| I got my first email account way too many years | | | | on how Widgets can change your life through better |
| ago. | | | | chemistry..." Do you remember when people got |
| I was working for a large Chicago bank in the 1980s, | | | | excited by the idea of artificial intelligence and |
| when they introduced an electronic message service | | | | wondered if we would one day need Asimov's Laws |
| for internal communications. The only electronic mail | | | | of Robotics to protect us. I think we can all breath |
| that seemed to flow for the longest time were all | | | | easy for a little while yet. |
| those official HR notification of vacation time policies, | | | | "Thank you. Your address has been permanently |
| etc., and of course, the ALL CAPS messages from | | | | deleted from our database and you will never hear |
| the executive floor. | | | | from us again..." |
| It took a brave soul to send out the first..."so, where | | | | ...and it's cousin... |
| should we go for lunch on Friday?" message. | | | | "Thanks for your interest in Widgets. Since you're |
| It took a polite soul to create the first autoresponder | | | | now part of the Widget family, we know you'll want |
| message. It was nice of them to let people know | | | | to hear all about everything, so here's this hour's |
| that the reason their inquiry would not be answered | | | | special..." But all I wanted to do was let you know |
| immediately, and personally was because he (or she) | | | | about a broken link on your homepage... |
| was out of the office until XYZ date. | | | | The lesson: Don't presume to know why people are |
| I'm still trying to figure out where the the personal | | | | responding, or what they want from you. |
| and polite parts of autoresponse messages went. | | | | "You're receiving this because you downloaded a free |
| Sometime between then and now, the person who | | | | report from my site 279 days ago, but still haven't |
| wrote that message left the building, but forgot to | | | | bought anything..." and you still haven't gotten a clue. |
| turn the machines off. Today, too many | | | | "I'm only sharing this secret information with a |
| autoresponse messages are anything but personal, | | | | carefully chosen few like you, EAMIC, because you're |
| polite or informative. | | | | such a good friend..." Really? Even though you're |
| If you've ever been tempted to believe that | | | | greeting me with a string of letters that isn't even |
| message sound bites strung together by bits of "if, | | | | close to my name. |
| then, else" coding logic might actually prove to be an | | | | "Dear Friend..." Yes, I understand that software is a |
| asset to your business, you owe it to your business | | | | black and white kind of thing and that when it comes |
| to look at how some of these have played out in | | | | to personalization your choices are or , but do you |
| the real world. | | | | understand that there is a third choice? Don't do it. |
| Here's a brief list of some of my favorite offenders, | | | | The lesson: Repeat after me, "just because you can, |
| along with a suggestion or two about what you can | | | | doesn't mean you should." It really is the golden rule |
| do if you find anything like them on your list of | | | | of technology use. |
| messages. | | | | Personalization is a very powerful sales and marketing |
| "We'll return your message within 24 hours, or 12 | | | | tool. When you personalize a business problem, |
| hours..." Forgive me if I don't set my watch by that. | | | | identify a client need, or use it to demonstrate how |
| Despite improvements in so many other areas, | | | | your product or service will help that particular client's |
| surveys still show that only 65% of companies EVER | | | | situation, you are using it correctly. |
| respond to their email, never mind responding within | | | | Machine generated personalization, on the other hand, |
| the time they've allowed themselves And just how | | | | fits the very definition of an oxymoron. Email |
| credible are you when 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours of | | | | autoresponse messages were invented to apologize |
| silence have passed? | | | | for a lack of an immediate personal, human response, |
| "We usually respond within two business days..." . I | | | | not to take its place permanently. Unless all of your |
| think this variation is worse. If 48 hours pass and I | | | | message is personal, no one is going to believe it |
| haven't gotten a response, I'm not only going to | | | | really was written just for them. So why slap them in |
| think you can't deliver what you promised in any area | | | | the face with the fact that it wasn't? |
| of your business, but I might feel personally slighted. | | | | The bottom line is this: if you find any messages like |
| After all, if you "usually can," why did you choose not | | | | these in your current autoresponse setup, rewrite |
| to help me? | | | | them if you can, or just get rid of them if you can't. |
| The lesson: Don't Make Promises Unless you're 100% | | | | Silence is better on your part. Your business |
| Sure You Can Keep Them | | | | reputation is at stake. And where your reputation is |
| "Thanks for your message about broken website | | | | at stake, so are your profits. |
| links (an obvious fill in the blank). Here is our FAQ list | | | | |