When to Expect an E-mail Reply?

How soon should you expect a reply to an e-mail?  Should you send another e-mail if the first isn’t responded to?

Onliners should make an efforts to respond to their personal incoming e-mail within at least a day a two. Promptly responding to e-mail is simply the courteous thing to do.  I cover this in my E-mail Etiquette 101: Courtesy #6 .

That said, keep in mind that sometimes people are very busy, away on a trip or vacation, have computer problems or possibly your e-mail got mixed up in the spam they received and was accidentally deleted.  For example if you do something spammy, such as having no text in the Subject: field, embedding graphics or typing with all kinds of formatting, you could trip some spam filters and your e-mail will be misidentified as spam.

When to send another follow up is up to your discretion and the situation. If it is to someone you know is online all the time, send a follow up in a couple of days asking if everything is O.K. to show your concern rather than accusing them of ignoring you as so many jump to do.   Sending a quick “just checking in” to see if they received your e-mail should hopefully get you the response you are seeking.

You may also be interested in:

• E-mail Etiquette Requires Your Reply
• 10 E-mail Etiquette Resolutions for 2010