Category: Culture, Mindset, Technology
❓How do you handle responses that are “non-responses”?
This is inspired by my friend Jerry, who’s a loyal “Glitch Guru (Holder).” He forwarded a valuable Harvard Business Review’s (HBR) Tip of the Day. He did so based on the text exchange we had not too long ago. It was based on this article that addresses “non-responses” such as:
- I’ll look into that.
- I’ll try.
- Great idea.
- Let’s put a pin in it.
This got me thinking…is this worse than ghosting? These types of responses don’t say anything or indicate a next step, assuming that one is necessary depending on context.
🎯 Goal: Who’s fault is this?
Do you take a moment to outline what would represent a quality response given the situation?
Do you assume that the person should know what you’re asking and how to respond?
Without a little extra guidance, it could be easily implied that there’s no urgency or importance to the matter, therefore, no effort to respond with sufficient details is put forth.
What can we do to guide the person to a more concrete response? This falls within another one of my favorite topics: Manage Expectations.
There’s a balance to this because:
a. You don’t want to come off condescending that, based on your attention to detail, they may assume you’re underestimating their work ethic.
b. At the same time, you’re then stuck with having to backtrack and redo your request for a more substantial response.
📌 Actionable Item: Here are 2 examples of replying to a non-response. They’re limited to sales and customer service only.
Increase your chance of a detailed response with these examples. These can be greatly improved upon when you customize them to your business and the issue at hand.
A. Sales
Please provide a status update on where we stand with (name of the lead.) Please share your latest interaction and what they indicated is their next step in the process. Could you share your insights on when you anticipate we'll be able to close the deal with the prospect? I appreciate your effort.
B. Customer Service
Thank you for your response, however, to ensure I understand, could you please provide more specific information about the progress made, any actions taken, and the next steps planned with the client?
💼 Additionally, I'd be remiss in suggesting that AI prompts can assist with writing a cogent response to a non-response. Make sure you edit accordingly so it’s your voice, tone with a human touch.
Here’s a prompt example when you’re unsure how to approach the situation:
Act like a business owner in the (type of business) whose employee just responded with a vague response, therefore, you're still unsure of the status of when the (name the task) will be finished. Write a clear explanation of what details would be helpful to know the status and any next steps.
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