Being able to respond to emails in a quick manner in business may help you gain an advantage in the competitive customer support market. Email response time is the average amount of time it takes for a customer to hear back from you. The faster you respond, the greater the result will be in improved customer satisfaction.
Below we look at why email response time is important and how you can improve it.
The Importance of Email Response Time
When customers email your business, they expect a reply back. Studies show that over 80% of customers want a response within 24 hours; meanwhile 96% of customers expect a response within 48 hours. Here’s why it’s important to have fast and efficient email responses.
Measures Productivity
By tracking how long it takes for you and your organization to reply to an email, you can get a good idea of how productive you are. This information can then be used to improve your work habits and make you more efficient.
Builds Trust
Being able to respond quicker to your customers helps you build trust with your customers. When customers know that they can reach out to you at any time and receive a response promptly, it makes them feel confident in doing business with you. This trust can go a long way in establishing a positive relationship with your customers.
Improves Customer Satisfaction
Improved customer satisfaction is perhaps the most important outcome of quick email responses. When customers feel that they are being taken care of and that their needs are a priority, they are more likely to return in the future and recommend your business to others.
How to Improve Email Response Time?
Customers will always anticipate a quick response when reaching out for customer support. To avoid customers feeling impatient or perceiving your business/services as inadequate, there are some steps you can take to improve your email response time.
Send Automated Responses
By using automated responses, you can help to improve your email response time by sending a response as soon as possible. Automated responses can also help to keep your customers informed of the status of their inquiry and provide them with the information they need.
Implement Live Chat Support
Adding live chat support to your customer service arsenal can help you reduce the amount of time it takes to reply to emails. With live chat, customers can communicate with you in real-time, which can help to reduce the amount of time it takes to get a response to their inquiry and you won’t have to wait for their response.
Establish a Time Limit Policy
When it comes to responding to emails, establishing a time limit policy for yourself and your team to respond will help you to be more efficient in your replies and improve your email response time.
Set Up Auto Responders
Setting up auto responders can help to improve email response time by sending a response as soon as possible. Types of auto responders can be:
- Confirmation of Receipt: You can send an autoresponder stating that the customer requests have been received and will be responded to shortly.
- Out-of-Office: Sending an out-of-office email during non-work hours or when you are on vacation will offer a kind reminder to clients that you won’t be able to respond as quickly.
Use a Third-Party E-Mail Service Provider
There are a number of email response services offered by third-party providers that can help to improve your email response time. 3C Contact Services provides contact and submission services. Our clients can use phone or email support, as well as inbound and outbound solutions.
3C Contact Services’ Email Response Service
As one of the most renowned and trustworthy call centers in North America, 3C Contact Services has helped numerous small- and medium-sized businesses expand into larger markets. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you become more efficient with your business’s email response and overall customer service response times.
