What to send at 9 pm: after-hours replies that don't promise too much

I set up the after-hours reply with every team I onboard. Most first drafts say “We have received your message and will respond as soon as possible.” The customer learns nothing from that.

Say when

The one thing the customer wants to know is when a person will read this. “We open at 8 am Eastern and yours is first in line” answers it. If you can't promise first in line, give the time you open and your usual reply time.

Say who, if you can

Mailslot assigns the owner before the reply goes out, so the reply can say “Sam in billing will pick this up.” Customers who get a name write back less often to ask if anyone saw their message. Across our customers the follow-up rate drops from 11% to 4%.

Give one way out for emergencies

If you have an emergency line, put it here and say what counts as an emergency. Larkfield Property Management lists four things: water, gas, no heat, locked out.

Leave these out

Leave out the ticket number. Nobody has ever needed it. Leave out the apology too. You haven't done anything wrong by being closed at 9 pm.