I just received an email from the good folks at MacRabbit, about my recent purchase of their Espresso web development app:
This notification is just a friendly reminder (not a bill or a second charge) that on 23-Jan-2012, you placed an order from MacRabbit Store. The charge will appear on your bill as “FS *macrabbit”. This is just a reminder to help you recognize the charge. You will not be charged again.
[….] Our customers have found this notice useful in confirming otherwise unknown credit card charges, as “FS *macrabbit” may not be easily recognizable on your bill.
As somebody who has, in fact, had to track down baffling references on Social Signal’s credit card bills (full disclosure: Morgan does far more of our Visa sleuthing than I do), I was touched that they’d thought of this. I was even more pleased that the email seemed to be only about being helpful; there was no call to action, no “Tell a friend about our new CSSEdit integration, improved language support and JavaScript-based API!”
The thing is, I really love using Espresso. And although it’s capable of some pretty heavy-duty web work, I find it’s my go-to tool these days for even a little light CSS wizardry or email template creation. There aren’t too many software tools that make me think “Damn, I wish I had more tasks that let me use this,” but Espresso’s high on the list of the tools that do.
So since their thoughtful email didn’t push me to buy anything or do any evangelism on their behalf, I’m going to do it unbidden. If you’re on a Mac and want to check it out, there’s a 15-day free trial. It isn’t free, but even an occasional user like me can make a solid case that it’s saved me its $79 pricetag many times over in increased productivity.
And even if you aren’t a Mac user or web developer, but you are in the business of sending email, consider looking for opportunities to send the occasional helpful message that doesn’t have an obvious self-serving angle. It can do wonders for your client relationships. It might even score you the odd flattering blog post.
