Business in UK must be good

[Digger]

For the last week or so , I have sent out several emails to widely varying services- after quotes and information.
From Van Valet & Van Signage to Course Training ( £1400 that baby , so not exactly cheap ).

The response to these emails has been non existent.

Some I have even sent SECOND emails - and still nothing. Things must be very busy out there

Anybody else find this?

 

[Digger]

I should add, I did make clear in these that they were genuine enquiries

 

[Banksbroo]

I know the feeling! Some companies do seem very disorganised, but I suspect a factor with some slow and non-responders is that they have reduced staff to such low numbers that enquiries out of the blue take a long while to get any response, there is just no slack in the system anymore. After a week of lying unanswered, your enquiry is treated as being obsolete and dead, so never does get a response.

I make a point to always get back to people same day, but I can manage that as a small company. Often I get a request for a quote which is so vauge, or just plain contradictory that I know it's going no-where, but at least they still get a "can you supply a little more information" email.

 

[Paul Norman]

Very few companies, I suspect, are that good in responding to email enquiries. I am not defending this, but I suspect it is true.

 

[GraemeL]

I found my initial emails were going into junk or spam folders

G

 

[Paul Norman]

I found my initial emails were going into junk or spam folders

G

I think this will be very common indeed.

 

[The Byre]

We get many enquiries that just look totally bogus, so we ignore them. Perhaps your email looked dodgy?

 

[Vectis]

Maybe go back again and look at how you've worded the email or how it's been formatted - whether it might have been treated as spam or not.

Companies get so many junk emails these days that it's difficult to see those that are genuine, especially if your subject line is perhaps a bit ambiguous.

The alternative is to phone up the companies.

 

[Nuno]

On the other hand, some people just don't check for replies to inquiries.
Today I had a call from someone who had asked for a freebie* two weeks ago. I did the 2 hours of work the night she asked and sent 3 emails asking for her opinion over that two weeks.
I took the work down last night and she phoned today asking where it was. Yes she had seen all the emails, no she hadn't looked at the work. Can I do it again?
I still have it but said no.
To follow the thread: some people are just bloody useless.

*freebie. This was the mistake. If I had charged normal rates she would have paid attention. Lesson: don't give freebies to mad cat lady designers wearing Doc Martens.</rant>

 

[Mitch3473]

Things are certainly looking good......... but I would phone,emails are good for price lists and confirming orders but it's nice to get hold of a human just to be sure from the start.

 

[Pish_Pash]

Re the OP's observation, I would surmise that either business is very good (unlikely) or they just aren't very good at running business with an online presence .....for example, not checking your junk email folder each day is a schoolboy error!

 

[Digger]

I used to deal with all email enquiries for a company ( quotes and prices), including buyers ,and other than the obviously dodge ones a la Nigerian Princes with money to burn, responded to ever one, no matter how vague. Yes a lot died - but some yielded thousands of pounds of business from the most unlikely of beginnings.

I purposely, because of this, carefully word mine so they know I am
a) a serious enquiry and b) friendly/accommodating.

I always use email in the first instance as my ears are pretty broken, and lip reading on the phone is pretty hard

The £1,400 one was bizarre,I finally did get a response ( after a second prod) ,but the sense of disorganisation leaves me thinking I might change my mind.

I appreciate some may be too busy,or too small, but either I'm unlucky or some have yet to grasp this to their bosoms.

I intend to fully utilise IT ( spent enough on it in terms of hardware ) , and hope to heaven I don't miss an email and the chance to pick up some clients - just a bit head scratchy for me how some can go through all the effort off getting online, then not appear to bother.

Or perhaps it IS because of the amount of junk/spam

 

[Mitch3473]

Runs off to check spam......