Autoresponders - The Other Wise Choice

By Scott Lindsay

When answering machines were first introduced it was not uncommon for many individuals to simply hang up and vow never to do business with a company that would be so impersonal as to relegate their concerns to a recording device.

Today even the operator is an antiquated notion in some business as an automated voicing system guides you to the appropriate party to ask a question or voice a concern (even then you can expect to leave a message).

With online business it is possible to conduct business with clients who will never hear your voice. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in hearing from you.

The truth is the Internet is automated in such a way that the only two human responders in a transaction are the consumer making the purchase and the warehouse worker assigned to product fulfillment.

When customers make an online purchase they want to know that the order was received and fulfillment of the order is in process. This is where an autoresponder becomes a good friend to online businesses.

An autoresponder can immediately be sent as an order confirmation and greeting. Another autoresponder can be activated automatically when the product is actually sent from the warehouse. Yet another autoresponder can kick in several days later asking the client for feedback on their purchase. This information can be valuable in knowing the general tone of the customer’s approval of your business. It is even possible that some of the responses can be used in a testimonial segment of your business site.

The third autoresponder you set up could also invite the new, and hopefully satisfied, customer to accept an ecourse you can provide free of charge or the occasional email marketing piece that will alert them to special buys, discounts and coupons available to ‘select’ customers.

Autoresponders can actually be a useful tool in both traffic building and list building. They don’t have to be intrusive and should be informational and something the customer is happy to receive. That being said, you need to make sure there is an opt-out feature when the emails are no longer directly related to the delivery of a product from your online company. If you don’t the consumer may feel as if subsequent emails are spam oriented.

Imagine having a room full of employees whose job it is to personally answer each email order that comes in. Would this be a cost effective way to run a business? If not then perhaps the nominal cost associated with a fully developed autoresponder system may be more cost effective simply in terms of freeing up more time then you thought.

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects. Get your own website online in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites.com at: http://www.highpowersites.com Start your own ebook business with BooksWealth at: http://www.bookswealth.com