17 thoughts on “Is This Disrespectful To Clients?”

1. This is an interesting question, Paul… and timely for me… timely in that one of my clients just asked me yesterday to write up a “blurb” that goes under her email signature to that very end.

   It also includes, “if you have something that needs to be addressed sooner, please contact my assistant [insert my name and email address here] and she’ll be happy to assist you.” Which gives them a solution/alternative [and she and I have made arrangements for this scenario].

   Her reason for doing this is so I can monitor her emails throughout the day and help manage her inbox. And help keep her from the distractions.

   On the other hand, in MY business, I absolutely can’t put that sort of limitation on my availability. My clients know I’m available to them any time and that I’ll get back to each of them as soon as I possibly can and it’s a key part of the service I deliver.

   Ultimately, I suppose it really depends on the nature of the industry and each individual situation whether it’s appropriate [or wise] to put that sort of notice out.

   That’s my $.02!

   Virtually yours,
   Anne-Marie

2. Personally I could not work that way. I work in the Print, Mail and Fulfillment industry where competition is tough and clients have immediate needs. If a client knew that on a regular basis there would be a 4-6 hour lag time between her sending and my reading/acting upon an email I believe that she would look for another provider.

   1. Great point Jon!

      I can’t imagine that this one would fly with my friends in the printing industry!
      Thank you for taking the time to comment!

      1. And, no, it doesn’t. I make it a priority to respond to emails as soon as I get them, and abhor seeing bold black unread emails. That might be a bit OCD, but I think Jon is absolutely correct (and since we’re both in print, of COURSE he’s correct!)

         1. Ha!

            Who could argue with that?

            Thank you John!

   2. I am with Jon! My clients’ needs are very often immediate. IF I don’t respond, they will find a competitor who will!

3. Paul, I am with Jon on this one. My clients and partners know that I will respond as quickly as possible. If the need is urgent, this may be within minutes. If not, it may be several hours. Incidentally, I have worked for highly successful CEOs that responded to email requests rapidly and not-so-successful CEOs that took a very long time to respond. I never found “I’m too busy” to be a credible excuse for poor follow-up.

   1. Thank you Chris!

      I agree and feel that the email auto response I mentioned might be a tad disrespectful and even selfish.

4. Paul, I can see this making sense if you are in a position such as a doctor, a lawyer or, to some extent, a CEO of a company. But not in sales. Not that a sales person’s time is less valuable, but by the time our clients get in touch, there’s usually a perceived deadline that needs immediate attention. Whoever best serves the client’s needs, gets the business.

   I always respond personally to a client request quickly. I want that immediate response to be the first impression they get, even if my ultimate action happens later. I want them to know they are always my top priority.

   1. I agree and believe that we’re all in the “deadline” business to some extent.
      I think it sends a bad message.

      Thank you Cathy!

5. What’s considered urgent to your client and you may be quite different. It also depends on the industry, e.g. an IT support issue might be considered urgent vs. tracking an order. If you don’t believe an issue was urgent, how are you going to handle explaining to your client what you consider urgent. I’d say very diplomatically. We all have had clients who think everything regarding their business is urgent. Within reason, I think clients should feel they’re important enough to you that they can communicate with you at any time.

6. I would not include an auto-response email like that as the reply says, to me, I’m working on something more important than your email of inquiry and I don’t have time to deal with it now but I will get back to you at X o’clock.

   My suggestion is to to do that (respond to emails when your schedule allows, maybe 2, 3 or 4x/day) but certainly not put it in writing. Best of both worlds, no?

7. Great Question! I almost always pick up but when I can’t my dealers all know to call my assistant which is my wife Jenny. We are known for our personal touch and I would never surrender that advantage!

8. I can see the time management issues also, great for the Sales Rep, but the client is still left out in the cold. Maybe there is a middle ground, such as, “thanks for your e-mail, your message is important to me. I cannot answer immediately at this time. Please call me directly if your need has extreme urgency. I will be back in touch with you shortly.” And then turn the autoresponse off when you are not in a meeting or can respond effectively.

   I know there is now the impression that we are all bio-interfaced to our e-mail systems, but of course we are not. We DO have client meetings, and these should not be interrupted by another client.

   Regards,

   DA

9. Paul, I agree with many of the comments made by those who advocate not using an auto response on email. To me, this is sending the wrong signal and does not show the respect or service that a customer/partner deserves. In this world of convenience at your command – ie smart phones, there seems to be no compelling reason not to reply on email in a timely manner. We are all busy in this profession, but we have to the balance virtual with face-to-face – particularly when it presents an opportunity to provide a solution to a problem while continuing to build creditability and a stronger relationship with those who pay the bills. Thanks for bringing this up in this forum. Great topic!

10. Agree with Jon! Our customers would move on. They would spread the word within their customer service and sales would drop.

    1. Thank you Shawn

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