of legal disclaimers anyway, it’s not like that additional text would confuse you.)
  - mapgrep 16y ago
    The subject line was "Joe - Your CD Baby Order!" when I ordered last year (but with my actual first name). Kind of annoying because then you do have to read through all that (same message) to figure out that the order actually shipped and wasn't unavailable. Of course, the use of an exclamation mark in the subject line was a clue all was well.
- angrycoder 16y ago
  why do you hate fun?
  - RiderOfGiraffes 16y ago
    tl;dr: To me, it wasn't funny. ======== Firstly, and just for the record, I didn't down-vote you. Not least I can't, since your comment is a reply to mine, but I wouldn't've done so anyway. It's clear that you think this sort of email is cute and fun. Possibly I used to think so too, 30 years ago. Now, however, I've seen too many of them, read too many of them, felt cheated of time by too many of them. I don't hate fun. I love having fun. I seek out having fun. I make time to have fun. What's not fun, pretty much by definition, is someone else's attempt at humor that is not, to me, funny. If it had been me receiving that email I'd've resented the 30 seconds it took to check that its content was "CD posted", and that everything else was there purely for entertainment. I didn't find it entertaining. My tastes have changed over the years. So, in short, I love fun, have lots of fun, and think lots of things are funny. That wasn't one of them.
rianjs 16y ago
Er, that post is from 2005. CDBaby has been sending emails like that since at least 2003. Maybe they still do. That said, I think CDBaby was probably one of the first companies to engage in conversational marketing, which includes emails that look like they're written by actual human beings. (Even if they are (were?) a little over the top.)
- Shooter 16y ago
  Re: "over the top" Gary Halbert, one of the most infamous "over the top" copywriters ever, was using this general verbiage since at least the mid-80s. He used it with, among other things, his very famous "Family Coat of Arms" mailings, which numbered in the tens of millions. It is a well-known piece of writing among copywriters.
JonnieCache 16y ago
If anyone is ever struggling to translate that most idiomatic of british phrases, "taking the piss," this is pretty much a perfect example of one of its meanings. EDIT: to expand on this, I don't see this as an attempt at humour through "cuteness," it comes across as sledgehammer-irony mocking the corporate world's shift towards conversational marketing since the 90s. Customers know that corporations aren't really that personally interested in them as a person, they can't be because of their scale. This is obvious. So I see this email as a nudge-wink from CDbaby to the customer, it allows them the benefits of conversational marketing without the downsides, because irony allows them to both "say it" and "not say it" at the same time. Savvy.
absconditus 16y ago
Again, can we stop with the reddit-style headlines?
- dcaldwell 16y ago
  Sorry about that. I'm a newbie here and posted this. After seeing your comment and reading my headline, I agree that it isn't in keeping with other HN headlines. Duly noted and I will try to be sensitive to that in the future. Thanks.
whyleym 16y ago
Personally I really like this - shows the human side to a company rather than the standard corporate spiel you receive on normal shipping notices. Agreed it could become tiresome 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc time but if they added some detection as to whether you were a first time customer - it could sway someone (such as me) to at least take notice they are that little bit different and if I received the product in a timely fashion it may prompt me to choose them again over another company. Would be something worthy of an A/B test at least - corporate vs non corporate.
jrockway 16y ago
I like Amazon's email. "We're writing you to let you know that your order 3984-39843234-23431-3413 has shipped. This shipment completes your order. Tracking number: 1Z2394829348938293." That's all I need to know. I don't have time to read a novel every time I buy something.
ahi 16y ago
Years ago I ordered a box set 20 Years of Dischord direct from Dischord Records. In the package was a hand written thank you note from the Dischord staff member who boxed it, who not coincidentally was one of the people included in the box set. Instant loyalty. Small and diy are strengths, not weaknesses.
runjake 16y ago
I'm not sure it was a great idea. The email comes off as condescending if you aren't aware of Derek Siver's personality (he is a great guy & an HN member) or haven't seen his TED talks (http://www.ted.com/speakers/derek_sivers.html http://www.ted.com/speakers/derek_sivers.html)
loumf 16y ago
My initial reaction was that they were trying to act like Derek was still there. Then confusion as I saw his signature (were they still sending out the same old emails?). Please put the year in the title if the post is old. Thanks.
- dcaldwell 16y ago
  I'm new to HN and posted this article. Thanks for prompting me to put the year in the title for old posts. I will definitely do that in the future in the event that I post an old article. Sorry about the confusion and thanks for bringing this to my attention.

