The Frustration of Unanswered Emails

[Ngimanene na nyeni]

Who else gets frustrated by unanswered emails even after follow ups? Leaves you wondering and sieving through the sent mails with a fine tooth comb to see what could have gone wrong or misinterpreted. And to those who don`t answer emails, why especially if they are business related. How long should you wait to make a follow up. It`s really annoying when this happens, feel out of control.

 

[1776]

Sometimes it's a business tactic. They wait until you're really in need of business. Then they bring down the cost based on "desperation".
Sometimes it's just downright rude.
Sometimes they're ignoring you because they found other options.
However the least they could do, is respond.

 

[Ngimanene na nyeni]

Sometimes it's a business tactic. They wait until you're really in need of business. Then they bring down the cost based on "desperation".
Sometimes it's just downright rude.
Sometimes they're ignoring you because they found other options.
However the least they could do, is respond.

Agree, the least someone can do is respond. Especially if the email is just a sentence or two, can`t take more than a minute to respond to it. Power play comes to effect

 

[Miss Finest Wine]

Uhoro Mwana witu? I would feel frustrated if it was business matters. I see my Sis and hubby go thru it as they are business people na ndio nilikwambia the other day I cannot do business, don't have the patience and discipline. It requires one to have a very thick skin to accommodate hard knocks. I love the cold boardroom wars ....where we jab each other whilst smiling. But if it is personal emails I don't care about those.

My advice....if they are business related KEEP AT IT.

 

[4makind]

I hardly ever use emails to make inquiries because many Kenyan's hardly respond to emails. Though in work related emails, I have found that copying immediate bosses helps.

 

[Ngimanene na nyeni]

Uhoro Mwana witu? I would feel frustrated if it was business matters. I see my Sis and hubby go thru it as they are business people na ndio nilikwambia the other day I cannot do business, don't have the patience and discipline. It requires one to have a very thick skin to accommodate hard knocks. I love the cold boardroom wars ....where we jab each other whilst smiling. But if it is personal emails I don't care about those.

My advice....if they are business related KEEP AT IT.

With boardrooms I can look and sense your body language, and there`s usually a socially acceptable time of silence. With emails, there`s this sense of lack of control or grasping the situation.

 

[Miss Finest Wine]

Agreed 100%. You have to write to them again and again coz there is a lot of competition out there.

 

[Thagichu]

It could be something to do with the name of the sender.


Anyway, on a serious note, writing business emails is an art in itself. You should craft your emails in such a way that the recipient sees the value they are getting,, rather than the cost they are paying. When that is done perfectly, the prospective client will be the one chasing after you.

For me, I have a proven cycle that I follow, and in most cases, it gives positive results.

1. Establish contact- this could be through mailshots, facebook, business functions or whatever other forum. Get the name of the decision makers and their contacts.
2. Write a well structured mail- the subject itself should be irresistible. In the email, ensure you create room for further communication from you. A mistake we make is using words like "kindly revert should you need further information or any clarification". That is bullshit. if the message was not clear in the first instance, someone sent a mail with a clear message, so business will go to those other competitors. Sign off with "I will be reaching out to you in the near future...."
3. Follow up the email with a phone call or a physical visit and if possible....

Nimechoka. Plus I have realized I can give the info at a fee.

 

[Ngimanene na nyeni]

It could be something to do with the name of the sender.


Anyway, on a serious note, writing business emails is an art in itself. You should craft your emails in such a way that the recipient sees the value they are getting,, rather than the cost they are paying. When that is done perfectly, the prospective client will be the one chasing after you.

For me, I have a proven cycle that I follow, and in most cases, it gives positive results.

1. Establish contact- this could be through mailshots, facebook, business functions or whatever other forum. Get the name of the decision makers and their contacts.
2. Write a well structured mail- the subject itself should be irresistible. In the email, ensure you create room for further communication from you. A mistake we make is using words like "kindly revert should you need further information or any clarification". That is bullshit. if the message was not clear in the first instance, someone sent a mail with a clear message, so business will go to those other competitors. Sign off with "I will be reaching out to you in the near future...."
3. Follow up the email with a phone call or a physical visit and if possible....

Nimechoka. Plus I have realized I can give the info at a fee.

Sometimes when it`s an ongoing project, you agree on terms of communication and how long emails should wait before they are replied to. Somewhere along the line that will get side stepped and start getting delays. That morph to frustration and eventually anger at being `ignored`. Something that could have been solved in a two minute response time.

 

[Tarantinoh]

Some people are made that way, it just reflect that they aren't good in communication.

 

[Ngimanene na nyeni]

Some people are made that way, it just reflect that they aren't good in communication.

Think if someone knows they aren`t good at email communication, should give out their phone number instead.

 

[Ngimanene na nyeni]

It becomes even more dicey if it`s a new business relationship, where you have no idea what the other person is thinking and their lack of response not only tells you no, but also screams I don’t even consider you important enough to say no.

 

[Miss Finest Wine]

Ngima you can't give up. You have to persist and insist. Like Thagichu has said call them or appear in person too.

 

[The.Black.Templar]

Mimu huwa na jibu emails zangu zote. And always encourage before critisizing

 

[culture]

i also hate it.you sent someone an email only to reply days or a week later and maybe it was urgent.nkt

 

[Thagichu]

Sometimes when it`s an ongoing project, you agree on terms of communication and how long emails should wait before they are replied to. Somewhere along the line that will get side stepped and start getting delays. That morph to frustration and eventually anger at being `ignored`. Something that could have been solved in a two minute response time.

There is only one reason why anyone would fail to respond to an email (excluding technical issues).
Your email is not important. Period.Nobody has the time to respond to bullshit.

Make your email important to the recipient, and they will reply immediately. So, your main concern should be how to make the emails important for the recipient.

 

[Prometheus]

Three words: Read receipt notification.

 

[Ngimanene na nyeni]

Three words: Read receipt notification.

Those clearly show you are being ignored. I use bananatag to track emails.

 

[jambazim]

Who else gets frustrated by unanswered emails even after follow ups? Leaves you wondering and sieving through the sent mails with a fine tooth comb to see what could have gone wrong or misinterpreted. And to those who don`t answer emails, why especially if they are business related. How long should you wait to make a follow up. It`s really annoying when this happens, feel out of control.

Which kind of emails are you writing? Who is your target market? What response are you expecting? Is the email and image or an attachment? Whats the subject of he email? At what rate would you think your emails are been read?

If you have an answer to all those questions, you might know if its the structure of the email or maybe the email does not warrant a response. There is a book i used to use called " Model business letters by Gartside. It helped me alot. Still does.

 

[Ngimanene na nyeni]

Which kind of emails are you writing? Who is your target market? What response are you expecting? Is the email and image or an attachment? Whats the subject of he email? At what rate would you think your emails are been read?

If you have an answer to all those questions, you might know if its the structure of the email or maybe the email does not warrant a response. There is a book i used to use called " Model business letters by Gartside. It helped me alot. Still does.

It`s usually in a thread, a quick sentence or two for feedback on something. The first email, is usually the longer one that elaborates on details.