Having trouble with response rate? Check your Spam Folder!

[greystorm2]

Hi all! I’ve noticed a lot of my colleagues having trouble with their response rates, and I remember having some frustrations with mine back when I first started.

You might not realize that some messages that get sent to you get automatically flagged as spam and tossed into your spam folder. This folder is also where messages go that you purposefully mark as spam, of course. If you’re suddenly seeing your response rate dropping, and you’re absolutely positive that you’ve responded to every incoming message, check your spam folder. It’s in your In Box, and you can select it from your filters.

There are a couple of other reasons your response rate could be dropping. You might not realize that, if you’ve been chatting with a buyer through an order page, and they send a new message to you outside of the order page, that counts as a new message that you must respond to in order to keep your response rate up.

Next to brand new messages, you’ll see a little black clock. This is how you can see at a glance that this is a brand new message that you’re being timed on. If you’ve taken too long to reply to those new messages, that black clock turns into a little red clock. Once you’ve replied to that message, the little clock goes away.

Remember, in order to provide great customer service, be sure to reply to all new incoming messages as quickly as you can, whether they’re being timed or not. 😉 It is not necessary, however, to get the “last word” on every single message. You’re not being timed on on-going conversations.

Of course, if you can’t find any of these as a reason for a mysteriously dropping response rate, it’s worth opening a ticket with customer service so they can check for any glitches with your account. Just remember to describe your issue accurately and politely, provide a screenshot, and be patient while you’re waiting for their reply since they’re experiencing a bit of a backlog and delays.

And finally, even if you hit a rough spot, don’t stress! Once you’ve found the culprit and responded, the old rate will adjust after 60 days as long as you stay on top of new messages and reply to them quickly. Stay consistently active every day, get those new messages replied to, and you can and will recover.

🙂

[kilianotte]

One addition: After a certain timeframe, the clock resets and you are still required to answer timely, even if you have already talked to client before.

[drmashiurrahman]

Good to know you your tips and tactics.

[barrelofmonkeys]

Oh yeah this is a great idea, thank you! Always a good idea to keep an eye on that folder.