Confirming the receipt of all incoming e-mail messages is the first step toward earning the trust of your online customers. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Routing and responding to incoming queries is where most companies drop the ball. For example, if the message doesn't reach the right department, the customer may receive a response that is inaccurate or incomplete, or worse, no response at all. Finally, it should be noted that communicating via e-mail is something of an art.
People often react differently to the written word than to the spoken word.
Understanding how to use e-mail effectively will increase your company's chances for positive interaction with its customers. To many Intenet users, a late response is worse than no response at all. Confirming the receipt of all incoming e-mail messages will give your customers confidence in your company's ability to serve their needs. Further, confirming the receipt of e-mail inquiries gives you the opportunity to set expectations for response times, which may vary from 15 minutes to 24 hours, depending on the nature of your business. If a customer's e-mail message doesn't make it to the right person, there is little chance that the customer will receive an appropriate response.