Good day all,
I recently had a little more responsibility (which is always a good thing) in arranging trainings and gathering all entry into service documentation for inspection before the commissioning our first area.
This involves contacting via e-mail both internal and external parties. My approach is to be friendly yet formal in my e-mail and I've got to be honest, I barely get a response from people and while it could be argued that by chasing people I am doing what is required of me. For me though this is an area which I can only assume I am lacking in. Maybe because I am not demanding or I don't make the action sound urgent enough. Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated as I take this as a personal failure and want to get things moving.
Thanks (I do understand that not everyone is going to respond, but I do think there are things I can do to increase the amount of responses at the moment)
Effective communications!
Hi Dan,
My technique with important emails is don't spend them without at least phoning people first to explain (introduce) the emails purpose. Give each delegate a call and summarise the point concisely and then say, ' I will send you an email to confirm this, can you please respond to the email by <insert date> l'? The tack here is make the phone call short and concise.
Once you have applied the above phone technique, they will know who you are in future and this alone will encourage people to read your emails as you have built up Rapport already.
With emails apply this, 'less is more'! Do not waffle.
Also, give people a timescale, say 'I need a response by Friday coming, can you let me know via email please?' This then stops people from taking ages to respond. Don't leave the responding timescale open, set a deadline.
Think of it like this; people get tons of emails and you need people to take notice of your email.
Does that help?
Kit.
My technique with important emails is don't spend them without at least phoning people first to explain (introduce) the emails purpose. Give each delegate a call and summarise the point concisely and then say, ' I will send you an email to confirm this, can you please respond to the email by <insert date> l'? The tack here is make the phone call short and concise.
Once you have applied the above phone technique, they will know who you are in future and this alone will encourage people to read your emails as you have built up Rapport already.
With emails apply this, 'less is more'! Do not waffle.
Also, give people a timescale, say 'I need a response by Friday coming, can you let me know via email please?' This then stops people from taking ages to respond. Don't leave the responding timescale open, set a deadline.
Think of it like this; people get tons of emails and you need people to take notice of your email.
Does that help?
Kit.
Danbone wrote:Just like to say THANK YOU!.
I've got into work made some phone calls first sent some e-mails and within 4 days most issues were resolved thanks for the help!
Cool, glad it worked.
It may sound a bit simple of a technique, but I have found that a quick phone call to prompt that an email will folllow soon, does work!
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begeland
Kit - good idea on the introductory phone call before the email. If that still isn't getting the response then a followup phone call after the email - a couple of days later - should help. But the suggesting for putting the deadline on there is a good idea - and send a followup email the day before that deadline. All good ideas and glad your responses improved.
Brad
Brad