4 ms·

I ran a support organization. Maybe the most effective policy we implemented for user satisfaction was that a human, not a machine, responded immediately to eve

I ran a support organization. Maybe the most effective policy we implemented for user satisfaction was that a human, not a machine, responded immediately to every email, even if only to say 'we've received your message and we'll get back to you at time X'. Until you respond, the sender doesn't know if you received it or not (maybe there was a server or network problem on one end or the other; maybe it went into your spam folder), if you noticed it or not (maybe it was overlooked?), if you read it or not (too busy? blowing me off? mad at me? I'm not important enough?), and when you'll get around to doing something (should I count on it happening today? tomorrow? next week or month? ever?). They wonder if they should send another message (too pushy? but if the recipient didn't see it for one of the above reasons, sooner is better than later). They are operating in the dark unknown, and imagine all sorts of things. Effectively, you've set no expectations for them. I know that, because I noticed how I felt and thought when I was on the other end. Our customers seemed much happier, even if response times (an actual response to their problem, not just a confirmation of receipt) and service completion times didn't change.

insickness 10y ago
Interesting. I do IT infrastructure support. I generally respond after I've completed the task but this makes me think that I should reply to their email immediately with something like, "I'm looking into this."
- jason_pomerleau 10y ago
  I managed an IT team for awhile. While you may be working diligently on the task, the 'client' (whoever that is) has no idea that any sort of action has even started, which can induce a lot of anxiety, depending on the situation. You'll have much happier customers if you keep them in the loop early. It doesn't have to be arduous. The four words you wrote above are enough. Or, "Hi Bob, I'm on another task at the moment, but I should be able to look into this in a couple of hours. Will be in touch." has a significant calming effect, and will often buy you extra time. Of course, Bob might just say "this can't wait a couple of hours" but that's a separate chapter in human relations. :)
- hackuser 10y ago
  I would only add: Set some expectation for when they'll next hear from you, or they will eventually feel they are in the dark again.

insickness 10y ago

Interesting. I do IT infrastructure support. I generally respond after I've completed the task but this makes me think that I should reply to their email immediately with something like, "I'm looking into this."

jason_pomerleau 10y ago
I managed an IT team for awhile. While you may be working diligently on the task, the 'client' (whoever that is) has no idea that any sort of action has even started, which can induce a lot of anxiety, depending on the situation. You'll have much happier customers if you keep them in the loop early. It doesn't have to be arduous. The four words you wrote above are enough. Or, "Hi Bob, I'm on another task at the moment, but I should be able to look into this in a couple of hours. Will be in touch." has a significant calming effect, and will often buy you extra time. Of course, Bob might just say "this can't wait a couple of hours" but that's a separate chapter in human relations. :)
hackuser 10y ago
I would only add: Set some expectation for when they'll next hear from you, or they will eventually feel they are in the dark again.