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Customer follow up after a purchase: 15 direct sales messages

A customer who has bought once is worth more than a stranger you have to find. What keeps them is not a clever pitch but a few well timed, honest messages: one when the order is placed, one when it arrives, one that asks what they really think, and one that helps when something goes wrong. These 15 messages work for any direct sales company, so they stay neutral about the brand. They cover the order and delivery, the honest feedback question, problems and returns, reorders, a review or a referral, and the birthday note. If you sell a specific company's shakes, see the Herbalife follow up page. Copy any message, or add all 15 to your keyboard and send them from any app.

Add these 15 templates to your keyboard Add the 6 essentials

Works in WhatsApp, iMessage, Instagram, Messenger and every other app.

Words in {{double braces}} are blanks. In the textcuts keyboard you fill them with one tap, and the names you used recently come back.

Order, shipping and arrival

Order placed

Thanks for your order, {{name}}. I'm an independent seller, so I place it with the company and I'm your first call for anything after. I'll message you when it ships.

When to send: The day they order.

Why it works: It says plainly who you are and who to ask, which sets up every message after it.

Shipped

Your order has shipped, {{name}}. Tracking from the company can take a day to show up. When it does, I'll send it to you.

When to send: When the company confirms shipping.

Why it works: It answers the question they would otherwise ask you tomorrow.

Arrived

Essential
Hi {{name}}, your parcel should have reached you by now. Did everything come, and does it look right?

When to send: The day after the tracking says delivered.

Why it works: A yes or no question catches a damaged or missing item early.

First use

No rush, but when you first open the {{product}}, tell me what you notice. The smell, the feel, anything. I like hearing a first reaction.

When to send: Two or three days after delivery.

Why it works: It invites a small, specific reply instead of asking for a verdict.

A tip for using it

One tip for your new {{item}}: read the card in the box before the first use. The order of the steps matters and most people skip it. Ask me if anything is unclear.

When to send: With or just after the first use message.

Why it works: A practical tip is a reason to message that has nothing to do with selling.

Asking how it went

The honest question

Essential
Hi {{name}}, it has been a couple of weeks. How do you really like it? A straight answer helps me more than a polite one, and that includes "it wasn't for me".

When to send: Two weeks after delivery.

Why it works: Asking for the honest answer gets one, and a bad answer now beats a silent customer.

Something went wrong

Essential
I'm sorry about that, {{name}}. Could you send me a photo of what arrived? I'll sort it out with the company today and tell you exactly what happens next.

When to send: As soon as a customer reports a problem.

Why it works: It acts first and explains second, which is what an unhappy customer needs.

Return steps

Thanks for telling me. Returns go through the company, so I'll look up the policy for the {{product}} and send you the exact steps tonight. You won't be left guessing.

When to send: After a customer asks about returning something.

Why it works: It promises a clear next step without promising a refund you do not control.

Asking for a review

Hi, if you have a minute, would you leave a short review of the {{product}} on the company's page? Say what you really think, good or bad. I'd rather have the truth than a favor.

When to send: After a customer has said they are happy, once.

Why it works: It asks for an honest review and sets no condition or reward on the answer.

Keeping the customer

Time to reorder

EssentialPro
Hi {{name}}, by my count your {{product}} should be running low around now. Shall I set up the same order again, or would you like to change something?

When to send: Near the time they would run out.

Why it works: It is a service reminder with an easy yes, no or change answer.

Back in stock

Hi, the {{item}} you asked about is back in stock. Want me to add it to your next order, or would you rather wait?

When to send: When something they asked for returns.

Why it works: It follows up on something they said they wanted, which is why it is welcome.

Holiday ordering dates

Hi, the company's holiday catalog is out. Here it is: {{link}}. The shipping cutoff dates are listed on the page, so you can plan around them.

When to send: When the seasonal catalog is published.

Why it works: It gives real dates from the company, so there is no invented urgency.

A friend might like it

Essential
Hi {{name}}, you mentioned a friend was looking for something like this. Would you like me to send them the catalog? Only if they'd want it, and no pressure on them either.

When to send: After a customer mentions someone who could use the product.

Why it works: It builds on something they said, so it feels like help and not a request.

Birthday

Essential
Happy birthday, {{name}}. There's no offer attached, I just wanted to say I'm glad you're one of my customers.

When to send: On their birthday.

Why it works: A message that asks for nothing is the one they remember.

One year as a customer

{{name}}, it's one year since your first order with me. Thank you for sticking around. Is there anything you'd like me to look into for the year ahead?

When to send: On the anniversary of the first order.

Why it works: It marks the relationship and asks what they need, not what they should buy.

When to send each message

WhenMessageNote
Order dayOrder placedAlways.
Day after deliveryArrivedCatches problems early.
Two weeks inThe honest questionAsk once.
When it runs outTime to reorderDepends on the product.
Any timeSomething went wrongThe moment a problem is reported.
BirthdayBirthdayNo offer attached.
After a review requestAsking for a reviewOnce, and never with a reward for a good rating.

Do not say

  • Health claims about a product ("this fixed my sleep", "it helped my joints"). Health claims need solid scientific support, and one customer's story is not enough.

    Instead: Tell them how you use it and what you like about it. For anything medical: "Please ask your doctor."

    Source

  • Before and after results presented as what a customer can expect.

    Instead: Share how you use the product, and leave out numbers and promises.

    Source

  • "I'll give you a discount if you leave a five star review." A reward for a good rating produces reviews that are not honest.

    Instead: Ask for an honest review and attach nothing to it.

    Source

  • Asking only your happiest customers for a review, or asking someone to delete a bad one.

    Instead: Ask every customer who used the product, and thank the ones who are critical.

    Source

  • Letting a customer think you are the company ("our warehouse", "we will refund you").

    Instead: Say you are an independent seller and that the company handles shipping and returns.

    Source

  • Promising a refund or an exchange before you have read the company's return policy.

    Instead: I'll look up the policy and send you the exact steps.

  • Turning a complaint into a pitch ("you could sell it yourself and get it back").

    Instead: Fix the problem first. Talk about anything else another day, and only if they ask.

  • Fake urgency about restocks or prices when it is not true.

    Instead: Give the real date the company gives you.

Add these 15 templates to your keyboard Add the 6 essentials

Works in WhatsApp, iMessage, Instagram, Messenger and every other app.

Frequently asked questions

When should I message a customer after they buy?

On the order day, when it ships, the day after it arrives, and about two weeks later to ask how it is going. After that, message when something is useful to them: a reorder reminder, a restock, or a birthday.

How do I ask for a review without being pushy?

Ask once, after they have said they are happy, and ask for the honest answer. The FTC's endorsement guidance says a discount or reward cannot depend on a positive review. Template 9 does it in one message.

What do I do when a customer wants a refund?

Fix the problem first and read the company's return policy before you promise anything. Templates 7 and 8 take the customer through the first two messages. Then follow the company's own steps.

Does this overlap with the Herbalife page?

No. The Herbalife follow up page covers the first weeks of a shake customer and the business question. This page works for any company and covers the whole customer life, from order to anniversary.

Do these templates work on the free plan?

Yes. 14 of the 15 use a single blank, which fills in on the free plan. The rest use two different blanks and need Pro to fill both from the keyboard.

Can I send these on WhatsApp, iMessage and Instagram?

Yes. textcuts is a keyboard, so the templates work in every app where you type.

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