The e-mail waiting game: When customers take a dive

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08/01/2025 | Business | Estimated reading time : min.

This article was automatically translated using DeepL. Therefore, inaccuracies may occur.

Once upon a time, letters came by stagecoach. Three weeks delivery time was considered an express service. For some customers, it feels exactly the same today.

The phenomenon of digital mail

You know what it's like: you send an email with the heading "URGENT: Need logo approval for the relaunch on Friday" and wait.

And you wait.

The project deadline moves into the next quarter, you could grow a beard in the meantime, and you wonder whether the client might have joined a monastery.

After two weeks, you get the redemptive answer: "Sorry for the late response. I was under a lot of stress."

I see. Stressed out. I see. Two weeks of stress, but time for 47 LinkedIn posts about work-life balance.

The different types of customers when emailing back and forth

The time traveler: Generally doesn't reply until the problem has resolved itself. Sends you feedback on the Christmas campaign on December 15.

The minimalist: Answers "OK" after a week. You ask yourself: OK to what? To cancel the project? To the price increase? To world peace?

The novelist: Needs two weeks to write you a page-long novel that contains everything. Just not the answer to your question.

The procrastination pro: At least he answers, I'll give him that. "Can't deal with it right now, I'll get back to you next week." That's honest and predictable. Three weeks later, I get the same message.

My new email philosophy

I used to be more patient. Much more patient. Today, I know that business relationships only work when you're on an equal footing. Even when it comes to communication.

Two working days response time for ongoing projects? That's not an exaggeration. That's the minimum for a functioning business relationship. If your dentist doesn't respond to your emergency call for two weeks, you change dentists too.

My strategies

The deadline: "I need the information by Thursday, otherwise the relaunch will be postponed by a week." Suddenly they find time between lunch and closing time.

The break: "Should we pause the project for four weeks until you have capacity again?" Interesting how quickly "totally stressed" suddenly becomes "oh, I've already got two minutes".

The reversal strategy: "No problem, take your time. I'll move you to the back of my schedule." Works particularly well with customers who are used to exclusivity.

Conclusion

Many customers have other priorities. If it takes your customer two weeks to write "Yes, that's fine", it's not because their inbox is overflowing. Your project is just not important enough for them. That's the uncomfortable truth.

You can expect your customers to respond within two working days. That's not petty, that's professional. If you're too busy for a quick response, you're too busy for a successful project.

And if you're thinking: "But Wolfgang, you don't always reply straight away either." That's true. But I usually stick to my own two working days. And if I'm on vacation, there's an autoresponder. That's how professional communication works.

PS: If you're one of those customers who always reply quickly: You are the true heroes of everyday project work. There's a special place for you in freelancer heaven. Right next to the coffee machine.

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[Translate to English:] Wolfgang Wagner, TYPO3 Experte und Trainer

Hi, I'm Wolfgang.

I have been working with TYPO3 since 2006. Not in theory, but in real projects with real deadlines. I've probably had the problems you're having three times already.

At some point, I started putting my knowledge into video courses. Not because I like being in front of the camera, but because I kept hearing the same questions over and over again. There are now hundreds of videos. Every single one was the result of a specific question from a specific project.

What makes me different from a YouTube tutorial: I not only know the solution, but also the context. Why something works. When it doesn't work. And which mistakes you can avoid because I've already made them.

My participants use me as a sparring partner. Not in the sense of "call me anytime", but like this: You come to the live session with a specific problem, post your question in the community or watch the appropriate video. And get an answer that works because it comes from practical experience.

As a member of the TYPO3 Education & Certification Committee, I make sure that the certification exams are kept up to date. What is tested there flows directly into my courses.