You write the perfect email, hit send, and…wait. How long you wait depends on quite a few factors, according to results from the largest-ever study of email. Data shows 90% of people will respond to emails within a day or two if they intend to respond at all. So if you’re still waiting for a reply after 2 days, you’ll most likely not receive an answer. But luckily, the most common reply time is much quicker, just 2 minutes.
If you’re the average U.S. professional, you’re sending and receiving 110 emails daily. Two findings are useful for your work emails. Sending an email to a contact when they’re on the go is twice as effective as sending it when they’re at their desk. And if you’re looking for an in-depth reply, send your email early in the day. Morning responses tend to be longer than those in the afternoon.
Another email study provides a useful rule of thumb: the optimal length for an email is 50 to 125 words. Emails of that length receive a response 51% of the time. So, it’s brevity that gets your message across.
Entefy’s enFacts are illuminating nuggets of information about the intersection of communications, artificial intelligence, security and cyber privacy, and the Internet of Things. Have an idea for an enFact? We would love to hear from you.