I'm Curious -- Do You Answer Emails & Help Desk Tickets On Sunday?

Mark,

Hey! I've bought a couple things from you on eBay! I remember the great customer support you provided me when my computer's hard drive was wiped and I needed a download link re-activated! That being said, I like your support!

Now to the matter at hand: If I'm home and in front of my computer (and awake...) in the event I get an email from a customer it will be replied to or otherwise dealt with in a matter of minutes!

If I'm out somewhere then when I get home, before I address anything else (except maybe using the little internet marketers room) I check and address all emails. I think this is the highest level of dedication that I can contribute. Sometimes I get carried away and check my email on my phone but I like to avoid doing that.

Anyway, what I'm trying to get at is you're an internet marketer for a reason. You want to have a job that let's you live on your schedule and you're entitled to that. The only suggestion that I have is communicating to people (maybe by autoresponse on the weekends) that you do not check your email on the weekends, but it will be your top priority on Monday morning. I think this is a fair trade off because you get the weekends 'off' hassle free and your customers are kept informed that you're not ignoring their email - you just haven't seen it yet.

Hi Mark,

Yes, I do answer email and support requests on a Sunday. Mainly because the computer's on 24/7 and I don't have to leave the house, so if I see it, I like to deal with it.

As Chris said though, if it's the other way around, I don't sit there expecting a reply at the weekend.

Dave.

Tirmizi, exactly the same here for me. Everyday for me is typically the same. I try to respond to any questions as soon as I get them. If it is a complete review and something very involved then I will respond and give them a time frame. I try and always at a min check my emails every hour, except when I am sleeping lol. My customer support to me is just as important as the product I deliver.

This business is like any other business off-line or on-line. When you run your own business expect to be attentive 7 days week. The most successful off-line businesses require allot of time to become successful and this is also true for most on-line businesses. Now that does not mean to outsource in order to free up your time. However when many people are just getting started they may not have the recourses to outsource.

Cheers,

Paul

You know, I totally agree that everyone needs to set a specific day to have off (or at least a specific set of hours each day). I think the easiest way to keep your customers happy with your choice is to make that very clear; e.g., have something on your website (or your voicemail) that states, "I am in the office from 9AM to 5PM and will respond to all inquiries immediately during those hours" - or something to that effect.

That being said, last Sunday afternoon I called my business sponsor and left a message, fully expecting him to call me back on Monday afternoon (I'm EST, he's PST). My view of him and his support jumped ten-fold when he called me back 5 minutes later.

So what do you do if you're out of the house? What if it's within your normal business hours but you decide to take a "day off?" Why not carry around a cell phone that is capable of pushing email? There are so many Blackberries, iPhones, and other capable phones out there. You can sneak a peak to see if you've received an urgent message that requires a quick response, even if it's just to say, "got your email, will do my best to help you Monday morning."

Hope that helps.

I think it's great if you can take weekends off. Personally, I really can't, at least I don't feel that I can.. My mind is always on work these days, and so I feel that I should at least check in during weekends.

Just the same I am learning to be more patient with others who don't answer emails or tickets on weekends.. I have to remember that some people are actually smart enough to be on a schedule.

When support requests come in, I do my best to answer those as quickly as I can as they enter my inbox.

I find that customers, whether they bought your product(s) directly from you, or from a fellow reseller, they certainly appreciate fast responses and will definitely keep you in the front of their minds when doing further shopping for something you sell.

And, that is always a plus.

But, on the same token, if you can't get to your support responses as quickly, I don't think that should count against you in any way. Sometimes I think people in general lack patience in this online world of "get-your-fast-fix-now" gratification system.

Personally, I never get upset by not receiving a reply 10 minutes after I email someone when I need assistance, and am always pleasantly surprised when I get a response back within 48 hours.

Sometimes, I never get a response back at all from certain folks. That is where the real problem lies.


Tracy

I certainly make sure I have someone available at all times, including weekends. If something needs to be escalated, I'm also always available (24x7)... this is why I love my BlackBerry!

If I am in the middle of a major launch or something similar, I do try to take care of "hot items" on Sunday. That can also be said for Saturdays when things are running smoothly.

When I was outsourcing my support I did expect it to be checked daily but that still turned into a bad situation :-( so I am back doing most of it myself.

Mark,

Just a thought... Maybe have someone write a script that on Sundays in your time zone throws up a webpage that says... Store Closed come back Monday - Saturday and support too.

Controversial... or Crazy... You decide...

Cheers,

Rob

Exactly! I completely agree. In my early years online, I would work nearly 7 days a week and that got real old, real fast.

If you have kids, they're only little once. Enjoy the time with them while you can because that time lost can never be brought back.

While the Internet may be available 24/7, that doesn't mean that you have to work 24/7. If you have your business contact hours clearly listed on your site, your customers should understand.

Unless there's blood involved, I can't imagine what is that much of an emergency that can't wait until Monday morning.