October 14, 2024

Beware Emails, Not Perfect

Good Morning,   
Have you ever sent an email that did not go through? Not the kind for which you get a message back that it did not go through for one reason or another. Your email just went into the black nothingness of the internet!
Or did you get a call or text from a customer asking why you did not answer their email? Sometimes if you’re lucky, it will have ended up in your spam folder, or maybe that third party spam filter you’re using put it in their spam folder. 
Even Gmail has spam and junk-mail folders where important emails can hide. 
In this day of less face-to-face contact, technology is even more important; when it does not work properly, it can really wreak havoc with your business. I should know; my emails from my main account seem to get lost on their way to people. I have to resend the email using a Gmail account and hope they get it. Then I have to remember to always use that account with them.
You might be wondering: why not just use the gmail account? One, I paid to set up a domain and the associated email. Two, it helps promote and reinforce my brand and company name. Using “pfreedcom@gmail.com” does not. 
Some of the people to whom I explained the problem suggested I get the recipients of my emails to whitelist my address. That’s great if you’re tech savvy but if not… Or I can  always end my emails with “please let me know you got this email.” If they don’t, I can call them and ask, “did you get my email?”How would you like to get calls asking if you got the email with the invoice attached?
Others have told me to text the message. That’s great for short messages but not for long complicated messages with attachments, and it doesn’t work at all if you don’t have their cell number. Companies, mine included, have land lines that don’t lend themselves to sending and receiving texts. A lot of people don’t want to give out their personal cell number for business, knowing they will get called all the time. 
I’m not sure what the answer is. All I know is that no method or technology is 100% perfect all the time. All I can say is if you did not get the email you were told you were going to get, pick up the phone and call. Chances are the email is floating around the void of the internet. Likewise if I’m waiting on information from you like your customer/prospect list or the OK to go ahead with the time sensitive project, I will try using another email account to get through to you and then call you.
If you know of a better way, let me know. Best answer will get a Starbucks gift card. They are still good at their drive-thru window.

 Till next week, stay healthy,
Great Things Happen, But You Have To Take Action NOW!

Philip Freedman

Your Doctor of Customer Acquisition, Retention and Enhancement
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