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How long does it take to wait for a response by sending an email? Is it normal if the answer comes the next day? And if there is no answer in a week, is it necessary to think that there will not be one?
In the age of information technology, understanding the laws of email communication helps us figure out what to expect from other people. But this is the key to the success of our electronic communications! Whether we’re trying to recruit a new client, expedite a deal, or hire an employee, timing our email can make all the difference.
A new study from the University of Southern California studied the behavior of more than 2 million users who sent 16 million emails to each other within a few months! Several interesting patterns emerged.
You can expect a response to your email within an hour. Thanks to portable electronic devices, about half of the time people respond to emails within 60 minutes. After 48 hours, the chances of getting a response are low. If the person who received your message is going to reply to it, there is a 90% chance that they will respond within two days.
- Teenagers respond to emails the fastest – between receiving an email and sending a response, they have no more than 13 minutes.
- The youth are not far behind them.
- If you write to a person between the ages of 20 and 35, the average response time is 16 minutes.
- In the age group from 35 to 50 years, this time increases to 24 minutes.
- People over 50 respond in 47 minutes on average, but they tend to write lengthy emails.
- Gender plays almost no role in e-mail: it takes about 4 minutes longer for women to respond to an email than for men.
- It is important what device your addressee uses. Laptop users take twice as long to respond as mobile phone users.
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How do you know when you’re most likely not going to get an answer?
If you’ve been texting someone for a while, there are clear signs that the email is fizzling out. Initially, users tend to mimic each other when it comes to message length. If you have written five paragraphs, you can expect the answer to be the same length. Typically, this kind of synchronization is maintained until the middle of the conversation. And when the answers you get start to change, it may signal a waning interest in continuing the dialogue. If you have to wait longer than usual for an answer, chances are that the conversation is over.
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- Why so much misunderstanding?
When is the best time to send letters?
While most people check email at various times throughout the day, you are more likely to receive a response during normal business hours. Responses to letters received on weekends are usually shorter than responses written on weekdays. After noon, the letters also become shorter. So it is optimal to send e-mails in the morning on weekdays.
It is very important to be short. If you write long letters, there is a good chance that the recipient will skim the message, and if it seems too long and cumbersome to him, you may simply not get a response. An email response is an average of five words. More than half of email responses are less than 43 words, and only 30% are more than 100 words. Anyone who wants to maintain good relations should express his thoughts briefly, but at the same time remain amiable.
See more at Forbes editions.