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Inbound Email from your Customers - Are you missing some opportunities?

BY REGINA BRADY
Target Marketing Magazine
April 2008

In email marketing most of the focus is on the outbound programs and campaigns marketers launch to their lists and on the actions recipients take as a result. Let's put the spotlight on inbound email communications that result from campaigns and drill down on why attention to this often overlooked area can pay dividends in preserving the size of your list and generating sales.

Email is a core component of the marketing strategy for most companies today. Many marketers miss important customer interactions. Why? Because recipients do not always behave the way you would like them to act. Instead of using links provided they may:

Reply with new contact information
Reply with an unsubscribe request
Reply with a question
Set a filter to challenge emails from anyone not in their address book
Or, include important information in their auto-responder messages

These customer interactions are often either overlooked or not handled on a timely basis. Whether you use an in-house system or an email provider, timely and efficient e-service requires a commitment to customer care.

Most marketers see at least 10 percent of sales generated online and that the year-over-year improvement is fairly substantial. As a result effective online customer service is becoming a prerequisite for success. It also presents the opportunity to engage and create a dialog with a customer or user.

Let's take a look at the types of inbound communication marketers will receive and then look at what this all means in terms of numbers and impact on a business.

Inbound replies

Good marketers have standard links in the footer of their emails including the ability to opt-out, to change email address and to modify preferences. But recipients do not always behave the way marketers expect. Instead of using links provided to handle these activities, your recipients might decide to reply to opt-out, to ask a question or to provide a change of address.

Opt-out requests in your reply emails must be processed to keep your company in compliance with CAN-SPAM. Questions are particularly important since they afford the ability to nurture a relationship and generate future sales. Many of the questions relate to rate, price and product information or requests for literature.

These are all one-to-one email communications. And, each of these replies needs to be handled manually. If a recipient or customer takes the time to send you a reply, these are important emails. The report card for prompt and efficient handling has never been good, and it's not getting better. A survey conducted in April 2007 by Hornstein Associates found half of all customer email goes unanswered. Only 33% of companies responded to their customer's email within 24 hours. This stems from an inadequate inbound email response program.

Auto-responder messages

Most auto-responder messages received back explain the individual is out of the office and when they will return. But there are nuggets of gold to be found in some of these emails. Some auto-responder messages will explain the individual is no longer with the company and include new email contact information.

Most inbound email filters have rules in place that would fail to catch the email change of address situation. This is a missed opportunity.

Challenge response

ISPs such as Earthlink and some business allow their users to establish settings so that no mail comes into the inbox unless the sender is in the recipient's address book. If mail does not meet this criterion, an automatic challenge goes out to the sender. Usually there is a relatively easy question to answer such as re-entering a code that displays on the screen and once the sender submits the response, the mail is allowed to go through.

It's a fairly simple process. All challenges needing a response are delivered to the administrative inbox. They must be handled within a few days or the later responses will be ignored.

It's also easy to deal with. The only catch is that it requires manual intervention. If you are using an ESP, be sure to ask them if they are handling this on your behalf. If not, you should designate this as the responsibility of someone at your company.

Sample results

I've been privy to some private studies on what this all means. Here are some findings based on several different marketers' activity. Some are eye-opening in terms of preserving the size of a list and the ability to generate sales in the future.

Over 2 percent of outbound emails resulted in a challenge response. Messages that if not handled quickly are undeliverable.
The number of opt-out requests in replies was only 20 percent less than those received from clicks on the opt-out link in the footer. Customer respect and legal compliance may often be overlooked if these are not addressed.
Based on outbound email volume, over .25 percent changes of email address were captured from either auto-responder messages or from direct replies.
Based on outbound email volumes, over .15% resulted in a customer service reply or a request for price, product information or literature.

Alternative text for Hallie

I've been privy to private studies on what this all means. Here are some findings based on several different marketers' activity. Some are eye-opening in terms of preserving the size of a list and the ability to generate sales in the future. Results are based on both customer responses to the marketer and automated inbound messaging, but do not include activity where the customer clicked on a link in the email to modify or change preferences:

88.1% of all replies were auto-responder messages such as out-of-office notices.
9.3% were challenge responses that required further action to deliver the message.
1.8% of replies contained opt-out requests. Note that the total number of opt-outs from replies was only twenty percent less than those received from clicks on the opt-out link in the email footer. Customer respect and legal compliance may often be overlooked if these are not addressed.
0.45% of customer responses or information gleaned from viewing auto-responder messages resulted in a change of address.
0.32% of all replies related to customer service questions or rate information requests.

So, pay attention to your inbound email and make the commitment to timely and efficient e-customer service. You can handle these activities in-house or there are specialized companies with advanced e-service systems who can handle this for you.

Regina Brady is president of Reggie Brady Marketing Solutions, a direct and e-mail marketing consultancy. She can be reached at (203) 838-8138 or reginabrady@att.net.

