What feature should you use to remind yourself to take care of an issue in your email next week
Figuring out how and when to send a reminder email is a social dilemma that most people know all too well. No one wants to come across as impatient or pushy, but no one wants to deal with missed appointments or lapsed deadlines either. How do you balance the need to respect someone else’s autonomy with the need to get things done? Show
The etiquette dilemma is easily solved with a well-written reminder. These are the messages that get the point across without creating hard feelings. They’re professional and effective, yet friendly and gentle. In this article, you’ll learn how to craft emails like this (and we encourage you to borrow from our samples!) — but first, let’s learn when it’s appropriate to send a friendly reminder email, and how to find your perfect timing. When should you send a reminder email?Reminder emails are useful when something important is coming up and when something should have happened but didn’t. Here are some situations that could benefit from sending a reminder.
What’s the ideal timing for a reminder email?It’s not always easy to find the perfect time to send a reminder email. How soon after the job interview or missed deadline, or how far in advance of the important event, should you get in touch? The answer depends on what you’re waiting for. If you’re reminding someone about a missed deadline, payment, invoice or shipment, it’s appropriate to send a reminder on the first business day after the due date. Waiting longer not only lengthens the delay but also increases the risk that the person will forget the details of the agreement. If you’re following up on something that didn’t have a due date, it’s considered good manners to wait a little bit longer — especially if someone’s doing you a favor. The same goes for follow-up emails to job applications and interviews. Applying for a job is stressful and it always takes longer than you’d like. But hiring is a complex process on the employer’s end, too. When you wait instead of rushing to follow up, you show the employer that you respect their time and authority. According to Harvard Business Review, you can follow up a week after your interview if you haven’t heard back. Indeed recommends a longer wait of 10–14 days. Think about what the interviewer or hiring manager has said to you about their timeline. And always send a message at least a few days past when they said you’d hear back. Advance reminders are easier. You can send those out one business day before the event. Two days before is appropriate if the person has to make elaborate preparations. If you use Calendly, you can easily schedule reminders to auto-send a certain number of hours before the event. How do you write a gentle reminder email?Apart from when you send the email, one of the most important elements of reminder etiquette is a friendly tone. You want to strike a balance between urgency and understanding. The gentler you can be, the better. Below are several examples and templates you can swipe from — they'll help you craft kind reminder emails that drive your point home without hurting any feelings. 1. Choose an appropriate subject lineA solid email subject line is a must. It’s simply good email etiquette to include one. A great subject line reassures the recipient that you’re not a spammer, which is important if you’re messaging someone like a vendor or job interviewer. They may not know you well and may not have your address in their contact list. If it’s a professional message related to a missed deadline, a good way to start your subject line is with the words “Response Required” or “Action Required.” These get people’s attention and may encourage them to open the email. Naturally, you don’t want to use this phrase if you’re emailing someone who’s doing you a favor or courtesy. If you’re following up after an interview or getting back in touch with someone who offered to do something for you, the phrase “Following Up” might be better. Either way, make sure that you reference the matter at hand. Below are some examples of reminder email subject lines:
2. Greet the recipientLike a subject line, a salutation is a must when you’re sending a polite reminder email. It makes the message sound friendlier and more professional at the same time. People agonize over email salutations, but it’s not as tricky as some might make it seem. These simple tips will help you choose the best one for any situation:
3. Start with the nicetiesSince your goal is to write a gentle reminder email, start with a friendly message. It’s best to be specific and reference something appropriate that you know about the person, such as an upcoming milestone or a big project they’ve been working on. For example:
If the person is a colleague or someone who has done something nice for you recently, you can offer your thanks as the opening to your email. For example:
If you don’t know the person or their work, something like “I hope you’re having a good week” is fine. 4. Get to the pointOnce you’ve opened with the personal touch, you can work on getting your message across. This is the part you’ll want to spend the most time on. Be clear about what needs to happen and when but take care to avoid blaming language. One of the most delicate types of reminders is the missed-deadline reminder. Here’s what you might say in that situation, starting with an appropriate gentle opener: “Thanks for your work on the Miller proposal. I think we’ll get a good response on that. Right now, though, I’m concerned about the Gentle Widgets product launch. As we’d discussed, we needed the market research from you by yesterday, so our design team can get started. They need that information ASAP so the project can go forward.” The message above is clear about what didn’t happen and why it’s so important. You can apply that kind of clarity to any reminder email, including those that remind people of upcoming events. For example:
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5. Make a specific requestYour purpose in sending a friendly reminder email isn’t to impose guilt but to encourage something to happen. The best way to get that across is with a request for what you need the recipient to do — a call to action — along with when you need it. Be as specific as possible. Even if you've shared your phone number before, for example, include it again in your call to action so there's no mistaking the action you want the recipient to take:
6. Wrap it up and sign your nameAlways end by giving the recipient the benefit of the doubt. A good closing sentence sounds something like:
The last thing to do is to sign the email. As you did with the salutation, consider your relationship with the person and how you want to come across. When in doubt, use one of these professional sign-offs:
End with your full name. When sending an email to someone you know very well, you can use your first name. If it’s someone you don’t know, add your job title and company name. Make sure they can connect you with the project or event you’re referencing. The waiting game: Is no response a response?If you explicitly request a response to your reminder, you can reasonably expect to get one. No response usually means one of three things:
To maintain goodwill, try to give people the benefit of the doubt. Assume they want to reply. If it feels necessary, write again to see if they need help. It’s frustrating to have to send more than one reminder email. But keep in mind that everyone has their reasons for not replying. Give them a few days to respond before following up again. When you do, keep your tone patient and remind them why the matter is urgent. If they don’t respond after the second reminder, consider giving them a friendly phone call during business hours. Two reminders also suffice for an upcoming event. One email the day before an appointment and another an hour before are usually enough. The first one provides an opportunity to send anything they need to prepare and the second gives them a chance to offer a heads-up if they’re running late. Should you use reminder texts instead of emails?Your reminder doesn’t have to be an email. SMS messages can be friendlier and they’re proven to be effective for getting in touch. Research shows that as many as 98% of texts get opened compared to 20% of emails. And while only 6% of emails get responses, that number goes up to 45% for texts. SMS messages are also easy to send, especially with Calendly’s notifications tool. You get to remind people of upcoming appointments, missed responses and more on a custom schedule. You can set reminder messages to be sent at specified intervals before or after events. It keeps everyone on track and reduces delays — and in the end, that’s what reminder emails are all about. Ready to make your reminder process more efficient with Calendly? Sign up for your free trial today. Sign up FREE for CalendlyWhat feature in Outlook should you use to remind yourself to take care of an issue in your email next week?Microsoft Outlook Tip: Set Reminders to Reply to Emails and Follow Up with Contacts. Right-click on the email message, and choose Follow Up | Add Reminder. ... . Select the appropriate “Flag to” value and “Flag color.” You can select a “Flag to” value from the list, or type your own custom value.. How do you send a reminder email sample?Dear {Name}, This is a friendly reminder confirming your appointment with {organizer} on {date and time}. Please try to arrive 15 minutes early and bring your {document}. If you have any questions or you need to reschedule, please call our office at {phone number}.
Can Outlook remind you to follow up?Flag to remind you and recipients to follow up
On the Message tab, in the Tags group, select Follow Up, and then select Add Reminder. Select Flag for Recipients. To send a flag without a reminder alert, clear the Reminder check box. Select the Flag for Me check box, and if you want, the Reminder check box.
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