{"id":20571,"date":"2022-12-02T17:12:36","date_gmt":"2022-12-02T17:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/02\/what-is-a-standard-email-response-time-policy-and-why-do-you-need-one\/"},"modified":"2022-12-02T17:12:36","modified_gmt":"2022-12-02T17:12:36","slug":"what-is-a-standard-email-response-time-policy-and-why-do-you-need-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mailinvest.blog\/index.php\/2022\/12\/02\/what-is-a-standard-email-response-time-policy-and-why-do-you-need-one\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a Standard Email Response Time Policy and Why Do You Need One?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Replying to email fast is a competitive advantage.<\/span><\/p>\n

No one likes waiting days for a reply to their email, and your customers and leads will agree.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you want to ensure your customers are never left waiting for a response, it\u2019s worth considering implementing a standard email response time policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, it sounds like another boring piece of documentation.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the reality is, any company that prides itself on responding quickly to emails has a competitive advantage over its competitors.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, I\u2019m going to walk you through why you should consider implementing a standard email response time policy in your company.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A standard email response time policy ensures that your customers, leads, and team members are never left waiting hours or days for a reply to an email.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your policy will be internal documentation that outlines the expected length of time it will take to reply to an email received from anyone involved in some way with your business, such as customers, leads, team members, and suppliers.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Check your inbox! Your response time policy template is on the way!<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What is The Standard Response Time for Answering Email?<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Now, just because you\u2019re making your standard email response time official, it doesn\u2019t mean you should set unrealistic expectations for your staff.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The standard email response time will depend on your industry, customer type, and primary use cases for email.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If you\u2019re selling expensive products or services to B2B customers, they\u2019ll expect a fast response to any questions they have for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, if you\u2019re a B2C company, your customers may not expect an immediate response (however, the faster you respond, the better your brand will look in their eyes).<\/span><\/p>\n

The majority of people (50%) respond to work-related emails within ~2 hours<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Other data shows from USC Viterbi<\/a> says that the most likely reply time is 2 minutes; however, that extends to personal email as well.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The data also showed that 90% of all email responses are sent within two days if they are going to be replied to at all.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

Why is Email Response Time Important for Business?<\/b><\/h2>\n

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With the advent of Slack and other similar real-time communication tools for business, it\u2019s easy to communicate with coworkers, so we\u2019re quick to forget the importance of email.<\/span><\/p>\n

Email is still the number one way to communicate with customers and sales leads.<\/span><\/p>\n

How quickly you reply to an email is a nonverbal but impactful cue to your customers and leads, and how quickly you respond to their emails sets the expectations for your service, and<\/span> 80% of customers<\/span><\/a> highlight that speed is a vital part of customer service.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Would you choose to work with a new vendor if they took regularly took days to respond to your emails?<\/span><\/p>\n

Exactly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Benefits of Having a Fast Email Standard Reply Time<\/b><\/h2>\n

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1. Close More Sales<\/b><\/h3>\n

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If you up your email game, you\u2019re going to close more deals with new customers. Email is<\/span> 40x more effective<\/span><\/a> than social media for new customer acquisition because it\u2019s personal, and you can have one-to-one conversations with new sales leads.<\/span><\/p>\n

When your customers are in the market and talking to you, they\u2019re also talking to your competitors to find the best vendor for them.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you respond quickly to their questions and leave them feeling good about your interaction, you\u2019re giving yourself the best chance of closing them as a new customer.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Improve Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty<\/b><\/h3>\n

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B2B customers that receive excellent customer service are<\/span> 62% more likely<\/span><\/a> to purchase again from a company.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you can provide great customer service by responding quickly and with the answers, your customers are looking for, they\u2019re going to stick around for longer.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Image credit: Zendesk<\/em><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a B2C business, there are benefits to be had as well, with 42% of customers being more likely to make a repeat purchase if you provide excellent customer service.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How to Create Your Standard Reply Time Policy<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Ready to create your standard email response time policy?<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a few things to consider.<\/span><\/p>\n