Recommended Affiliate Programs
Solving Email Delivery Problems
By - Michelle Howe
Have you ever sent out an
e-mail and wondered if the message was received? Sometimes there is no rhyme or
reason as to what happens in cyberspace. Black holes do seem to swallow-up
e-mail messages.
Occasionally, you will
know when an e-mail message does not reach its destination because a failure
notice is sent to you. But, just as often, you get no notification.
Filters Dump Email
Because of all the new
anti-SPAM software, your message could be dumped before your recipient ever sees
it. Each of the anti-SPAM software programs look for specific keywords in the
subject line. If you happen to put one of those keywords in the subject line of
your e-mail, you have now sent SPAM. And logic doesn't always work when you try
to figure out which words to avoid. Some software can be customized for the
user's own specific keywords.
I had this situation occur
with my web master. I was following up with her to find out if she received the
updates I sent her. The subject line was: Did You Get Updates? Her anti-SPAM
program identified "get" in the subject line as SPAM and immediately
trashed the message. Who would have known? I knew not to use words like
"Free" in the subject line, but "get" never occurred to me.
For the last three years I
have been using a mass-mailing program to send out e-mails to about 350 members
of a nonprofit group I belong to. We have never had any problems with the
members receiving their e-mail. However, in the last six months, some of the
providers like AOL and Earthlink are interpreting these messages as SPAM because
they recognize the software I am using. The only way I've gotten around this
problem is to make sure all 350 members have my e-mail address in their address
books. Otherwise, the message gets bounced.
Follow Up on Delivery
So, is there an easy way
to find out if your message was received if you don't get an error message?
Sure, pick up the phone to confirm a message was received. But, you have to be
careful when you do this. People can misinterpret your action as being
pushy-like you need an answer right now and are not willing to wait.
A good approach is to
start off by saying, "This is just a courtesy call. I sent you an important
e-mail and I want to make sure you got it. I know you needed the information
right away and I want to make sure you have it." This way, it appears you
are looking out for them and are only trying to be efficient. You won't come
across as demanding and cause the person to become defensive.
Acknowledge Receipt of
Email
As the receiver of an
e-mail, you can greatly help this situation by always acknowledging the receipt
of an e-mail. Even if you can't get the answers right away, simply select the
reply button and let the sender know the message arrived. Make it a habit to do
this. Respond with a quick reply like, "Thanks. Got your e-mail, but won't
have an answer for you till tomorrow." Or, even something shorter would
work, "Got your e-mail. Will get back to you ASAP."
If you haven't been in the
habit of acknowledging the receipt of an e-mail, start today. Letting someone
know their e-mail arrived is easy to do and greatly appreciated.
Conclusion
Even with all the problems
we have with email delivery, it is still the most popular method of
communicating in business. Just remember, it is not the only way to communicate.
Don't count on email 100 percent. Always follow up by phone if you think an
email never arrived.
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About The Author:
Michelle Howe, MBA,
president of Internet Word Magic, specializes in writing irresistible copy for
websites. Transform the way you do business. Visit her website at http://www.InternetWordMagic.com for a FREE chapter download of her new book "Turn Browsers into
Buyers" and FREE report, "The Five-Step Plan to Article Success."
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