Auto-responders are a great way to keep in touch with your customers automatically, while still allowing you to tailor content to their needs. Whether it's scheduled meeting notifications, appointment reminders, or follow-up emails, these emails provide a way for you to easily keep your product or service in front of your customers.
Recently, I purchased a computer from a well-known "fruit" company. In the weeks since my purchase, I've been receiving follow-up emails congratulating me on my purchase, reminding me about support options, and advertising for accessories for my new laptop. I knew these were automatically generated emails that they had set up, but I applauded them for their attention for follow up with new customers.
In their most recent email, they listed a number of accessories to go with my new purchase - everything from carrying cases, bags, wireless mice, and more. One of these items was a portable hard drive, and since I've been looking for one (great timing on their part!), I figured I'd click and find out more about it. I was taken to the product description page for the hard drive, only to see a note next to the price - "Discontinued".
These types of situations are avoidable, and it's important to keep an eye on your auto-responders to make sure that the message they're sending to your customers is up-to-date. It's so easy just to leave your auto-responders alone and let them keep sending, but trust me, it's worth your time to dust off your auto-response emails every now and then to make sure they're sending the right message!
