Reply Email Samples: 10 Scenarios You Always Encounter
As a busy executive, you may receive tons of emails daily. They come from various parties who have different requests. You can’t simply address all of them with just a single tone and manner, not to say the content. How to deal with a variety of scenarios effectively? Here are some of the quick tips and samples for your reference when replying emails.
Scenario 1: Reply to someone declining an appointment or invitation
Quick Tips:
- Be friendly and courteous.
- Show your appreciation for receiving the reply.
- Show your understanding of the recipient’s situation.
- Ask for the availability of the recipient for rescheduling the appointment/meeting.
Reply Email Sample:
Dear Mr/Ms xxx, Thank you so much for letting me know. I understand your need to cancel our appointment/invitation. Let’s discuss further when you are available and we can reschedule our appointment/invitation to continue our discussion. Thank you. Best regards, (Your name) (Your title) |
Scenario 2: Reply to a client who requests product or service information
Quick Tips:
- Show your appreciation for his/her enquiry.
- State clearly what the request is about.
- Provide or attach accurate information that fulfils the client’s request.
- Provide the contact details for further enquiries.
Reply Email Sample:
Dear Mr/Ms xxx or Dear Valued Customer, We receive your enquiry about xxx product/service we offer. Thank you so much for your interest. Please find attached the information about xxx product/service. Please feel free to contact us at (tel no.) or by email (email address) if you have further enquiries. Thanks again! Best regards, (Your name) (Your title) |
Scenario 3: Reply to a client who complained about the service of the company
Quick Tips:
- Keep your tone positive and courteous.
- Restate the issue to show your understanding of their dissatisfaction.
- Apologize for any mistakes made.
- Show your empathy from the client’s perspective.
- Provide a practical solution to tackle the issue.
- Comfort your client with valuable remuneration.
- Encourage continuous support of the products/services of your company.
Reply Email Sample:
Dear Mr/Ms xxx or Dear Valued Customer, Thank you for taking the time to write us and express your dissatisfaction about our services. At (company name), we always ensure our customers are satisfied with our services, and find the most suitable way to address their concerns without delay. We will call you in a few days to inform you about the methods we suggest for solving the issues you have encountered with our services. In addition, we will assess your complaints to devise new measures to prevent the same issue from happening again. Please accept our sincere apology for any inconvenience caused. We are looking forward to offering you quality services in the near future. Best regards, (Your name) (Your title) |
Scenario 4: Reply to your manager about the project status when you have no further progress
Quick Tips:
- Keep your tone and manner positive.
- Write a concise subject line, e.g. Website revamp: update for 22/11/2018.
- Present the status in bulleted lists.
- Report the latest status, including the work done and outstanding items, and the time required to finish them.
- Report the estimated time required to complete the subsequent stages of the project.
Reply Email Sample:
Dear Mr/Ms xxx, Regarding the ABC publication project, please see the status of the project in the lists below. The project status looks good, and we are confident that we will complete it on time. Completed items
Outstanding items
No major issues have come up since the last email update was sent on (date). Please reply to this email if you need further discussion, or wish to raise an issue for us to take care of. Best regards, (Your name) (Your title) |
Scenario 5: Reply to the email from a party you have lost touch with for a long time
Quick Tips:
- Keep your tone and manner friendly and amiable.
- Show your appreciation for receiving the email.
- Introduce some of the latest services/products/information suitable for the party.
- Schedule a catch-up meeting at the party’s earliest convenience.
Reply Email Sample:
Dear Mr/Ms xxx, I am glad to hear from you again. It’s been a long time since we met last time, hope you are doing well. Let’s fix a date for a catch-up meeting. We can come to your office to meet up or have a lunch chat next week. Please let me know your availability. Thank you. Best regards, (Your name) (Your title) |
Scenario 6: Reply to an urgent request and let the sender know it’s been in the priority list
Quick Tips:
- Show appreciation for the time the sender took to share their thoughts.
- Give a feasible solution and the time needed to fulfill the urgent request.