25 points by dcaldwell 16y ago

OK, personal opinion only, but ... I find this sort of thing annoying. It would be especially annoying if I bought more than one thing, unless they changed it every time. But that, in turn, would force me to read through the entire email every time just to make sure they really were just saying - it's shipped. In short, life's short, and I've got better things to do than read through an entire, cutesy email to make sure that it's saying what I think it's saying, and not saying anything unexpected. It's also lying. I bet they didn't do any of that. "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" expresses clearly the difference between "Funny Always", "Funny Once", and "Funny Never". For me, this is somewhere between the last two. I hope it doesn't catch on. And it's not "epic". </rant>

jeffmould 16y ago
I kind of agree with you on that. While it shows the company has personality, if it was the first time I ordered and I only ordered a single CD, I would find the following a bit rude: Your picture is on our wall as "Customer of the Year". Combined with the rest of the email it almost comes across as "wow thanks for only ordering a single CD from us you have wasted our time and resources for little profit." Just my opinion though. It is not a deal breaker to me in that it wouldn't stop me from ordering from them again, that would be my first thought though after reading it initially.
ugh 16y ago
My opinion about this depends on the subject line. What do I care about the cutesy text as long as I can get the important information without even opening the email? (“Your CD Baby order has shipped” would be ok. Bonus points for mentioning the date of the order right there. The body of the email should definitely contain a table with the ordered products. Oh, and put the tracking number in an obvious place if you have one.) You really shouldn’t even have to open order or shipping confirmation emails. Who am I to complain when they contain a gem on those rare occasions when I open them? (Those kinds of mails seem full of legal disclaimers anyway, it’s not like that additional text would confuse you.)
- mapgrep 16y ago
  The subject line was "Joe - Your CD Baby Order!" when I ordered last year (but with my actual first name). Kind of annoying because then you do have to read through all that (same message) to figure out that the order actually shipped and wasn't unavailable. Of course, the use of an exclamation mark in the subject line was a clue all was well.
angrycoder 16y ago
why do you hate fun?
- RiderOfGiraffes 16y ago
  tl;dr: To me, it wasn't funny. ======== Firstly, and just for the record, I didn't down-vote you. Not least I can't, since your comment is a reply to mine, but I wouldn't've done so anyway. It's clear that you think this sort of email is cute and fun. Possibly I used to think so too, 30 years ago. Now, however, I've seen too many of them, read too many of them, felt cheated of time by too many of them. I don't hate fun. I love having fun. I seek out having fun. I make time to have fun. What's not fun, pretty much by definition, is someone else's attempt at humor that is not, to me, funny. If it had been me receiving that email I'd've resented the 30 seconds it took to check that its content was "CD posted", and that everything else was there purely for entertainment. I didn't find it entertaining. My tastes have changed over the years. So, in short, I love fun, have lots of fun, and think lots of things are funny. That wasn't one of them.

rianjs 16y ago

Er, that post is from 2005. CDBaby has been sending emails like that since at least 2003. Maybe they still do. That said, I think CDBaby was probably one of the first companies to engage in conversational marketing, which includes emails that look like they're written by actual human beings. (Even if they are (were?) a little over the top.)

Shooter 16y ago
Re: "over the top" Gary Halbert, one of the most infamous "over the top" copywriters ever, was using this general verbiage since at least the mid-80s. He used it with, among other things, his very famous "Family Coat of Arms" mailings, which numbered in the tens of millions. It is a well-known piece of writing among copywriters.

JonnieCache 16y ago

If anyone is ever struggling to translate that most idiomatic of british phrases, "taking the piss," this is pretty much a perfect example of one of its meanings. EDIT: to expand on this, I don't see this as an attempt at humour through "cuteness," it comes across as sledgehammer-irony mocking the corporate world's shift towards conversational marketing since the 90s. Customers know that corporations aren't really that personally interested in them as a person, they can't be because of their scale. This is obvious. So I see this email as a nudge-wink from CDbaby to the customer, it allows them the benefits of conversational marketing without the downsides, because irony allows them to both "say it" and "not say it" at the same time. Savvy.

absconditus 16y ago

Again, can we stop with the reddit-style headlines?

dcaldwell 16y ago
Sorry about that. I'm a newbie here and posted this. After seeing your comment and reading my headline, I agree that it isn't in keeping with other HN headlines. Duly noted and I will try to be sensitive to that in the future. Thanks.

whyleym 16y ago

Personally I really like this - shows the human side to a company rather than the standard corporate spiel you receive on normal shipping notices. Agreed it could become tiresome 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc time but if they added some detection as to whether you were a first time customer - it could sway someone (such as me) to at least take notice they are that little bit different and if I received the product in a timely fashion it may prompt me to choose them again over another company. Would be something worthy of an A/B test at least - corporate vs non corporate.

jrockway 16y ago

I like Amazon's email. "We're writing you to let you know that your order 3984-39843234-23431-3413 has shipped. This shipment completes your order. Tracking number: 1Z2394829348938293." That's all I need to know. I don't have time to read a novel every time I buy something.

ahi 16y ago

Years ago I ordered a box set 20 Years of Dischord direct from Dischord Records. In the package was a hand written thank you note from the Dischord staff member who boxed it, who not coincidentally was one of the people included in the box set. Instant loyalty. Small and diy are strengths, not weaknesses.

runjake 16y ago

I'm not sure it was a great idea. The email comes off as condescending if you aren't aware of Derek Siver's personality (he is a great guy & an HN member) or haven't seen his TED talks (http://www.ted.com/speakers/derek_sivers.html http://www.ted.com/speakers/derek_sivers.html)

loumf 16y ago

My initial reaction was that they were trying to act like Derek was still there. Then confusion as I saw his signature (were they still sending out the same old emails?). Please put the year in the title if the post is old. Thanks.

dcaldwell 16y ago
I'm new to HN and posted this article. Thanks for prompting me to put the year in the title for old posts. I will definitely do that in the future in the event that I post an old article. Sorry about the confusion and thanks for bringing this to my attention.