Working online entails a lot of email communication, whether directly to your email address or via your website. No matter where your email messages come from, they are a top priority to answer fast and effectively.
Of course, I’m not talking about your personal emails from friends and relatives. I’m talking about business emails from your potential customers, or from loyal and repeat customers and clients that come to you again and again, giving you their business.
Today’s world has developed into one where people seem to want instant gratification in their demands. The Internet has, in a way, created a monster in this respect.
The Internet! Where else can you send a message to someone in India and get a response within minutes? Where else can you order a music CD from your living room and get a response that your order was received and is being processed, almost instantly?
The general online population has become used to having speedy responses, fast shipping times and rapid answers to questions. All this without the expense of overnighting letters, paying phone bills or driving downtown to buy a blanket.
Email messages between businesses and their customers are a key aspect to handling your business activities. You may send out email blasts to past or potential customers, reminding them to send in heir orders. You may send out newsletters or place banner ads.
However you choose to advertise, it is sure to elicit response, and this normally comes in the way of an email message. The person may want a quote. He or she may have some question about the product. The best way to handle your email messages is to answer everyone within an hour of receipt. I know this may seem impossible, but it isn’t. I have a friend who does this, and because of her fast response to customers, has more than 50% repeat business! This speaks for itself!
The absolute maximum time you should let an unanswered email sit in your in-box is 24 hours. People seem to be able to tolerate this much of a delay in hearing back. However, to create the best
impression, it’s better to answer much sooner. (Within three hours if at all possible.)
Today, with smart phone use being on the rise, it is simple to answer emails from customers or clients. You just have to remember to carry your phone everywhere you go. Easy. Many people do. You may need to carry some business papers with you in order to provide some of the details they ask for.
There’s nothing worse than emailing a company who you are interested in doing business with and getting a response a week later. Even worse, never receiving a response at all. We have to wonder, do these people even want to have a business? Are they still there?
Answering emails promptly impresses your customers. They know you are there and willing to help them. Chances are they will purchase your product or service, because you have already built their trust.
And answering promptly doesn’t mean you gotta do it yourself. Outsource it by finding a skilled Virtual Assistant who does it just as good — if not better — than you.
—Marcus Hochstadt
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What virtual assistant do you recommend? auto responder…
auto responder isnt a virtual assistant. a virtual assistant is someone who is sort of like your own personal assistant/secretary. they answer emails, phone calls, do work for you (eg typing, etc)
Great blog. People in any business need to learn that fast and effective communication is key to customer satisfaction.
I cannot emphasize enough how much I agree with your 24-hour response rule. It is so critical to be timely in this day and age on email. We live in a time where service rules, clients want to feel valued and taken care of! The businesses that make the effort to be fast and efficient on email always come out on top!
Hi Marcus,
I forgot to give you my email address in re. Luciana. It’s dwalters2 @insightbb.com.
Regards, Don
Facing a problem is simply an opportunity to lean on God. Hi
there!!! Stopping by to visit your blog. Have a nice Thursday
I would never let anything important, especially a new client, wait 24 hours for a response.
nice post! smart phone is really a big help…^_^
Yep, or a PC tablet is very handy for this too.
Great blog!
I agree. I always like to get a reply away straight away. If it’s left until the next day, that’s not cool..
Great post. People in any business world need to learn that fast and reliable communication is the need of the consumer world and many consumers are direct to the point order.
Prompt replies is indeed important. I’m pretty much online 24/7. I have an assistant who takes care of my mails when I’m not online. I always try to reply within 2-3 hours.
I totally agree with you
thanks
It is always important to keep good communication with clients and business related personalities. It is always good to respond back to the business mail asap.
It sounds like a novel idea all very polite and business like but, don’t you think all of us are so busy as it is that to carry your phone and papers with you … is a little much? You can’t forget most people have their OutLook Express rather their personal email, then those that are bloggers have Webmail. My webmail is in the hundreds like 300 daily, and its not all business. I have contacted HG and asked if they could check spam for me and help me out, hoping to see a decrease soon. However I do agree that emails should be answered asap. I also don’t enjoy leaving a message on an answering machine and not hearing back from anyone. Such is our life. jj
Good Stuff. What a lot of people don’t realize is that if they don’t reply right away they will lose customers and people that are working with them. Great post I agree.
Having a good communication through email is important. And yes, in getting someone to answer your emails should be both knowledgeable in order to convey the exact information.
Regards,
Amber
You are right. If I am in need of any help and I am contacting them. The one should reply promptly. Then I will get a feel that someone is there to know know what my problem is. This method works well.
Everybody would like to answer the email in 24 hours. The problem is that, there are too many emails to e answer within 1 day…
Yeah great blog. My business isn’t large enough yet to warrant a VA and I’m good at keeping up to date with my emails but the minute it snowballs I’m there…
Thank you for your insights Marcus, but I feel that the need for immediate followups to email is frankly, over rated. I happen to agree with the notion of the author of the four hour workweek that in essence trains his collegues and associates to email him when it convenient for HIM! They can’t expect an answer within 24 hours, or after business hours. He checks email once a day and returns them once a day. It’s business on your terms!
It’s a good business ethic to reply to emails within 24 hours after receiving them. This I learned through my client whom I’ve been working for for almost six months now.
“Today’s world has developed into one where people seem to want instant gratification in their demands”<—-and that's a problem. Be the strategic person, who creates plans for how to run his business inthe best way – the person who puts the customer before everything else but, rather than gives love by replying to mails quickly, actually spends time and energy on developing his service to service the customer in the best possible way.
Of course customers want to be taken care of; but do they really want us to multi-task in order to respond to emails in an hour? I wouldn't; i want people to spend time on better things. Any person who is irritated, with an email that is not replied to in24 hours, honestly needs more to do in their days.
Nice write i agree you too
I totally agree, Marcus! I am using webmail notifier with Firefox so that I get to answer my emails as soon as possible. Also, I am frequently answering emails from my phone, when not at home.
By the way, sorry to post this here, but I could not find any email address. I saw you accept guest posts on your blog so I was wondering if you the “offer” is still available.
I am kindly waiting for your answer.
Thanks,
Paul
Great post. People in any business world need to learn that fast and
reliable communication is the need of the consumer world and many
consumers are direct to the point order
I always answer my emails within a few hours because I stay online for 12 hours per day
Email is also a great marketing strategy to tell the things to your customer.Yeah total agree with you the things which you mentioned in your post.
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