Most of us lead very high-paced, busy professional lives. We send and receive dozens of emails each day. All of our tasks and action items may feel extremely urgent, so how can we know when to apply pressure and indicate urgency appropriately? When is it appropriate to send a reminder or follow up on an approaching deadline?
You sent an urgent email and did not receive a reply. You need to remind your recipient of an imminent deadline. You need to know the answer to a question you previously asked. These are all too common situations in any organization. While it is important to indicate urgency, it is equally so to do it in a professional, polite manner.
Both your culture and your that of the recipient will influence how you write a follow-up email. Some cultures tend to send longer emails (such as India, Japan, or Germany), while others prefer shorter, more concise emails (such as Israel or the United States). Some cultures tend to be more direct (such as Russia, France, or Israel), while others will express urgency in more indirect, implied ways (for example, Mexico or Peru). However, there are some guidelines you can follow to stay polite across cultures and emphasize a sense of urgency.
Review the following guidelines to send a follow-up email:
What was the topic of your previous email again? Summarize what the email was about and what you need from them.
Formulate a clear question or request with the specific information that you need from them and an accurate timeframe.
✅ Can we have a quick call this week? I am available Mon-Fri from 9 am to 2 pm.
Phrases to start your call to action:
Vocabulary to specify the action:
Specifying a deadline:
Encourage your recipient to act by emphasizing the next steps. Instead of focusing on how they are blocking the project, highlight how their help will contribute to moving on.
Phrases to emphasize the next steps:
Try to include all the previous steps in the simplest way possible. Use short phrases and easy vocabulary to keep it as short as possible. Avoid apologizing when you follow up –it's not your fault that they didn't reply. Instead, focus on solutions and stay friendly and professional.
Hi Max,
I apologize for bothering you again. May I know the progress of the documents that I urgently need? This document is critical, and we could not proceed with our next steps without it. We really need this document asap so we won’t miss the deadline. The team really needs it. Please help us.
I am sorry for causing any inconvenience, and please do share it at your earliest convenience.
Thank you!
✅ Hi Max,
Quick follow-up on the employee reports we need for the Best Workplaces application. Can you please send them over by Thursday afternoon?
As soon as we have them, I'll send them over to make sure we can participate in the contest.
Thanks so much for your help with this!
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