You get to your office and look at your email box and there are hundreds of emails."? Joy quickly turns to frustration as you quickly realize that most of them are spam and solicitations."? Unfortunately,"?we are a business that requires a quick if not immediate response.

Most agents turn on an auto responder message that they believe will keep the potential customer satisfied."? And that may be the case except that the auto responder must be designed properly."? Below are some examples of bad auto responders that I have received in the last 90 days:

• I am away from my desk and will respond with 24 hours
• Thanks for your email,"? I usually check my emails during the evening and will get back to you then
• I am on vacation until (1 week later) and will return you email upon my return
• I am on my honeymoon for three months
• I have changed my email address to block the filthy spam I have been receiving, please call me if you need a response

Wow!"? We spend all that money in marketing only to lose it with an inadequate follow-up."? Think about the perception from our customers."? I will discuss solutions in Part III.