There have been a lot of conversations lately on how to handle the jump in fuel prices without absorbing unsustainable expenses or surprising customers.
The most common solution we're hearing is to notify customers that you're adding a temporary fuel surcharge so that the communication and plan are transparent, straightforward, and easy to remove once prices stabilize.
Customers understand that fuel costs affect route-based businesses. A simple, honest explanation goes a long way. To make this easier to implement, here is a sample email you can customize and send to your customers, along with instructions for adding the temporary fee and deploying it in bulk in Skimmer.
- Learn how to add a bulk line item fee in Skimmer
- Learn how to use Broadcast Emails in Skimmer (NOTE: this feature is available on Scaling Up & Skimmer for Enterprise tiers)
Copy, paste, and customize this email copy to fit your plan and brand voice:
Dear Valued Customer,
We want to keep you informed about a temporary change affecting our service pricing.
Due to a recent and significant increase in fuel costs, our company will implement a temporary fuel surcharge effective [START DATE]. This surcharge helps offset the higher transportation costs required to continue providing reliable pool service to our customers.
Please know that this adjustment is not permanent. We will continue to monitor fuel prices closely and will remove the surcharge once costs return to more stable levels.
We appreciate your understanding and continued trust in our service. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for being a valued customer.
Sincerely,
[Company Name]
[Contact Information]
Help us keep the discussion going 👉 Have you implemented a fuel surcharge, or are you considering it? What's worked (or hasn't worked)
