Why it matters
People expect quick replies to email. In a 2018 survey, a reply within one hour met the expectations of 89% of customers who email a business. Out of hours you cannot meet that, but you can tell people when you will reply, so nobody is left wondering.
What to say
- Thank them for their message.
- Give your working hours.
- Say when they will hear back, such as by 10am on the next working day.
- Say what to do if it is urgent.
- Keep it to a few lines, with no sales message.
Keep the promise
An automatic reply only helps if the real reply comes when you said. Deal with overnight email first thing, before new work starts. If you often miss the time you gave, give a later time you can keep.
How Customer replies helps
Xevrion's Customer replies reads enquiries as they arrive, day and night. Its AI drafts each reply from your approved facts, so drafts are waiting when your team starts. A person checks each reply by default, and Results records the time to the first reply.
Sources
- How fast should a business respond to an email?. Toister Performance Solutions. Published 15 April 2018.
- Enquiry reply templates. Xevrion. Checked 8 October 2026.
- Customer replies: how it works. Xevrion. Checked 8 October 2026.
Last checked: 8 October 2026.