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How to Kill Your Business with Email
“… thank you for calling Responsive R Us. We can’t take your call right now because we’re too busy doing something else to bother with you. Please sit on hold and enjoy our crummy music until we decide to get back to you. Alternatively, hang up and wait patiently until we feel ready to answer your questions. You can even spend your waiting time contemplating whether we’ll ever call you back. Have a nice day!”
If you heard this message when you tried to call a business for some answers, what would you do?
You’d probably hang up. You’d most likely stare at the phone and say, “Are they kidding me?!” You’d go elsewhere to buy what you need.
Who wants to wait for service? Not me. Most consumers these days don’t want to wait for service either. They’re tired of being put off by big corporations or large companies. They want someone to pay attention to them. Being set aside is frustrating, and being put on hold even worse.
But virtual businesses stick customers on hold all the time. Worse, these web workers think it’s a smart thing to do.
The Plague of Email
Launch a business on the Internet, and watch the emails pour in. It doesn’t take long to clog up an email inbox – and those emails just keep coming.
People complain they have to struggle to read, respond and clean up hundreds of emails a day. What do they end up doing? Either they put off their work to manage their email or they simply ignore the emails so they can get work done.
Neither solution is smart. Both end up in a backlog that just keeps getting worse. The situation soon becomes overwhelming. Something needs to be done.
So people head out for a solution and tips on email management, and they get a fantastic answer from productivity experts: timed email management.
Bad Timing
It’s said that if you set aside a specific time of day to read and respond to emails, you’ll increase your productivity. This is true. You don’t worry about distracting emails breaking your concentration. When the time comes to sift through your inbox, you burn through plenty of emails and then get back to work quickly.
It’s a great productivity tip. It works. Timed email management lets you get more out of your day. It also hurts your business in a big way.
Why Timed Email Management Doesn’t Work
When potential customers and existing clients contact you, they want answers – now.
They don’t want to wait. They don’t want to spend hours wondering whether you received their email. They don’t want to worry about what time you’ll reply, or whether you’re even going to bother replying at all.
But they have no choice. Their email is sitting in your inbox, unacknowledged. You’re busy working. You don’t have time for these people. Not now.
So the poor consumer starts to worry. Frustration increases. Patience wears thin, and in a virtual world, patience is already nearly nonexistent. Grumbles and mutters occur, and then the potential customer starts thinking. There are hundreds of businesses out there doing exactly what you do…
“Screw this,” the customer snorts. “If I’m not important enough to deserve an answer, I’ll go elsewhere.”
So he does, and you just lost a client – because you were too busy being productive.
Customer Service Counts
It’s crucial to have a proactive, responsive business these days. Competition is stiff and consumers are skeptical. Surveys on customer loyalty and customer service prove that good service matters more to them than anything else. Period.
Ipsos Reid polled Canadians on customer loyalty for TD Canada Trust. Three quarters of Canadians said it all: “Just show me good service.”
Americans feel the same way. Harris Interactive polled U.S. consumers on customer service for Verint Systems. 88% said they want good customer service more than the most innovative products.
Ask yourself these questions: Do you want happy, satisfied customers that keep coming back? Or do you just want to get your work done and just clear your plate? And when you do clear your plate, who will be your next customer?
Maybe no one, if you weren’t fast enough with your customer service.
Finding the Solution
“Both,” you’re probably thinking. “I want both. I want to get work done and be responsive to gain more customers.” That’s a reasonable goal, certainly. So find a solution to your email management that works.
Being responsive with your customers is pretty easy: Set up a better email system that lets you answer them more rapidly. If you have an efficient inbox, then you have more time to respond to the emails that need attention and more time to work on client projects.
It’s win-win all around.
The solution isn’t ignoring your email, though. It isn’t two email inbox check-ins per day, either. We get hundreds of emails in a day, and we answer almost all our emails within minutes – and we can do this because we have a good system in place.
Our secret? The Gmail Notifier, a tiny little application that sits discreetly in our desktop tray. When an email arrives, the Notifier shows us a snippet of the contents – just enough so that we can glance and decide immediately whether we should shift gears for a few seconds to respond or keep on working.
It pays off, too. Customers appreciate the fast replies, and commend us on our top-notch customer service. Many times, our responsiveness is the deciding factor in customers hiring us or going elsewhere. Be there or be square, as they say.
