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Original poster

Use of emojis in email from Eon - inappropriate and unprofessional?

51 replies

RottingInBed · 01/04/2024 18:50

Hi all,

Maybe I'm just getting old but I don't find the multiple emojis in this email from Eon very appropriate.

The multiple exclamation marks and the mistake on "you're" and "your" is irritating too.

Any thoughts?!

(PS the attachment was still blank!)

Use of emojis in email from Eon - inappropriate and unprofessional?
OP posts:
smithson999 · 01/04/2024 23:19

I've had this on chat before. Can't remember which company. It made me feel like they were not taking what I was chatting to them about seriously, like it's not very important to them.

Piffpaffpoff · 01/04/2024 23:19

@RottingInBed communication language and tone is always changing. I’m quite old so when I started out business letters I wrote started with “ Dear Mrs Surname, thank you for your letter of x which we received on y…’ and were incredibly formal. Styles change and I think we communicate in a much clearer and direct way today than we did in the past.

The spelling issues drive me nuts but it’s just life these days across a lot of businesses and society as a whole. But don’t get me started on that!!

Piffpaffpoff · 01/04/2024 23:21

RottingInBed · 01/04/2024 23:12

@Piffpaffpoff exactly. The company needs to "read the room" and "match the customer's energy". [vomit]

Exactly! “Know your audience” is the most important part of being in comms.

Original poster
RottingInBed · 01/04/2024 23:25

Exactly. I use a very different style when I'm speaking to/writing to an excited first time buyer than I do when I'm talking to an 60 year old selling their late mother's house.

And in either scenario, I can assure you my emails are not riddled with juvenile punctuation and spelling mistakes.

I DO occasionally send a smiley face emoji if a client sends me one saying "yay I got my offer accepted/got the keys to my house". But I hate myself afterwards!!

OP posts:
illbehonestnow · 01/04/2024 23:25

Piffpaffpoff · 01/04/2024 22:52

Comms person here working in a similar organisation. I think it’s a couple of things - firstly, messaging and general ‘business communication’ is changing and is becoming much less formal. In some newer digital businesses, emojis and a much more casual ‘tone of voice’ will be positively encouraged to suit their presumed customer demographic.

Secondly, most of the people doing this job are young (most, not all) and language and standards are constantly changing. They have so many regulatory hoops to jump through and record in all of their interactions with customers that spelling sometimes takes a less important role than it should.

I’m pleased to see that they have taken note of your request to lose the emojis. At least they have recognised that for you, it’s not wanted. However, loads of their customers will love it and respond in kind. That’s the challenge of interacting with such a large and demographically diverse audience (and I love it!).

This all sounds a bit tail wagging the dog to me. Has their been a big push from customers requesting to be communicated with like this? I very much doubt it.

illbehonestnow · 01/04/2024 23:25

there GAH!

Maverickess · 01/04/2024 23:49

I answer different types of messages, email, social media and occasionally letters, and am customer led when replying, if they use emojis then I reply in kind, if they're more formal then I am.

I've been the customer and had some inappropriate ones as well but it's not something I'm particularly bothered by, as long as the issue gets sorted out then that's the reason I'm there in the first place, and I don't think the use of emojis is particularly reflective in how effective the service is.

Either way I don't think calling people 'morons' is much better and pretty much sums up a lot of people's attitude towards customer service staff in general which is getting more and more about keeping people in their 'place' rather than actually getting decent customer service.

EatCrow · 02/04/2024 01:21

RottingInBed · 01/04/2024 23:25

Exactly. I use a very different style when I'm speaking to/writing to an excited first time buyer than I do when I'm talking to an 60 year old selling their late mother's house.

And in either scenario, I can assure you my emails are not riddled with juvenile punctuation and spelling mistakes.

I DO occasionally send a smiley face emoji if a client sends me one saying "yay I got my offer accepted/got the keys to my house". But I hate myself afterwards!!

But I hate myself afterwards!!

💐 for you 😁

EatCrow · 02/04/2024 01:26

Piffpaffpoff · 01/04/2024 23:19

@RottingInBed communication language and tone is always changing. I’m quite old so when I started out business letters I wrote started with “ Dear Mrs Surname, thank you for your letter of x which we received on y…’ and were incredibly formal. Styles change and I think we communicate in a much clearer and direct way today than we did in the past.

The spelling issues drive me nuts but it’s just life these days across a lot of businesses and society as a whole. But don’t get me started on that!!

n/a

Mummame2222 · 02/04/2024 01:29

RottingInBed · 01/04/2024 22:41

Oh and their Twitter account sent me this:

"Please be advised, as we are a digital team emojis are often used but we understand it is not for everyone!"

