Responsiveness is an issue I am hearing about more and more. It is etiquette and a courtesy to be responsive to every person’s communications, whether in person, by phone, or by email, texts and letters. Acknowledging and answering communications are all the ways we respond as human beings.
“Be ready or be lost!” said Peter Drucker, who first introduced this idea to go global or be left behind. Now years later, I think it equally applies to almost every aspect in life. We must constantly be ready to adapt and innovate to the changing ways of conducting business and living our lives in an increasingly complex society. As life appears to be moving faster with each passing day, we must be to be responsive to the multiple forms of communications we receive constantly or be lost. And many people are lost, it seems. Here are 8 tips on how to be responsive in a timely manner:
1. Get organized. The key to being responsive is to establish systems to help you be reminded of what to do.
For emails: The fewer messages in the inbox the better we can manage the workflow.
Establish separate folders for messages you’ve replied to and finished reading. Set them up by name or subject. It doesn’t matter how many folders you establish, because you can always search for key words. The result is that only the messages you still need to complete are left in the Inbox.
Most email systems offer colors and symbols to mark each email for various purposes. Establish your own system to manage messages and to keep them from being buried in the long list of all other messages.
For calls and in-person communications: The only way to remember to place and return calls is to jot them down. I use one notebook to write down everything I want to remember in it so it’s all in one place. I date each page and use symbols such as stars (*) and exclamation marks (!) to call attention to what needs to be done. The key is not to rely on memory.
2. It’s not hard to reply. The key is to be in touch and stay in touch.
When Replying: Today most people expect replies to all calls and emails within 24-48 hours and replies to texts within hours, no matter what. Sometimes your response can be as simple as saying:
— Got your voicemail/text message, I will reply more fully by X date or time.
— Thanks for the question; however I don’t know the answer. I will check and get back to you by X.
— I am away until next week; so will reply next Monday or Tuesday at the latest.
Whenever you are out of the office for more than a half-a-day, set a courtesy auto-responder to take the pressure off having to reply.
When Acknowledging: Acknowledging you have received a message is always courtesy, such as:
— Got it, thank you!
— Thank you for sending the info.
— I read your message. I will reply by X date or time.
When Answering: For appointments and information received, it’s a good practice to quickly reply:
— Great! The appointment is confirmed.
— Yes, it’s in the calendar!
— Received the info. Thanks!
Most messages require greater detail when answering. They should be complete with all information the sender requested, using complete sentences and minimal abbreviations or acronyms. Do not use the same shortcut words allowed in text messaging in emails, such as Thx, U, etc.
3. For a fast response, be friendly, proactive, and best of all, specific. Make it easy for the person to respond by highlighting and/or bold the specific date and time.
Never ask for a meeting or a call without first sharing your best two or more dates and times. For example, write, “Joe, I’d like to see if we can meet next week. To get this rolling, my best dates and times are next Tuesday from 10 a.m. to noon and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. If 30-minutes during one of these periods work for you, please let me know to confirm. If not, please suggest periods that suit your calendar and I’ll make every effort to confirm one of your choices.”
Ask simple Yes or No questions so the recipient can respond easily.
Other ways to get a fast response:
—“For planning purposes, please reply by X, so we will know how much food to order for everyone’s lunch.”
—“Our deadline is Friday. Thus, we need your responses no later than 9 a.m. Thursday morning.Thank you!”
4. Send calendar invitations. Most businesses now use electronic calendar systems to confirm meetings. If you are not using one, get one, or be lost! It will become your best tool.
5. Say what will transpire when you no response is received. For example,
For specific appointments: “When an appointment is canceled within 48 hours, or missed, an additional $X fee will apply.”
For Parties: “Please RSVP by X. If you do not reply by this date, we will consider the response as Not Attending.”
For Business: “For planning purposes, if we do not hear back from you by X, we will not expect you in attendance at the company retreat.”
“If I do not hear from you by Noon this Thursday to confirm the (X date) meeting, I will release the time for other appointments.”
“Thank you for the request to hold X date for a possible meeting. Please be advised, our company policy on holding dates is: unless confirmed by X prior to the meeting date, the meeting will be considered canceled.
6. Use multiple methods of communications. If you don’t receive a reply to your email or text, try calling by telephone. For no telephone replies, try emailing and/or texting.
Whenever I need to reach someone urgently, I send both an email with all the details and call by telephone and/or even send a text message saying, “In case you are not viewing email, I just sent you a detailed message to respond by X and left a VM.”
7. Be specific in an email subject line: Whenever you need a response by a specific date and/or time, feature it in the subject line to catch the viewer’s attention, such as “Response needed by X date and time.” Also, be sure to delete old subject lines and messages when introducing new subjects. This is a major pet peeve of mine when old messages are used to capture an address, yet the old subject still remains.
8. When all else fails. When you have exhausted all the above tips, be candid with the person in a personal conversation that will address this issue directly, such as “Joe, I’ve been noticing that when I send you a request, I don’t hear back. Is there something specific I should be doing to get the responses I need?”
Never accuse anyone of misconduct. Instead, share the issue from your own perspective. In the example above, you are truly asking what you need to do to get along, and asking for help rectifying the situation.
Conclusion: The final concept below comes from a great article on this topic called, “Why being responsive will make you successful”, by Jim Ryan (also at http://softskillsforhardjobs.com/being-responsive/)
Jim Ryan states that responsiveness is about perceptions. It is either noticeably visible or blatantly absent. So, think about your co-workers… would you want a person who is not responsive on a high-stakes assignment? You’d probably prefer to work with someone who is quick to respond to emails, someone who takes the initiative and doesn’t need someone to specifically direct them, and/or a person who consistently offers solutions to difficult problems? I would.
Responsiveness is an indicator of good time management skills. It shows that you have it together, but it also shows how much you care about the person—and thus you are building powerful trust… and of course, showing etiquette!
P.S. Here’s a fun YouTube video on this same topic… Responsiveness… (Also at https://youtu.be/YVdDZC4ig3A)
Happy Practicing!