Notifiers don’t create devastating loss of focus, either. There’s no uber-break in concentration that train wrecks our whole day.
Come on, people, we’re talking about a ONE SECOND glance here. The Apocalyptic bullshit over losing PRECIOUS TIME is a big scare tactic, hot air and hype. Those GTD gurus know it, and they play it up big time.
More Solutions
Not everyone wants Gmail. Not everyone wants a little slip of an exerpt sliding up an inch on their screen. Okay, that’s fine. There are other solutions to making sure your customers don’t feel set aside or abandoned:
Email auto-responders are one alternative – use them, for god’s sake. They’re easy to set up, and you can put a nice reply note that makes your customer feel better about waiting for a personal response.
If you love the timed email check-in system, just schedule more of them. It’s a smart idea, if you really can’t afford the millisecond of attention deficiency. Schedule frequent breaks to check your email, like once every hour instead of just twice a day.
And if you really can’t manage your email and just want to work? Hire a VA. A virtual assistant can draft some great replies for you, field your emails and organize your inbox better than you ever could.
Just do what it takes to offer the best, most responsive customer service. Because customers are what keep your business alive, and neglecting them is just plain stupid.
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Where did you get your blog layout from? I’d like to get one like it for my blog.
Hear hear! There’s a fine line between getting work done and keeping customers happy. Choosing a system is important, as is keeping an empty inbox.
The next most basic goal after that is a simple one: reduce incoming mail to only include items that are actionable. I recommend that people unsubscribe from all newsletters and other attention hogs, and use http://www.stopforwarding.us/ to encourage friends and colleagues not to send junk mail and spammy links.
It’s lovely to hear someone championing the customers first approach. In emailand, few things are better than getting a snappy reply to a problem or query. Those companies and individuals really stand above the auto responder, “email tickets” and “your email is in a queue” crowd.
Great tips, James. I find the Gmail star system a great boon for managing email. Of course, my inbox is far from empty, but I usually manage to deal with most things in good time. I try to respond to clients’ emails ASAP, even if it’s just to say: ‘I’ll be able to get back to you tomorrow’ (in a slightly better way than I’ve just expressed it). Taking a minute to read an email and ask questions also pays off, as it keeps the communication lines open.
Sharon Hurley Hall’s last blog post..Tips for Slowly Building a Freelance Writing Career
James,
You’re preaching to the choir, of course. Nothing is worse for the customer than leaving them hanging, and nothing is worse for your business. The way they found you is the way they’ll find the next guy, or did you think you were so awesome that you were the first, and they shut off the computer after emailing you?
Be first back with a response and you can make a big impression.
We still use an auto-responder. I don’t want a prospect worrying that they didn’t get through, even for a few minutes. A real email is on its way as soon as humanly possible, because the early bird really does get the worm.
For my taste, scheduling email peeks once an hour is enough. I do it more often if I’m not in the middle of things, but not less than hourly. Usually. Except on my less-than-perfect days.
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..3 Essential Points for the Business Bilingue
Unbelievable. Are you psychic? I got up earlier today just to deal with the overloaded email inbox. I am ruthlessly stripping subscriptions and bookmarks that are marginal at best. I have been shooting only short quick fix emails back for days. Ack!!
A few months ago, I put GTD’s “system” in place. The promised “In to empty” felt like bliss. It worked somewhat, but has become more of a stockpiling exercise lately. And the good stuff needs my attention.
Hm. Will look in to the very good suggestions above. I had thought to contact some very helpful people with a personal email now and then, just to say thanks. Do you think that adds clutter to their inboxes , or is a welcome thing? It would normally be a hand written note in a face to face world.
Janice Cartier’s last blog post..Yellow Rises, Blue Goes Across
Yup, and yup, and yup. In your email autoresponder, you could put in a note that if it is a time critical message, the person can call you at (555) 555-5555 for a personal response.
I actually did that at work. It is great – people know I check work email about twice a day, and if something is urgent, I get a phone call.
Brett Legree’s last blog post..how to switch – part 1.
I’ve got to respectfully disagree.
There’s a dividing line between managing your email and managing customer service – they are two different things.
Customer-service related emails (new inquiries, customer issues, etc.) should definitely get priority response. Customers expect that, and appreciate that. But there’s a limit to how reactive you want to be. If you’re an established business with the resources to handle it, yes, as close to instant turnaround is critical. If my website is down, I damned well expect immediate turnaround on my support request. They have staff, and there’s no reason they shouldn’t give some kind of response immediately.