NEWS & ARTICLES Inbound Email from your Customers: Are You Missing Opportunities? Return to Sender: Responding (or not) to customers Online Customer Service Excellence: Top Performing E-Sites for Delivering Exemplary Customer Service		Inbound Email from your Customers - Are you missing some opportunities? BY REGINA BRADY Target Marketing Magazine April 2008 In email marketing most of the focus is on the outbound programs and campaigns marketers launch to their lists and on the actions recipients take as a result. Let's put the spotlight on inbound email communications that result from campaigns and drill down on why attention to this often overlooked area can pay dividends in preserving the size of your list and generating sales. Email is a core component of the marketing strategy for most companies today. Many marketers miss important customer interactions. Why? Because recipients do not always behave the way you would like them to act. Instead of using links provided they may: Reply with new contact information Reply with an unsubscribe request Reply with a question Set a filter to challenge emails from anyone not in their address book Or, include important information in their auto-responder messages These customer interactions are often either overlooked or not handled on a timely basis. Whether you use an in-house system or an email provider, timely and efficient e-service requires a commitment to customer care. Most marketers see at least 10 percent of sales generated online and that the year-over-year improvement is fairly substantial. As a result effective online customer service is becoming a prerequisite for success. It also presents the opportunity to engage and create a dialog with a customer or user. Let's take a look at the types of inbound communication marketers will receive and then look at what this all means in terms of numbers and impact on a business. Inbound replies Good marketers have standard links in the footer of their emails including the ability to opt-out, to change email address and to modify preferences. But recipients do not always behave the way marketers expect. Instead of using links provided to handle these activities, your recipients might decide to reply to opt-out, to ask a question or to provide a change of address. Opt-out requests in your reply emails must be processed to keep your company in compliance with CAN-SPAM. Questions are particularly important since they afford the ability to nurture a relationship and generate future sales. Many of the questions relate to rate, price and product information or requests for literature. These are all one-to-one email communications. And, each of these replies needs to be handled manually. If a recipient or customer takes the time to send you a reply, these are important emails. The report card for prompt and efficient handling has never been good, and it's not getting better. A survey conducted in April 2007 by Hornstein Associates found half of all customer email goes unanswered. Only 33% of companies responded to their customer's email within 24 hours. This stems from an inadequate inbound email response program. Auto-responder messages Most auto-responder messages received back explain the individual is out of the office and when they will return. But there are nuggets of gold to be found in some of these emails. Some auto-responder messages will explain the individual is no longer with the company and include new email contact information. Most inbound email filters have rules in place that would fail to catch the email change of address situation. This is a missed opportunity. Challenge response ISPs such as Earthlink and some business allow their users to establish settings so that no mail comes into the inbox unless the sender is in the recipient's address book. If mail does not meet this criterion, an automatic challenge goes out to the sender. Usually there is a relatively easy question to answer such as re-entering a code that displays on the screen and once the sender submits the response, the mail is allowed to go through. It's a fairly simple process. All challenges needing a response are delivered to the administrative inbox. They must be handled within a few days or the later responses will be ignored. It's also easy to deal with. The only catch is that it requires manual intervention. If you are using an ESP, be sure to ask them if they are handling this on your behalf. If not, you should designate this as the responsibility of someone at your company. Sample results I've been privy to some private studies on what this all means. Here are some findings based on several different marketers' activity. Some are eye-opening in terms of preserving the size of a list and the ability to generate sales in the future. Over 2 percent of outbound emails resulted in a challenge response. Messages that if not handled quickly are undeliverable. The number of opt-out requests in replies was only 20 percent less than those received from clicks on the opt-out link in the footer. Customer respect and legal compliance may often be overlooked if these are not addressed. Based on outbound email volume, over .25 percent changes of email address were captured from either auto-responder messages or from direct replies. Based on outbound email volumes, over .15% resulted in a customer service reply or a request for price, product information or literature. Alternative text for Hallie I've been privy to private studies on what this all means. Here are some findings based on several different marketers' activity. Some are eye-opening in terms of preserving the size of a list and the ability to generate sales in the future. Results are based on both customer responses to the marketer and automated inbound messaging, but do not include activity where the customer clicked on a link in the email to modify or change preferences: 88.1% of all replies were auto-responder messages such as out-of-office notices. 9.3% were challenge responses that required further action to deliver the message. 1.8% of replies contained opt-out requests. Note that the total number of opt-outs from replies was only twenty percent less than those received from clicks on the opt-out link in the email footer. Customer respect and legal compliance may often be overlooked if these are not addressed. 0.45% of customer responses or information gleaned from viewing auto-responder messages resulted in a change of address. 0.32% of all replies related to customer service questions or rate information requests. So, pay attention to your inbound email and make the commitment to timely and efficient e-customer service. You can handle these activities in-house or there are specialized companies with advanced e-service systems who can handle this for you. Regina Brady is president of Reggie Brady Marketing Solutions, a direct and e-mail marketing consultancy. She can be reached at (203) 838-8138 or reginabrady@att.net.