Are your emails getting through?

Email is not 100% proof and probably never will be. So why do people just assume that all their emails are getting through? Or that they’re receiving everything they should?

It really hurts when you miss an email from a client or potential client and, therefore, totally miss out on a job – because you didn’t know they were trying to contact you. What is wrong with using the phone these days? Or make contact other ways, i.e. PM via Facebook or other social media if those people are accessible.

If you’ve paid for something but not gotten a response then first off, check that the payment went through. Whether it be your credit card, your bank account, PayPal or whatever. If the payment hasn’t gone through or been returned then it’s fair to say the person at the other end doesn’t know anything about the order you’ve placed. If the payment has gone through but you haven’t received acknowledgement, then it’s time to follow up the person you paid – if an email doesn’t elicit a response within 24-48 hours then pick up the phone.  Don’t assume that they know the payment is there (they also have to receive email notification) and don’t assume that person has done nothing about your order. It hurts both parties if the originator doesn’t do anything to follow up and causes angst to all.

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Kathie Thomas

Kathie is the former owner of VA Directory and is former past President of the Australian VA Association. She founded the Virtual Assistant industry in Australia in the mid 90s, having already been operating a home-based secretarial service. Today the VA industry covers a multitude of office-based services for clients worldwide.