Why is it important to read emails?

This might seem like a strange and obvious topic to choose, you might be thinking…

“Well obviously you should read your emails, so you know what is going on!”

OR, you might be thinking…

“Ugh, I get so many emails including spam emails, why should I have to read them all – I just don’t have time!”

And that, right there, is why we want to chat about emails…

If you are in the ‘ugh-I-get-too-many-emails’ boat – we feel you! We don’t like wasting time reading junk mail or unnecessary marketing emails either.

However, when you are using emails for work, or to place orders, or organise various things, they are CRITICAL and that is where the ‘obviously-you-should-read-your-emails’ team have the upper hand.

Emails, whether we like it or not, can carry important information, updates, or announcements and therefore, ARE important to read.

Now, we are NOT suggesting you waste your weekend reading top to bottom through every single email you receive – that would be silly! (We wouldn’t do that either!)

However, when you KNOW you are organising something, communicating with someone, placing an order or handling a task, it is super important to pay attention to your emails.

And why is that?

1. Email’s can contain important pieces of information (eg. Prices, times, location, details etc…) that can enable you to clearly understand a situation, scenario or process

2. Email’s act as a record. Sending emails back and forth creates a chain or paper trail that can keep track of various communication, meaning it can be used as proof.

3. Mistakes can happen. Everyone is human, sometimes a mistake can be made or something can be mis-interpreted. If you are reading your emails carefully, there is a higher chance you will pick-up on any mistakes or miscommunications and have the opportunity to rectify, rather than realising after the fact.

Despite the importance of reading emails, we have encountered some scenarios where this has sadly been costly or frustrating for clients or suppliers.

Let’s take a look at some unfortunate scenarios…

SCENARIO 1

A customer placed an online order that they needed for an event. They read our FAQs and saw that we advertise fast turnaround times. However, they never read the information specific to the product they were purchasing AND never read their emails to see that the invoice email stated the due date and estimated turnaround. By not reading their emails, they ended up paying for a product that missed their deadline. SCENARIO 2

A customer approved an artwork without reading or reviewing it properly. Unfortunately, they approved the wrong design and received a banner they couldn’t use. They then had to waste funds on ordering another one. SCENARIO 3

A customer didn’t read their email notifying them that we don’t proceed to production until we receive payment & artwork approval. They simply assumed that when they sent an email to tell us what they wanted, the order had been placed. Unfortunately, they ignored any follow up emails from our team to remind them we required payment & artwork approval. The customer then realised a week later when their banner hadn’t arrived, that the order had never been placed. Unfortunately, they needed their banner the next day and it was no longer possible for us to produce it within their deadline. SCENARIO 4

A customer sent us an email requesting to re-order a product they had ordered before. We organised for this to happen and sent them an invoice, requesting them to review it carefully and ensure all details and information was correct. They responded by approving this invoice and making payment, so we placed their order. A week later, we got a call from the customer to ask where their order was. Our team followed up on their order and discovered it had been printed, packed, dispatched & delivered. We provided them with the proof of delivery and confirmed the date & time it was delivered. The customer then asked where we had delivered their order. So, we emailed them their invoice and confirmed that it was delivered to the address shown on the invoice. At this stage, the customer THEN told us that it was an old address and they had moved a couple of weeks ago. They then wasted a week trying to track down & retrieve their parcel, all because they didn’t read their initial email and let us know that an address update needed to be made.

We HATE seeing these scenarios happen to customers and while we ALWAYS go out of our way to assist, make information clear, improve our processes, show understanding and even offer compensation in certain situations… we cannot stress it enough – reading your emails carefully is essential!

Why?

1. To ensure you receive ALL the information

2. To ensure you understand the process

3. To ensure you receive your order on time

4. To ensure mistakes are avoided

The same goes for our team…

What would happen if we didn’t read customer emails clearly?

Chances are we would miss important details, make mistakes and potentially cost ourselves money by producing things incorrectly and having to rectify.

Emails are a critical form of communication that can be essential to clear, effective and successful outcomes for all parties involved.

We want to see our customers satisfied with the service, the products and of course, the outcome. We hope this little deep dive into the importance of checking your emails helps to prevent any future disappointments.

Happy printing!