But there’s two sides to the coin. If I’m emailing a one-person operation to ask them a question or make a request, and I get mad because they don’t get back to me within 15 minutes, then I’m the one being unreasonable. I have had customers email me for quotes, and I didn’t get back to them for an hour, and they found someone else. And I’m fine with that. Why? Because I don’t want to be a slave to my email. I didn’t start a business to be tethered to my computer 24/7 just so someone won’t have to wait an extra few minutes.
Again, there are so many factors that play into this. If your business carries high-urgency (like a web host whose service can go down), then absolutely, you better staff those phones/email accounts because my trouble tickets carry high urgency. But if your business is say, graphic design, and I contact you for a quote or a change request, and I don’t hear back from you for 4-5 hours, then I am going to assume that you are focusing on doing work and doing it well, and I’ll appreciate that because I expect the same when you’re working on my stuff.
I think it’s important to talk about this, because the web’s “instant” culture is conditioning people to get impatient and to project their expectations on others. If you’re requesting a quote from a business, they don’t owe you a thing. They don’t owe you a 15 minute turnaround. Sure, they will get more business if they do that, but they have the right to run their business as they see fit. They may not have the resources (time OR money) to set up that level of availability.
As for me, I have filters/email addresses set up so that when a client emails me, it gets priority in my inbox and gets flagged for a VA to handle if I can’t get to it for a while (which I often cant). I value every damned one of my customers, and I make sure they get quick turnaround because they deserve it.
That said, I handle the rest of my email differently. I get to it when it makes sense for me, when it fits with my workflow. I don’t use the twice a day idea, because as a web worker that doesn’t make sense for what I do. When I set specific times, as I mention in the article, it’s not twice a day. It’s more like “I’m on this task for an hour, and then I’ll check email.” I do use Gmail Notifier, but when I need to truly, truly focus, I turn the damned thing off. And I refuse to feel guilty about it.
Email is a tool, not a taskmaster. I get tired of the backlash about email tips – when it comes down to it, you have to do what helps you strike the balance. James, I understand your frustration, but it’s important to note that managing your email (general) and managing customer service emails (specific) are two different things, and lumping them together won’t give the best solution for everyone.
Not having a mechanism for quick response to customer service email WILL kill your business, I 100% agree.
But staying “always on” for the rest of the email you receive is opening the door to distraction and focus-stealing for a lot of people, and that’s the point I was making in the article. If it weren’t an issue, there wouldn’t be so many sites about email tips.
Serve your customers well, and don’t let anybody make you feel wrong for checking the rest of your email when it suits you. I ain’t Gmail’s b*tch
Dave Navarro’s last blog post..Rock Your Weekend: 60 Minutes That Really Matter
For CRAP’S SAKE, I missed that last section in your article.
I’ll shut my damned mouth now
Dave Navarro’s last blog post..Rock Your Weekend: 60 Minutes That Really Matter
I’m laughing my ass off.
I was just about to say, “Um, Dave? I agree with you, which is why you should refer to the last section in my post that offers….”
I knew this one would rile you up and I do think it’s important to talk about it. There are way too many people neglecting one thing or another in their eternal quest to achieve X goal, and I think we all have to restore a balance.
Finding the balance between business, customer service and email is a start.
The saddest thing is the reason I missed the end of the article is because someone came into the office with a box of donuts.
And they were SPECTACULAR.
*sheesh, what will I do with me …*
Dave Navarro’s last blog post..Rock Your Weekend: 60 Minutes That Really Matter
Customer service is SO important, but you know, while I did read the rest of the post but am still chucking at the voicemail message at the very top. If I heard that message? At least I’d think they were being refreshingly honest!
–Deb’s last blog post..MM: Period
Intriguing.
You certainly have the aspects presented well.
But here is a thought – the age of the computer has not met the promised effect (that we will all be working 20 hour weeks as computers will be assisting manufacturing) that was presented in the late 60’s early 70’s.
Being in the hands of the corporations, rather than the workers, the technology has been used to gather factual statistics about what is REALLY going on, instead of just moral guesses being made by humans.
I would judge, based on customer service performance as shown on Canadian TV , that corporations like Chrysler have statistically worked out that their customer base growth exceeds the number of dissatisfied customers who follow through on complaints. This in turn allows a greater defective product percentage to be cost effective, the only requirement being a thick skin from the corporation in refusing to give satisfaction in the cases where the product failure occurs. In short, they have more money for lawyers than the average consumer.
