Waiting for a response to some emails can be nerve-wracking, such as
when you send a message to your boss asking for a raise or when you're
giving your realtor your highest bid on a house. As more time passes
with you inbox empty, your stress level can continue to build. Email
read receipts can help ease some of that anxiety by sending you a
notification the moment the recipient opens your email. However, not all
email programs offer a read-receipt feature, and different email
settings on your recipient's server may prevent the read receipt from
generating. A read receipt can be a handy tool to let you know your
email's status, but keep in mind it won't always work effectively.
Instructions
Microsoft Outlook
Open Microsoft Outlook and enter your password if necessary.
Click "New" to compose a new message. Write your email as you normally
would.
Click on the "Options" tab at the top of the email window.
Find the "Tracking" group. Select the type of receipt you
prefer by checking the box beside your selection. "Request a Read
Receipt" notifies you when the recipient opens the email. "Request a
Delivery Receipt" informs you when the email is successfully delivered
to the recipient's email server, but not when the recipient opens the
email. Click "Send."
Configure your email to request a read receipt every time
you send a message by clicking on Outlook's "File" tab and choosing
"Options." Click "Mail," then "Tracking." Select "Read Receipt
Confirming the Recipient Viewed the Message" for a read receipt or
"Delivery Receipt Confirming the Message was Delivered" for a
notification the email was delivered to the recipient's email server.
Thunderbird
Open Mozilla Thunderbird. Click "Write" in the top left corner of the page to compose a new message. Write your email.
Click "Options" at the top of the window. Select "Return
Receipt." This lets you know when your recipient receives that specific
email. Click "Send."
Set your configurations to send return receipts every time
you send an email. Click on the "Tools" menu and choose "Options." Under
"Advanced," select "General."
Check the box beside "When Sending Messages, Always Request a Return Receipt."
Windows Live Mail
Log in to your Windows Live Mail account and click "New" to compose a new email. Write the email.
Click on the "Tools" menu on the email message's menu bar. Check the box beside "Request Read Receipt." Send your email.
Change your email options to request a read receipt
automatically with each email you send. Click on the "Main Menu" button
in the top left corner of Live Mail -- it's dark blue and looks like a
piece of paper. Choose "Mail," then "Options." Choose the "Receipts" tab
and check the box beside "Request a Read Receipt for All Sent
Messages." Click "OK."
Google Apps for Business, Education and Government
Log in to your Google Apps for Business, Education and
Government email account. Read receipts aren't available for personal
Gmail accounts. The Google Apps account offers business-grade hosted
email services at a small monthly fee after a 30-day free trial.
Compose your email. Click on the "Request Return Receipt"
link, which is found directly below the "To" field. Click to check the
box beside "Request Read Receipt."
Click "Send." A read receipt is requested from each
individual listed in the "To" and "CC" fields. Google Apps doesn't send
read receipts to group mailing lists, only to individual email accounts.
When returned, the receipt shows up below the body of the message if
you're using conversation view or as a separate message if you're using
the standard view.
Tips & Warnings
Read receipts are
not reliable and often fail to inform you when the email has been read.
If the recipient checks his email on his smartphone, it's unlikely to
send a read-receipt notice to you. Also, the feature relies on the
recipient's email server to send a reply, but many are configured in a
way that prevents read receipts from being sent. Many email programs,
such as Outlook, ask the recipient if he wants to notify the sender that
the email has been read. If he selects "No," then no read receipt is
sent.
As an
alternative that may help you track when a recipient has opened an email
from you, purchase email tracking software such as Point of Mail,
Zendio or ReadNotify. These programs typically track other information
in addition to when an email is opened, such as if a recipient clicked
on a link in your message and how long he spent looking at your message.
Some can text your cell phone to let you know a specific email was read
and when.
Use read
receipt requests sparingly for the best results. Recipients who are
prompted by their email programs to decide whether to send you a read
receipt are more likely to click "Yes" if it only happens occasionally.
If you request a read receipt with each email you send, recipients are
likely to ignore them.
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment