DONE!
“Okay”, “Okay”, “Okay”, “Okay!”
We have all had the experience of sending e-mail out and then wondering if it was received or acted upon. Some people solve this problem by selecting the return receipt option on all e-mail they send. Many people find that to be an annoyance, and some fail to deal with or even open the e-mail simply because of it being there.
Many times you will send e-mail that does not require a reply, yet you still might like to know that it was received. Another annoyance is asking someone to do something, getting back an “okay” which is then responded to with another, and even another “okay”.
When writing E-MAIL ETIQUETTE MADE EASY I asked numerous people for their little “pet peeves” with e-mail. My favorite one came from Jerry Kohl at Brighton. He said, “You don’t have to be the last person to say, “Okay.” This all begins to sound like the proverbial catch 22, where you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
I used to have a web master that had a great habit. Whenever I sent e-mail to Regis asking him to do something, I could count on a simple reply letting me know that the task had been accomplished. He would just say, “DONE!” That prevented me from having to keep checking to see if it was done or not.
It all comes down to that basic wisdom most of us had preached to us by our parents: “Treat others the way you would like to be treated yourself.” Don’t leave people hanging, yet on the other hand don’t bombard them with needless e-mail. Answer your e-mail promptly so that it doesn’t pile up. You will be amazed at the reputation you build for yourself in the process.
December 23rd, 2007 at 7:10 pm
Right on, Ron!
It’s common courtesy to respond. Sometimes the recipient did NOT receive your email, and you’re sitting there thinking that they are blowing you off.
Let’s close the circles.
May 4th, 2010 at 7:56 am
Ron,
We add an additional step to what your web developer did.
When we receive an email request to update a clients website, we promptly reply with “We’ll let you know when this change has been completed.” and most often we promptly receive a “Thank you!” by return email from the client.
Then, when the update has been completed, we resend that first email just editing the text to say “This update has been completed. Please review and let us know if any additional changes are needed at this time.”
These email messages remove the question from our clients mind wondering “We really need that change made, I wonder if Pete received our email and how will we know when the change has been made. Will he call, or what?”
Although some may say this is “over communication” we don’t believe there is any such thing … plus our clients appear to appreciate our many email message and prompt website updates.
Aloha,
Pete Martinez
http://www.eBizHawaii.com
May 4th, 2010 at 8:28 am
Ron, you are so right about your reputation soaring just by responding to an email and actually answering the phone. very important topic you have raised here. A big deal can be gained or lost by our responsivemess, and how great it is to take control of these situations that can easily escalate into endless acknowledgements via email. Done is done, that is great, or sometimes i say “will do, john” short and sweet. Or will do within the next 2 days or whatever so the recipient knows i am taking action and this email exchange is complete for now.