As far as email itself goes, I have found that I just get irate when first I get an auto-response, then a template copied response dealing with nothing yet directing me somewhere else. But as a society we are the creators. If we accept practices as being OK, then they will become the norm. I don’t accept it.
Ever noticed how the people who consider themselves too important to even acknowledge receipt of an email are the same ones who have a little popup window requesting confirmation of receipt when they finally do send something?
The whole email issue is one not of “How should I handle my email?” but of the attitude to that email. By allowing others to see your email address you are announcing that you are open to it being used for contact purposes. You are setting an expectation with that, that the email will be used about the same as a voicemail, with a fairly prompt response being in order.To fail to respond is like turning your back while someone while they are speaking to you. Gross bad manners.
As for having my email notification on all the time controlling my life, forget it. But I am not in the business of customer service, just a private individual. When I do check it, if one in the inbox needs a complex reply, I just click on reply, and say I got it, will respond asap.
I suppose it depends on personality and what works for you but also on what stage your business is at: at this point, I’m not worried about killing my business, but rather growing it. I jump on client emails like a fat kid on a smartie. I did love Cernis’s post on inbox heaven, but a while ago I had to delete my gmail notifier because I didn’t have the discipline to just glance at it and leave personal email for later. Setting aside certain blocks of time for emailing didn’t work, either. I’m that bad, and I can’t stop!
steph’s last blog post..deep thought
I read Jeffrey Gitomer’s Sales Caffeine newsletter and he’s always on about voice mail and email. Never let a call go to voice mail. Ever. Never let an email sit. Ever. Leaving a spectacular impression with a potential customer is too important to leave to chance.
The reality for me is I try my best but I use voice mail. I get distracted by incoming email. I’m doing well but I worry about the people who I miss and have to wait overly long for a response from me. What if I were that person on the other end of the exchange?
I like the Gmail plugin tip — need to try that one.
I’ve been thinking a VA might help with this if my email volume increases, as I use email for receiving bread orders and like to respond personally (ie. not a form letter from an autoresponder.) Right now my 11 year old daughter is filling that role but is getting unreliable as the weather warms up.
Mark Dyck’s last blog post..ScribeFire makes blogging even easier
Whoa Nelly. People are INTO this email issue.
I still don’t really understand it. I get my fair share of spam and unwanted email lists, but I usually unsubscribe or mark them as spam pretty quickly. About all that I have in my email is legitimate business correspondence, which I usually read and respond to promptly, and the comment feeds, which are not at all distracting and detract from the productivity of my day not a whit. NOT A WHIT, I say.
What other kinds of email are you guys getting? And why are you getting them? Is everyone else getting Emails of Cool that I don’t know about?
Tei – Rogue Ink’s last blog post..Save your world. Write.
Interesting points, but I disagree with some parts.
For example, losing clients because you don’t respond immediately – I’m with Dave, people who require immediate responses are not good clients for me. I try to respond to everyone that same day, but certainly every email doesn’t get a response right away. Believe it or not this tactic can improve project management as I’ll often get many emails in a day from a client about one topic (often making revisions or changes). Reading all the emails at the end of the day (or even at the half day point) I can respond to the big picture instead of wasting time processing decisions that are then changed an hour later.
For me the theory that it takes xx minutes (forget the number) for the brain to refocus after being interrupted is definitely true. An hour of work where I have ZERO interruptions produces a vastly different result than an hour of work where I’m also checking email, checking twitter, etc. I definitely cannot have a productive day if I’m constantly on email, but different people’s brains work differently. I understand that for you it’s a millisecond of reading the email snippet, but for me reading that alert has taken me out of “the zone”.
I use that notifier so that whenever James or Harry shoot me an email, I can put down the crack pipe long enough to clear my head before reading because, hey, it might be important.
RhodesTer’s last blog post..Today, I am going to plug THE ONION
I vote for the auto-reply solution. Not that instant response won’t be a better solution, but simply because I know that I’m wasting A LOT of time checking emails (even just using the notifier).
And I agree with you 100% that customer service is THE KEY ingredient these days. In my business it is one of the things that we put most effort into (fast replies to customers) and it have given us so much return business!!
Mikael Rieck’s last blog post..Mit FireFox 3 Diplom