April 2007

Do you respond to e-mail?

Do you use e-mail in your practice? How fast do you (or your staff) answer questions or complaints made by e-mail?

According to an annual survey conducted by Hornstein Associates, a marketing company, customer service via e-mail has declined steadily since 2002. In this year’s survey of 49 companies, including Microsoft, GE, Toyota, Coca-Cola, IBM, Wal-Mart, P&G, Apple, J&J, Costco, FedEx, Starbucks, Southwest Airlines, and Berkshire Hathaway, only 33 percent of companies responded to e-mails within 24 hours, down from a high of 63 percent in 2002.

The 2007 survey is sent to more than 49 companies. Each company has been sent the following one sentence e-mail for the past seven years:

“What is your corporate policy regarding the turnaround time for e-mails addressed to customer service?”

The survey showed that only 51 percent of companies responded in any time period.

Source: Hornstein Associates, www.hornsteinassociates.com

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