Business E-mail Reply Expectations? Pronto Tonto!

How soon should you expect a reply to a business e-mail? Promptly and within at least 24 hours. A company that does not respond promptly to your inquiries doesn’t “get” technology and may be difficult to deal with via e-mail moving forward.
How soon should you respond to a business e-mail? As fast as you can! Or faster!
Should you send another e-mail if the first isn’t responded to and when? If you need an answer from that particular company/individual send a followup the next day asking if/when you can expect a response. If you are simply sending a general inquiry to a new company and they are not responding promptly — that’s a clue! Consider looking at other companies that make doing business with them easier.

These are all commonly asked questions that business e-mailers wonder about and that I get asked about quite often. The answers are pretty simple. With business e-mail, nothing less than a prompt, professional responses will do! Prompt and informative e-mail responses is literally a competitive marketing tool you can use to your advantage!

One should respond to their incoming business e-mail as fast as they can. The early bird gets the worm here. How you handle your e-mail activity reflects organizational skills and ability to set priorities. Not responding promptly tacitly lets the other side know they are not a priority. Not only are prompt and professional responses appreciated – they most definitely give you the competitive edge over your perceived competitors.

If you don’t respond quickly and your competition does, that makes you look less efficient. Folks are pressed for time and want to do business with those who make doing so easy. Responding like “Johnny on the Spot” takes that concern off the table!

That said, sometimes people are very busy, have computer problems or possibly your e-mail got mixed up in the spam they receive and was accidentally deleted. For example if you do something spammy, like having no text in the Subject: field or including embedded graphics could trip some spam filters.

If the company I am contacting has already given me the impression of being a leader in their field, I may give them the benefit of the doubt and a follow up — but that can’t be counted on. Most times I do go elsewhere when no response to my initial inquiry is received.

If the company is one that I am already doing business with and I am not getting a response, I do question their understanding of customer service issues when it comes to the proper use of technology. If I have to follow up (or pick up the phone and get more aggravated by their lack of phone support), that does put me down the road of wondering if this company is one I want to continue to do business with. Probably not.

Don’t make the same mistake with your business. Do want you need to do, get the policies in place if necessary, so that everyone who has customer contact via e-mail is on the same page and responds pronto!