No Time Like the Present

Responding promptly to your e-mails is simply the courteous thing to do. We are all busy and pressed for time making it necessary to prioritize our time. There is no excuse (except that you may be selfish or rude) to completely ignore your e-mail responsibilities.

For business, if you get a request, responding promptly will reflect on your professionalism and commitment to service. I had an issue today where I had to send a third request on an open issue to only be told that my contact had e-mailed someone else and was still waiting for a response. I had to send three requests to find out my contact was worth no more than passing the buck?

Two lessons to be learned here. Always respond within 24 hours to all incoming requests. If you don't have an answer yet, say so and advise when one can expect your response. Otherwise it appears you don't care and are not to be relied upon. In business, that can be the kiss of death.

When it comes to personal e-mail, to not respond implies you are ignoring the other party. Maybe you are, but in most cases it would be best to pop off an e-mail and apologize for the delay in responding and explain that you are busy and to not take your lack of response personally.

Communicating your situation can many times head off poor perceptions and misunderstandings. Why not take advantage of the expediency e-mail offers you to do just that?