Responding to Email
My website FindaTeleserviceAgency.com features several directories of call centers. All the information listed has all been submitted by the businesses themselves. To ensure that the information is current and accurate, I annually email each call center, asking them to review and confirm their information.
The lack of response – and the slowness of response – to my recent verification effort was appalling. Only 25% responded to my first email message, while 11% of the addresses generated a failure notice. The majority of those responding did so the first day, but many trickled in over the next week.
For the second email message to the remaining non-responders, 13% replied, but only one third did so within one day, with the rest taking up to five days. For the third and final email only 5% responded.
Altogether, only 37% responded at all; 13% had non-working email addresses; 50% apparently received, but did not bother to reply to any of the three messages. Furthermore, of the minority who responded, only about half did so on the same business day.
We live in a world that expects a response and wants it immediately. The above dismal results – which are likely applicable in all industries – suggests that merely responding to email on the same business day would make your organization stand out.
How sad.
The lack of response – and the slowness of response – to my recent verification effort was appalling. Only 25% responded to my first email message, while 11% of the addresses generated a failure notice. The majority of those responding did so the first day, but many trickled in over the next week.
For the second email message to the remaining non-responders, 13% replied, but only one third did so within one day, with the rest taking up to five days. For the third and final email only 5% responded.
Altogether, only 37% responded at all; 13% had non-working email addresses; 50% apparently received, but did not bother to reply to any of the three messages. Furthermore, of the minority who responded, only about half did so on the same business day.
We live in a world that expects a response and wants it immediately. The above dismal results – which are likely applicable in all industries – suggests that merely responding to email on the same business day would make your organization stand out.
How sad.
Posted by Peter DeHaan at 11/14/2008 7:25 PM 
Categories: Business, Customer Service, Call Center, Internet
Tags: e-mail response Peter DeHaan blog author Peter DeHaan Peter DeHaan Musings Musings of Peter DeHaan
Categories: Business, Customer Service, Call Center, Internet
Tags: e-mail response Peter DeHaan blog author Peter DeHaan Peter DeHaan Musings Musings of Peter DeHaan
This doesn't surprise me to much. I have contacted several companies', published, customer service e-mail and have never received a reply. I'm not sure if my question/comment was to inconsequential or unimportant to send a reply or if they simply don't care. But why publish an e-mail address and encourage comments if they are not going to respond when there is a response requested?
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