Is it just me or are people losing the ability to reply?

I've lost count of the enquiries I've made recently to potential suppliers which have gone un-answered.

And they say, business is tough out there. You wouldn't know it based on that performance, they obviously have so much going on they don't need any more.

I treat online enquiries as if they're face-to-face or telephone calls. Imagine how it would go if someone walked up to me, asked if my business could help - and I just ignored them?

It doesn't end with the initial contact, it's all about continued customer service. Whenever I receive an email, tweet or post, I acknowledge it, doesn't matter who it's from or what it's for, I reply.

I guess some people feel they don't need to respond to online communication. Big mistake, huge mistake!

I've actually won business based on this . . .

A potential customer contacted me for a print quote, which I acknowledged and acted on straight away. They were astounded. The previous supplier was taking up to 5 days to even respond! How on earth they're still in business I have no idea.

And now that customer is now one of my biggest, all from me replying and offering good customer service.

Maybe replying to enquiries is going to become a USP. How sad would that be? I'm not complaining . . .