Your customers do much more than simply read your Marcom collateral (ads, data sheets, website, etc.). They interact with all sorts of people within your organization. Whether a person is a member of your sales, tech support, quality, manufacturing, customer service, or even accounting department, they communicate with your customer.
Regarding your customers' perspectives on how your teammates deal with their emails, according to a new report (excerpted from the 2008-2009 Business Technology Marketing Benchmark Guide www.SherpaStore.com):
"When asked how quickly suppliers respond to email inquiries, only 17% say that they receive a response within 24 hours. And although half report that they get a response in a day or two, 30% say that it typically takes more than three days. In the mind of a prospect, two or three days can be an eternity. In a previous study we've seen a highly negative effect on the likelihood of contact when it takes place after the first 24 hours."
So, whether you are busy, travelling, on vacation, sick, working on a project, or in a place with bad connections, customers and opportunities have a very short shelf life. Responding within the first 24 hours is critical.
As a B2B Marcom leader, consider sharing this critical information with everyone in your organization.
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