How to Write a Great Customer Service Letter – With Examples

Clear and professional customer service letters play an important role in shaping a customer’s experience with a company.

The way a business communicates in writing can influence how valued and supported a customer feels.

Whether responding to a complaint, providing an update on an order, or addressing an issue such as a billing error, a well-structured letter can turn a potentially negative experience into a positive one.

So are you looking to improve your customer service letters?

To help, we have put together advice on how to write a good customer service letter, covering key steps to ensure clarity, professionalism, and empathy, as well as giving examples to bring best practice to life.

7 Steps to Writing a Letter to a Customer Regarding Any Issue

Follow these seven steps to create a clear, professional, and effective customer service letter that addresses customer concerns while maintaining a positive relationship:

1. Start With a Clear Subject Line

A clear subject line helps the customer understand the purpose of the letter immediately. It should be short and specific, including relevant details like an order number to make it easier for the customer to track the issue.

A straightforward subject line sets the right expectations and ensures it gets noticed.

Date – The date is not typically included in the subject line but should be at the top of the letter. Use a standard date format, such as “31 July 2025,” to ensure clarity.

2. Use a Professional Greeting

A polite and professional greeting creates a respectful tone and makes the letter feel more personal. If possible, address the customer by name, and avoid informal greetings like “Hey” or “Hi there,” as they may not be appropriate in a business setting.

3. Express Empathy and Acknowledge the Issue

Recognizing the issue shows the customer that their concern is being taken seriously. A simple acknowledgment reassures them that their frustration is understood.

This helps maintain a positive relationship, even if the news is not ideal. Keep the wording professional and avoid excessive apologies.

4. Explain the Situation Clearly

Providing a clear explanation prevents confusion and reassures the customer that the issue is being handled. Use simple and direct language without unnecessary technical details.

Being transparent about the reason for the problem builds trust and helps the customer understand what has happened.

5. Offer a Solution or Compensation

Let the customer know what is being done to resolve the issue. If offering a solution, be clear about the timeframe. If compensation is included, explain how the customer can use it. This helps manage expectations and ensures the customer feels valued.

6. Outline the Next Steps

Clarifying what will happen next helps the customer know what to expect. If any action is required on their part, explain it clearly. If no action is needed, let them know so they feel reassured that the issue is being handled.

7. Close with a Professional Sign-off and Contact Information

A polite and professional closing leaves a good impression and ensures the customer knows how to reach out if they have further questions. Provide clear contact details so they can easily get in touch if needed.

Key Points When Writing a Customer Service Letter

Here is an approach recommended by Fran Fish to help improve customer service letters:

A Customer Service Letter Should Be:

Clear

Use simple, plain English. No jargon. Use headings and bullet points, so that the content is easy to follow and read.

Credible

Make sure there are no typos and all the provided information is “correct”. But the letter should also look and read the part – it should “look and sound like your brand.”

Answered

Answer all the questions that have been asked (and any that may come after). Get to the point quickly, as that’s the best way to reduce frustration and repeat contacts.

Tone

Using the right tone, that fits the reader (or customer) and the reason you’re contacting them. We expect the tone used in an apology letter to be different from the tone used in a special-offer email.

Remember, while in most cases it is good to stick to a customer’s channel preference, it is sometimes best to pick up the phone.

For example, if the customer has sent three or more letters over an issue, it might be best to pick up the phone to nip any rising customer frustration in the bud.

Example of How to Improve a Customer Service Letter

As an example of how to write customer service letters can be made actionable, we have provided two examples of customer service letters that were written by a car insurance company in response to the same customer query.

The first response is how the company originally thought of replying to the customer, following their old procedures. The second example is a rewrite of the first.

The letters are responses to a customer query which asked: “Am I covered if my kids’ laptops get stolen out of the car while I’m holiday?” The customer’s query letter was signed off with both their first and last name.

The Original Customer Service Letter (The Bad Example)

The Rewritten Customer Service Letter (The Good Example)

How Has the Letter Been Adapted for the Better?

Fran Fish takes us through how the rewrite is an improvement in terms of the “clear, credible, answered and tone criteria”.

Clear

• Gets to the point quickly
• Meets and matches the customer’s needs
• ‘Easiest way is to apply online’ – influences customer’s choice of service channel
• Uses bullets to lay out information in easy-to-read format

Credible

• Includes insurance detail – demonstrates knowledge and expertise
• ‘Tip’ gives insurance options – builds trust

Answered

• Addresses the customer’s query first ‘we’d cover up to £300 of their value
• Less effort for the customer – no need to go digging around for the Policy Schedule

Tone

• Fits the nature of the query
• Empathetic and personal tone used

How Switching the Approach Benefitted the Car Insurance Company

Mazaru and independent researchers ICM shared both car insurance letter examples with 2,000 consumers. The consumers were asked to share preferences and ‘next actions’, when comparing the two letters.

The results suggested that the car insurance company could benefit in each of the following ways by permanently switching to the style of the rewrite:

Three Good Examples of Customer Service Letters

Below are three great examples of different types of customer service letters.

Sample Letter – Response to a Complaint

Here is a good response to a customer complaint about their credit profile.

5 Good Things About This Example

• The company say thank you immediately
• They offer a phone call, in case the reader wants to speed up the process
• They use headings to highlight the different stages of the process
• They use “I” and not “we” (as in the company) to highlight that someone is taking ownership of the customer’s issue
• They use the customer’s words, such as “default” or “repossession”, to directly respond to the customer’s problem

Sample Letter – A Service Notice

In this example, a customer service letter is used to warn residents of repair and maintenance work.

5 Good Things About This Example

• The company put the most important information first, in a large font
• They use headings to clearly signpost when and where, so this impact on the reader becomes immediately obvious
• They offer reassurance to the reader that this will not be a long process
• They use an active tone of voice to highlight their urgency
• They highlight where the reader can go for further information

Sample Letter – A Thank You Letter

While this may not be a perfect letter, there are many things to like about this customer service letter, created by Barnyarns.

5 Good Things About This Example

• Barnyarns start by saying “thank you”
• They continue to stress that “your business is very much appreciated”
• They value quality
• They don’t just ask for your feedback – they explain why it is important
• They open the dialogue for any problems to be quickly rectified

For more on putting together a good thank-you letter, read our article: How to Write a Thank-You Letter to a Customer

Thanks to Mazaru for sharing some of the example letters that we’ve used in this article. 

To find more of our advice on writing for customer service, read our articles:

• Making Your Customer Service Writing Simple, Friendly and Personal
• “Dear Valued Customer” – 12 Steps to Writing a Great Customer Letter
• Dear Valued Customer – How NOT to Write a Customer Service Letter

Reviewed by: Jonty Pearce