An autoresponder is a feature that every email user should be familiar with. The electronic route in this case facilitates communication between employees, contractors and superiors. This tool is also useful for marketing. What is it and how do I set up an autoresponder in my e-mail inbox?
What is an autoresponder?
The autoresponder allows automatic replies to be sent to the message sender. Another name for this option is absence assistant. However, these two terms should not be considered synonyms. They can only be used interchangeably when used by an employee.
An automatic reply with information about, for example, an employee's illness, holiday or business trip is an example of using this function as an absence assistant. If e-mails are sent by a company to keep in touch with customers or to inform them of company offers and promotions, as well as to send newsletters, this is then referred to as an autoresponder.
Autoresponder in email marketing - is it necessary?
Initially, the automated sending of replies was practised by employees, who communicated their absence from the company in this way. Over time, companies discovered the potential of this function. For many of them, the company e-mail box began to serve as an additional channel of communication with customers. 
The effectiveness of the autoresponder is due, among other things, to the direct form of communication. An individual receives a message from the company. Other forms of online advertising, meanwhile, are directed at an anonymous collective. By addressing the consumer directly, there is a much greater chance of gaining their interest. This translates into increased sales of products or services.
A creative autoresponder is a surer way to reach customers than persuasive advertising. This form of marketing does not have a good reputation. Internet users are saturated with promotional content. The result is the installation of ad-blocking plug-ins. As a result, the money spent on a campaign may not be recouped. The use of autoresponders alleviates this problem.
It is good practice to leave it up to the customer to decide whether to remain on the company's mailing list. Therefore, the recipient should be able to opt-out of receiving messages.
Autoresponder versus email forwarding - which to choose?
The use of an autoresponder does not always work. A common situation in customer communication is that emails are sent to the wrong email address. Examples include questions about the company's offer, delivery times or the date of a complaint.
It may happen that a customer sends a message to a general company mailbox. In such a situation, instead of sending the message back to the sender, e.g. with a request to send the email again, it can be redirected straight away. This removes the need for employees to manually send correspondence back to the correct department within the company.
Automatic redirection also works well at work. With this function, an employee can pass on important information to the person who replaces her. The forwarding of correspondence to another e-mail address should be preceded by consultation with the supervisor. The absence assistant is useful when an employee is unable to forward messages to someone in the same position.
Whatever the circumstances, it is worth using an autoresponder, absence assistant or email forwarding. Neither customers nor contractors and colleagues should be left without information. In either case, it looks unprofessional. 
How to prepare a good autoresponder for customers?
An autoresponder for businesses should be personalised. It is effective practice to address the customer by name. A title that encourages the customer to open the message is also important. The content itself should be enriched with eye-catching graphics.
Care should be taken to ensure that the content of the correspondence is useful to the customer. Promotions and discount codes, for example, are of interest. Emails should not only be sent to new consumers. After-sales marketing also covers people who have not been using the company's offer for a long time. It is worth contacting them to remind them of themselves.
You also need to know how to set up an autoresponder. Sending messages to customers too often can lead to them being ignored. This is possible, especially when much of the correspondence is of no interest to the recipients.
What information should be included in a business autoresponder?
The content of a business autoresponder does not require a lot of information to be entered. The message to colleagues or business partners should be as short and concise as possible. It is usually not necessary to include your name and position. In most companies, these are entered in the footer of the e-mail.
The content of the message should always include information such as the date of absence and the date of contact with the addressee, for example. It is good practice to notify who can be contacted in the event of a substitution. This is not necessary if automatic forwarding of emails is set up.
The autoresponder is one of the most useful email features. The possibilities for its use are truly numerous. Using this option facilitates communication in many ways. It also helps to build a professional image of the employee as well as the company.
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