Touch Base Email Alternatives: How to Touch Base with a Client Via Email

If you want to follow up on a request or reconnect with someone you haven’t spoken to recently, you may need to touch base with a client or customer via email. Unfortunately, touching base is an overused phrase that's become essentially meaningless, and using it can make your email easy to dismiss. If you want clients to open and read your email, it’s important to learn more effective techniques for how to touch base with a client via business email.

What Is a Touch Base Email?

A touch base email is any email in which the sender claims to be “just touching base” or extends the offer, “let’s touch base.” These communications are typically similar in tone and substance to emails that use the phrase, “just checking in.”

What’s Wrong With Touch Base Emails?

Touch base marketing and checking in emails are problematic because they lack specificity and don’t offer the recipient a compelling reason to read or respond to the communication. Touch base emails can also make a client feel as if you want something from them but are hesitant to be direct about it.

Worse yet, if the phrase "touching base" is all that’s included in the subject line, you risk having recipients delete your email without even opening it. Ultimately, if you don’t care enough to be specific and direct in your communications, you can’t expect a client or customer to care enough to respond.

How to Touch Base With a Client Via Email

If you’re reaching out to touch base with a client, you probably have a good reason. That’s why it’s important to be more thoughtful when composing your correspondence. Here are several ways to make sure you’re crafting emails that clients will respond to:

  • Be specific. Personalize your correspondence. Include only information that's specific to them.
  • Keep it relevant. Consider the client’s needs and interests, and build on any prior interactions you've had with them.
  • Create a sense of urgency. Include special offers, time-sensitive promotions and exciting new opportunities for clients to take advantage of.
  • Ask questions. When you pose a question, you're more likely to get a response.
  • Avoid clichés. Skip phrases such as "touching base" and "checking in," which many clients find off-putting.

Five Touch Base Email Alternatives

If you're looking for alternatives to touch base emails, take advantage of other opportunities for correspondence, such as these:

  1. Congratulations: Trigger events, such as anniversaries, are ideal for reaching out to clients. A congratulatory email lets you set a positive tone and personalize the communication to the client and the triggering event.
  2. Meeting requests: Whether you’re proposing an in-person get-together or virtual meeting, sending a meeting request opens up a dialogue with your client, inviting a response and creating the potential for a follow-up email or call.
  3. Actionable advice: When you send personalized advice or guidance, you can connect with clients while demonstrating the value you'll bring to their business.
  4. Information requests: If you need information or feedback, be direct and ask for it. You'll increase your odds of getting a response.
  5. Invitations: Business luncheons and webinars are great networking opportunities, so invite a client to a local or online event that's designed to pique their interest.

Other Contact Center Communications

Although it’s important to know how to touch base with a client via email, for contact center managers, voice communications are even more crucial. Find out how 8x8 can help you implement an all-in-one communications system for better customer engagement.