Best Times to Send Emails for a Quick Response
In many instances, timing is everything. So, to maximize your chances of receiving prompt email responses, various studies and experts suggest the following days and times along with a few contextual recommendations.
Best Days to Send Emails
The days below are preferred because recipients are typically more engaged mid-week when they’re settled into their work routines.
- Tuesday: Generally considered the best day for sending emails, particularly for business-to-business communications.
- Thursday: Another top day to send emails, often ranking first in several studies.
- Wednesday: Also, an effective day, especially for marketing services.
Best Times to Send Emails
Sending an email at 2 AM won’t likely get you a quick response, unless of course, your recipient is on the other side of the world. Instead, consider the times below and adjust them accordingly per time zone.
⏰ Morning (8 AM - 11 AM):
- 9 AM - 10 AM: This time frame sees high open rates as many people check their emails shortly after arriving at work.
- 10 AM: This is frequently cited as the peak time for email engagement, making it ideal for sending important messages.
⌚️ Early Afternoon (1 PM - 4 PM):
- 1 PM: People often check their emails again after lunch, making this another good time to send messages.
- 3 PM - 4 PM: Engagement tends to rise again as people start wrapping up their day and checking their inboxes before leaving work.
🕰️ Late Afternoon (5 PM - 6 PM):
This can be effective for sending emails to those who may check their messages before finishing their day.
Specific Recommendations by Context
Here are a few additional suggestions for sending business and consumer messages.
- Business-to-Business (B2B) Emails: Aim for Tuesday or Thursday mornings between 9 AM and 11 AM.
- Business-to-Consumer (B2C) Emails: Consider evenings or weekends, as consumers are more likely to engage during their personal time.
- Sales Emails: Sending emails on either Tuesdays or Fridays around 11 AM can yield better results.
Keep Your Inbox Organized to Improve Email Response Time
To avoid missing important messages that require your attention, it’s essential to maintain an organized mailbox. Clean Email can help you organize emails and manage your inbox like a pro.
With its robust feature set, Clean Email gives you the tools you need for daily work communication, organization, and efficiency.
Smart Folders: To quickly spot related messages, Smart Folders work like premade filters to automatically sort your emails into relevant categories.
Auto Clean: For hands-off organization, Auto Clean lets you set up automated rules to move, mark, or remove messages without manual effort. Just set and forget!
Screener: To weed out junk and stop inbox clutter, Screener filters emails from unknown senders into a single location for you to review. You can then allow, block, or mark spam immediately.
Cleaning Suggestions: For assistance with maintaining a tidy inbox, Cleaning Suggestions provide recommendations on how to handle messages based on your previous actions.
All of these features and more are available in the Clean Email app on the web, desktop (Mac), and mobile devices (both Android and iOS). This gives you the functionality you need no matter where you use it! Plus, you can rest easy with Clean Email’s commitment to your privacy and security.
💡 Tip: Look at these email management best practices for work to see how these Clean Email features and others can help you tackle your mailbox.
Average Email Response Times and Etiquette
Whether for yourself or your recipients, there are some general expectations when it comes to appropriate response times for emails. Keep in mind that these can differ per industry, culture, and volume and are based on studies and surveys.
General Expectations
⏳ One Business Day: A recent survey found that the majority of professionals (81%) expect an email response within a single business day. Of that total percentage, 21% prefer a reply within four hours.
⏳ Two Hours: Research suggests that about half (50%) of professionals respond to work emails within approximately two hours which implies a common expectation for timely responses.
⏳ Immediate: Some studies show that customers expect a reply in an hour or less while other surveys have found that 90% of consumers with a customer service inquiry expect a response within 10 minutes.
Industry-Specific Standards
Customer Service: The average response time is about 12 hours while close to 90% of customers expect replies within one hour.
Sales: The average lead response time is approximately 42 hours. However, one study found that replies within one hour were seven times more likely to qualify that lead and other research suggests that number increases to 21 times if the response is within five minutes.
Support: The average response time is within 24 hours which is normally acceptable.
Marketing and Human Resources: The average response time is within 48 hours which is generally acceptable.
Summary of Response Time Statistics
| Context | Average Response Time | Customer Expectation |
|---|---|---|
| General Work Emails | ~2 hours | Within 12-24 hours |
| Customer Service | ~12 hours | Within 1 hour |
| Sales | ~42 hours | Within 5 minutes preferred |
| Support | ~24 hours | Within 24 hours |
| Marketing & HR | ~48 hours | Within 48 hours |
Strategies to Improve Your Professional Email Response Time
Now that you have the facts, you may be wondering how to improve your own email reply etiquette and response times. And although those times can be impacted by the volume of messages you have, there are a few strategies that should get you off to a great start.
✅ Maintain an Organized Inbox: Keeping your inbox clutter-free and organized helps you handle large numbers of incoming messages more effectively.
✅ Prioritize Emails: Not all messages carry the same weight, so filtering those that are the most important helps you spot and then respond to them faster.
✅ Set an Email Response Time Policy: By establishing a documented standard for yourself or within your company, you can not only manage the expectations of the recipients, but improve efficiency.
✅ Identify the Obstacles: If after trying the above, you still struggle to meet an acceptable email response time, it may be necessary to figure out why.
For example, if it’s the volume of messages you receive that affects the response time, can you delegate and share email responsibilities with others? Or, if it’s the wording of the replies you’re composing that creates the delay, can you consider using an email template, or in cases like acknowledgements, set up a canned response?
Once you identify the obstacles, you can then take steps to surmount them and meet the normal email response time expectations of your recipients.
Wrap-Up
Knowing the best time to send an email to get a response is key to receiving a prompt reply. And, using tools like Clean Email to manage your inbox helps ensure that you’re adhering to professional email etiquette and response times yourself. Don’t let faulty email communication be an impediment to your success.
Best Time to Send & Respond to Emails – FAQs
What is a reasonable response time for email?
A reasonable response time for emails is typically within 24 to 48 hours during business days. Clean Email can help you manage your inbox more effectively to respond within this timeframe.
When is the ideal business email response time?
The ideal response time for business emails is within one business day to maintain professionalism. Clean Email can assist in organizing your emails so you never miss the important ones and can reply promptly.
Almost all businesspeople expect to receive an email response within what time frame?
Most business professionals expect to receive an email response within 24 hours. Clean Email helps you stay on top of your emails to meet this expectation.
How can I manage expectations if I can't respond immediately?
You can manage expectations by setting up an automatic reply indicating your unavailability and specifying when you'll respond, or by informing correspondents of any delays in advance.
When is the best time to send an email to get a response?
The best time to send an email to get a prompt response is during typical business hours, especially between 9 AM and 11 AM on weekdays. You can schedule your emails within your email provider to be sent at optimal times.
What is an appropriate email response time?
An appropriate email response time is within 24 hours or one business day, aligning with professional etiquette. Clean Email helps you manage your inbox efficiently to respond within appropriate timeframes.
