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Reconnecting With Old Clients Email Template: The Ultimate Guide

Profile picture of Nina Legesse, former content strategist and writer for Jobber Academy
Nina Legesse
General Sep 25, 2024 8 min read
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When you own a service business, one of your biggest priorities is to keep steady, consistent profit coming in. And although bringing in new clients may seem like the best way to do that, you shouldn’t overlook the potential of reconnecting with old clients.

After all, your old clients have worked with you in the past, so they’re already familiar with your business, services, quality of work, and pricing. Sending a simple email could generate new income from existing customers without the high cost of a major marketing campaign.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to reconnect with clients, the different templates you can use, and which clients you should contact in order to book more jobs and grow your service business.

Reconnecting with past clients email template

If you have some old clients that you’d like to get in touch with again but you aren’t sure how to approach them to make a sale, customizable email templates can speed up and simplify the process. Use these templates when you want to:

  • Notify previous clients of new services, pricing, or packages
  • Let old clients know of a new customer referral program and discounts
  • Inform old clients of new service areas
  • Check in about recurring work for a new season

Use Jobber to promote your referral program to customers with a professional email campaign that’s ready to send in seconds flat.

Then reward your customers for bringing in new business by offering a dollar or percentage based credit toward their next service for every successful referral. When a referral is made through a customer’s unique link, it’s automatically tracked.

The next time they use your service, their referral credit will automatically be applied to their invoice.

How to reconnect with old clients by email

To reconnect with old clients, you can either send an email to all your inactive customers one by one—or all at once with an email marketing tool.

When you use Jobber to create email campaigns, you can choose from premade templates that are built for specific goals and customers (and that include your company branding).

A customer re-engagement email from a landscaping company built with Jobber Campaigns. Surrounding it are email elements that can be customized and a rich text editor.

After editing the email with details on your services, you can choose to email past clients only. You can even select a specific group of past clients using tags, job history, or by a particular service you provided.

For example, you could target past customers who haven’t had work done in the last 6 months based on their last completed visit in Jobber.

Plus, you can create email campaigns that automatically send to customers as soon as they meet the conditions you set.

Here’s an example of a Jobber Campaigns email built to reconnect with old clients:

Re-engagement email sent with Jobber Campaigns
Email example for “It’s been a while” Mailchimp campaign

Which clients should I reconnect with?

It’s important to remember that not all past clients are worth contacting and reconnecting with. To maximize the possibility of a positive response, reach out to:

1. Inactive customers who paid their invoices

It goes without saying that you shouldn’t try to get more work out of a client who has an outstanding invoice or who has had payment issues.

Chances are, you may face the same problems again in the future, adding more work to your plate instead of adding up to an easy paycheck.

READ MORE: 4 overdue payment reminder templates

2. Your most satisfied clients

A previous client who left positive reviews online or who got in touch after a job to thank you for the excellent work you did are worth checking in with. These clients already know you’re a high-quality professional and enjoyed working with you, so they’re more likely to consider working with you again.

Avoid contacting clients who left negative reviews or who lodged a complaint after a job was done.

READ MORE: 3 customer feedback surveys that make you look more professional

3. Clients who booked recurring work

This works well for home service businesses that often have recurring work. For example, clients who used your services for seasonal landscaping or yard maintenance. As you approach the new spring or summer season, it makes sense to ask them if they’re interested in hiring you again.

4. Clients who could benefit from new changes in your business

If you’ve made changes to your business like adding a referral program, price bundling, or expanding your service area, think about which of your old clients could benefit.
For example, is there a past client who previously hired you for recurring services who could get more bang for their buck now that you offer a service package? If so, reach out to let them know. They’ll appreciate the heads up and it will give you a great reason to get in touch.

Tips for reconnecting with old clients

When reaching out to old clients, use these tips to ensure that you’re setting yourself up for success:

1. Organize client information in a CRM: Use a field service CRM to store and retrieve their information, like an email address, the services they hired you for in the past, or even something a little more personal like their pet’s name. That way, you can send personalized emails to each client and ensure that you’ve got the right contact information.

2. Build customer loyalty: Send thank you notes to show customers you care. That way, you can keep ongoing communication with a client, and they’ll be less surprised when you check in down the road to let them know about a new service, package, or offer.

READ MORE: How to write a follow up email: 7 templates for better customer service

3. Communicate well and often: Practice good customer communication management with current clients to impress them and give your business a professional edge over the competition. Send appointment reminders, and keep them in the loop during a job. They’ll be more likely to respond to your follow-up emails in the future.
Here’s what appointment reminders look like in Jobber:

List of a customer’s upcoming appointments in Jobber’s client hub and an automated reminder about the next upcoming appointment

4. Make sure to offer value: Carefully select the clients you reach out to and send them relevant information or news about your business.

For example, if an old client hired you for a one-time landscaping job and you haven’t spoken to them in a couple of years, they may not be interested in hearing about how you’re now offering residential snow removal outside of their service area. Be sure that the information you’re providing is relevant and helpful.

5. Follow up with your client: If you don’t hear back, follow up—especially if they initially reached out to you for a quote or estimate. Your initial email could have been lost, missed, or forgotten.

It’s worth sending a reminder if it means the difference between signing another contract or having to put in the time to find a new one.

Originally published in March 2022. Last updated on September 25, 2024.

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