We receive most of our web maintenance instructions or support requests from customers via e-mail. It’s usually the clearest way of communicating changes or requests. Regardless of how small or insignificant the corresponding work is, if we don’t speak to them when concluding the work, we always send them an e-mail to inform them that the work they requested is completed.

One thing we’ve noticed over the years is that we don’t always get responses from this e-mail. So we don’t always find out if the work was to their satisfaction. The kind of behaviour we observe can fit into one of three groups:

• Those who acknowledge everything we do for them, regardless of how small or seemingly insignificant it might be;
• Those who sometimes acknowledge our work. Usually the most important stuff, or the biggest changes get a reply;
• Those who never respond.

Which group are our best customers, with whom we have the best working relationship and from whom we get the most repeat business? That’ll be the first group.