Did you actually complain about this? Oh that’s hilarious. Bless you.

Beezknees · 02/04/2024 06:57

ladymuckofthemanor · 01/04/2024 23:13

They probably use customer service agents based in South Africa.

The company I work for do this (finance, not utilities).

Their grammar and empathy is poor. Inappropriate use of emojis is common.

But they are dirt cheap, so companies will continue to outsource customer service abroad.

The vast majority of employees are based in the UK, there are some in South Africa but most are UK

ladymuckofthemanor · 02/04/2024 07:49

What company are you referring to @Beezknees ?

The one I work for have the majority of agents in SA, with only a handful in the Uk to take the most difficult calls / customers with high risk vulnerabilities.

PuppyMonkey · 02/04/2024 07:58

Inappropriate Emojis would be a great band name. Grin

My iPhone is so clever at correcting my spelling and working out what I really meant to type, you’d surely expect that today’s tech things could spot and correct could of and would of by now.

HighQueenOfTheFarRealm · 02/04/2024 08:47

This is what happens when kids no longer read books....

mylittleyumyum · 02/04/2024 09:29

I'm beginning to think Mumsnet is no longer my demographic - I'm mid 40's and don't think I'm at the complaining about emojis stage of my life yet. Maybe once life slows down I'll have time to focus on things like that and whether the underpaid are knuckling down enough....

Sweedey · 02/04/2024 09:47

mylittleyumyum · 02/04/2024 09:29

I'm beginning to think Mumsnet is no longer my demographic - I'm mid 40's and don't think I'm at the complaining about emojis stage of my life yet. Maybe once life slows down I'll have time to focus on things like that and whether the underpaid are knuckling down enough....

Edited

It would be fine if you wanted help via Twitter.

In an email, it's white odd. Is there any reason for a blushing emoji in an email?! Plus spelling mistakes.

It comes across scammy, I just want someone to be helpful, kind and still professional so I trust they know what they're doing.

Okayornot · 02/04/2024 10:08

I'm more bothered by "your" instead of "you're" and the misuse of exclamation marks. Mark it up with a red pen and send it back.

Beezknees · 02/04/2024 15:07

ladymuckofthemanor · 02/04/2024 07:49

What company are you referring to @Beezknees ?

The one I work for have the majority of agents in SA, with only a handful in the Uk to take the most difficult calls / customers with high risk vulnerabilities.

Eon

functionoverform · 02/04/2024 15:17

Knew it would be E-on when I clicked on the thread....

Had a shitty sexist phonecall from them about installing a smart meter that I have been resisting as I think we'll most likely be switching soon.

The bill is in my name. Account is in my name etc but the E-on chap insisted on asking for Mr function over form, when the bill/account is in Miss function over form.

Obviously I questioned this and asked why did he want to speak to a man who wasn't listed on the account and that the 1950s called and wanted it's sexism back... Nope, no apology and E-on man doubled down and insisted that it was entirely appropriate to be asking for the Mr function over form who was not and never has been on the account. It was the Pontypridd call centre. I hung up as he was rude as fuck and quite frankly didn't want to waste my own time.

I am never getting a smart meter from them now😁.

Original poster
RottingInBed · 02/04/2024 15:26

@functionoverform that's outrageous! They are such a disrespectful company. I think customers are just a joke to them.

OP posts:
Original poster
RottingInBed · 02/04/2024 17:06

In fairness to Eon, I can now report that they accept the email was inappropriate. They asked what they could do to remedy matters (in addition to reviewing their standards of communication).

I suggested a donation of £50 to my local cat rescue to recompense me for my time/irritation. They can't make the donation direct but will send the sum to me and I can make the donation.

So good news for my local cats!

OP posts:
LlynTegid · 02/04/2024 17:30

Glad you got a response. Emojis are very small are not friendly to people with limited eyesight? Who are more likely to be older people.

Ofgem are generally useless but perhaps might be interested. There are probably requirements on plain English for energy bills.

HighQueenOfTheFarRealm · 02/04/2024 18:57

Good. Hopefully they'll bring their employees up to scratch. People want to deal with professional grown ups, not what looks like 15 yr olds doing a Saturday job.

CHEESEY13 · 02/04/2024 19:04

Looks like it was cobbled together by a semi-literate oik who must have bunked off school quite a bit.

Also, "Thankyou" should be "Thank you".

Cheers

TheBirdintheCave · 02/04/2024 22:10

Ohhh I was in a big fight with Eon for two years (trying to get them to replace my broken smart meter) and their use of emojis was infuriating, especially when I was trying to discuss something serious. Their 'sending you positive energy' sign off was particularly galling too 🙄

It ended up getting added to my formal complaint 😂