- Be honest and realistic, ask for more details to ensure you fully understand the request.
- Provide the contact details of the person-in-charge for further follow-up.
Reply Email Sample:
Dear Mr/Ms xxx, Thank you for your email dated 22 Nov. Your order of 200 movable cabinets (model no.: QE430) is being processed. We will arrange the dispatch of goods within the next 7 days. Before we send the ordered items, we would like to know the type of package you prefer. Please visit our website (link) and let me know your preference. If you have any question, please feel free to call me at (tel no.) or by email (email address). Thanks again for your request. We look forward to hearing from you soon. Best regards, (Your name) (Your title) |
Scenario 7: Reply to your future employer to accept the offer
Quick Tips:
- Show appreciation for being given the job opportunity.
- Accept the job offer and express your gratitude.
- Ask for any necessary information you would like to know.
Reply Email Sample:
Dear Mr/Ms xxx, I am very pleased to accept the position of Administrative Assistant with Jim & Co. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I am eager to make a positive contribution to the company. As discussed in the interview, my earliest available date is 3 December 2018. I would be most grateful if you could confirm the commencement date of my employment. Kindly inform me if there is any additional information you need for the employment procedure. Thank you very much. Yours Sincerely, (Your name) (Your title) |
Scenario 8: Reply to the concern about the company’s data leakage problem
Quick Tips:
- State clearly what kind of data has been leaked.
- State what actions the company has already taken.
- Give the contact details of the person who can answer enquiries.
- Thanks for the patience of the parties concerned.
Reply Email Sample:
Dear Mr/Ms xxx, We are writing to inform you that there was an unauthorized access to our company database containing user profile information. We have blocked this unauthorized access at once and took immediate actions to change our technical infrastructure to prevent future incidents. It is of our utmost importance to keep the confidentiality of all user data. We deeply regret this incident and apologize to you, and will get back to you very soon with further updates. Should you have any enquiries, please feel free to contact me at (tel no.) or by email (email address). We really appreciate your patience while we work through this. Thank you. Yours Sincerely, (Your name) (Your title) |
Scenario 9: Reply to your manager to explain why the submission of a task is postponed
Quick Tips:
- Give a sensible and appropriate reason for asking for an extension.
- Don’t wait until the last minute to ask for an extension.
- Set a realistic new deadline and show how you plan to meet the deadline.
- Apologize for any negative impact arisen.
Reply Email Sample:
Dear Mr/Ms xxx, I am writing to inform you that the print advert of the ABC campaign is scheduled to be finalized by the end of tomorrow. I hope you can grant me an extension until noon next Tuesday. I am sorry to miss the deadline, but I am still waiting for the approval of the new corporate logo design from our client. Please let me know if you have any concern. Thank you in advance for your patience and kind understanding. Best regards, (Your name) (Your title) |
Scenario 10: Reply to the department head to admit your wrong-doing has caused the company to lose a deal
Quick Tips:
- State the issue and outcome arisen clearly.
- Don’t make any excuses.
- State clearly how you will solve the issue to prevent future problems.
- Admit you have made a mistake and apologize sincerely.
Reply Email Sample:
Dear Mr/Ms xxx, I would like to apologize for the faulty data we presented in the business meeting with Bonbon Enterprises Ltd (Bonbon) on 23 November, the estimated annual revenue should be HKD$50 million, instead of HKD$5 million. It caused our company to lose a deal with Bonbon. We know you and the rest of the management team are frustrated by this incident. To help solve the issue, we have immediately delivered our apology to Mr White, the General Manager of Bonbon and sent him the correct information. He replied to us that he will study the data and contact us if he has further questions. We promise we won’t make the same mistake in the future. Please feel free to propose any remedial actions that we can make to help forge closer ties with Bonbon. Thank you very much. Best regards, (Your name) (Your title) |
This article is either written or edited by Jobsdb HK and the author. If you would like to publish on other website or publication, please contact us by email: [email protected]. Jobsdb and the author reserve the right to take legal action against any person that infringes the copyright.
