Do you apply for a job, are you looking to contact an important customer or you just hope for a quick answer to your questions? Bet these two words that will directly capture the attention of your interlocutor.
Between a saturated reception box and various priorities, some e-mails often go to the hatch. To counter this phenomenon and ensure that your messages are well read, treated and returned, a study reveals that two small words would encourage your interlocutor more to respond.
To make a relevant email and get a quick response, you have to pay attention to all the details both on the choice of the keywords of the object and the content but also on how to conclude! An American study carried out on more than 350,000 emails and approved by Journal of Personality and Social Psychologyhas shown that certain formulas used at the end of the email significantly increases your chances of obtaining an answer. Eight conclusion formulas are pulling out of the game and one in particular has the highest response rate.
Indeed, the results report that the use of the “better greetings” conclusion formula gives a response rate of 52.9%. It is the least effective formula for an answer … The words “greetings” (53.5%) and “cordially” (53.9%) arrive just above. But then what to use for a better response rate guaranteed? On the third step of the podium, we find the formula “thank you very much” (57.9%) while the second step is occupied by a sober but still effective “thank you” (63%). The two words to use at the end of the email to ensure an answer are therefore “thank you in advance” (65.7%).
On average, emails without these special formulas reached only 47.5% of responses. This then made it possible to show that the expressions expressing gratitude played a crucial role in capturing the attention of the recipient.
Results which have also been confirmed by a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Led by Adam M. Grant and Francesca Gino, this research involved 69 university students divided into two groups. Participants received an email asking them for help to write a cover letter. In the first group, the messages ended with a thank you sentence, while in the second, they ended in a neutral manner.
Result ? The emails containing thanks doubled the chances of receiving an answer. Researchers have concluded that a simple expression of gratitude could create a feeling of recognition and encourage immediate action.
