Bill Myers

Have you ever felt 'invisible'? Like when you go out to a restaurant and even after ten or twenty minutes no one appears to greet you or take your order?

Surely, the restaurant workers aren't so busy that they can't even acknowledge your presence. So you must be suffering from 'invisibility', right? At least in that particular business establishment.

And the only smart thing to do under those circumstances is to leave that business and go to a business where you are 'visible'.

The same applies to the internet - especially email on the internet.

If a potential or current customer sends you email, and you don't bother to reply within an appropriate period of time, it sends the customer the message that your business is either inept or just doesn't care.

In either case, it is not the message you want to send.

That's why promptly replying to business email is important - because it lets customers know that you do care.

There's another advantage as well. Generally potential customers will send email queries to several different vendors, and will make their decision based on the vendor responses.

If your company replies promptly, and the other vendors don't reply at all . . . you win by default.

Moral: Don't make potential customers feel invisible. Promptly reply to their questions and queries, letting them know that you want their business, and take customer support seriously.