Something's wrong with your account

If your product or service requires any setup – downloading an app, installing a browser extension, connecting an account, etc. – you face some unique onboarding challenges.

If users don’t setup their account properly, you can’t provide any value.

These emails are transactional and behavioral. They are letting users know something important about their account but they are also data-driven (i.e. sentonly to people whose behavior or account warrants the message).

They are also promotional in that a conversion will deliver value for the user and keep customers happy.

Mint

Mint only works if users plugin their bank accounts, credit cards and other financial information. This email is letting the user know that Mint is unable to collect data because of an issue with a financial institution’s website integration.

It does a good job of creating a sense of anxiety that the recipient feels must be resolved.

“We’re having trouble connecting to your financial accounts. This might be due to bank security precautions or policy changes.”

That sounds serious. And it’s followed by a strong call to action to get the issue resolved.

SaneBox

The subject line of this email – “Your account has been disabled” – is indicative of a transactional message but the truth is this is marketing email.

The goal of this email is to get users’ accounts setup properly so they can actually use the product. If this doesn’t happen within the 14-day free trial window, it’s highly unlikely the user will upgrade.

Buffer

This email is a little different since it looks like something went wrong on Buffer’s end but the idea is the same. It gets users engaged to help fix an issue, therefore delivering value and keeping the train rolling.

Notice how Buffer also uses the opportunity to interact with the customer support team – a huge perk of being a Buffer user.