Good customer service isn’t hard – particularly when you have a great product to back it up. On a recent business trip to NYC, I was able to make a quick pit stop by my favorite clothing store, J. Lindeberg. While my wallet doesn’t always approve of my love for the brand, it’s been a top choice for the past few years.

During my visit, I met Jess who helped guide me through the right fits and provided some feedback as I made my picks. What made the experience particularly great was that Jess wasn’t pretentious or throwing me BS to try to nail a sale. She was real, honest and personable. So, it came as no surprise when I received the excellent, personal follow up email below (again, carefully opted in at the point of purchase) from Jess. This email probably took her a few minutes to write, but compare this approach to a template email response that most brands distribute after you opt-in to an email list.

In digital marketing world, we continually talk about building dialogue and personal relationships with our customers. While social media greatly facilitates these efforts, email is still the strongest engagement channel. Arming your sales and customer service team to truly engage your audience in a personal manner can be the slight nuance that sets you light years apart from other brands. Making the investment in time and personal engagement up front can mean nailing down a customer for life.

Well done Jess and J. Lindeberg.