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I consider the no-reply address a courtesy to me to know that I won't end up writing a reply to an address that isn't monitored. Things like bank notifications

by oskee80 15y ago

I consider the no-reply address a courtesy to me to know that I won't end up writing a reply to an address that isn't monitored. Things like bank notifications and alerts are designed to be one-way communications, so the no-reply address makes sense. Usually the body or footer of the message contains the proper contact methods/addresses. It does not hurt my feelings to have to click on an email address within the message vs. clicking the 'reply' button in my client. That being said, I agree that a no-reply address sends the wrong message for start-ups, welcome messages, signup confirmations, etc. I think they are good for recurring message that are inherently one-way, and when the user knows the preferred contact info for the company.

glhaynes 15y ago
But any email they send out could be set up to reply right to somebody appropriate. Customers don't want a face of the company that only speaks and doesn't listen. Seems like they should be nearly never needed.
- oskee80 15y ago
  True, if it is a relatively small support operation. This would be harder to do with larger companies that had separate addresses for billing questions, service problems, troubleshooting, etc. If every outbound message had a singular live reply-to email address, then you'd need someone to sift through all those and route to the appropriate department.
  - glhaynes 15y ago
    If it's a large company, they should be more easily able to find somebody that can sort through the handful[1] of replies to that address a time or two a day. [1] if there are more than a handful, all the more reason to do something with them - lots of people are replying when they "shouldn't" be!
  - digikata 15y ago
    Large companies should dedicate the thought and resources to get their customer human interface right. I hate that many large companies that expect customers to navigate through a morass of the companies half-baked organizational scheme. It's a terrible sign if a company expects a customer to coordinate or route an issue among different internal company departments.
pbreit 15y ago
Why can't companies be humane and communicate with customers via email? Every company parrots the falsehood that they are customer-centric and yet they can't figure out how to communicate with customers via email? Why is that acceptable?
- oskee80 15y ago
  I agree with the OP that all his examples were a poor use of no-reply addresses. My point is that they do serve a purpose sometimes - my example being notifications, reminders, and other inherently one-way messages. If it is a message I am not expecting nor am I immediately aware of why it is being sent, then I think the reply-to address should be a real address capable of handing my response.

by oskee80 15y ago

glhaynes 15y ago

But any email they send out could be set up to reply right to somebody appropriate. Customers don't want a face of the company that only speaks and doesn't listen. Seems like they should be nearly never needed.

oskee80 15y ago
True, if it is a relatively small support operation. This would be harder to do with larger companies that had separate addresses for billing questions, service problems, troubleshooting, etc. If every outbound message had a singular live reply-to email address, then you'd need someone to sift through all those and route to the appropriate department.
- glhaynes 15y ago
  If it's a large company, they should be more easily able to find somebody that can sort through the handful[1] of replies to that address a time or two a day. [1] if there are more than a handful, all the more reason to do something with them - lots of people are replying when they "shouldn't" be!
- digikata 15y ago
  Large companies should dedicate the thought and resources to get their customer human interface right. I hate that many large companies that expect customers to navigate through a morass of the companies half-baked organizational scheme. It's a terrible sign if a company expects a customer to coordinate or route an issue among different internal company departments.

pbreit 15y ago

Why can't companies be humane and communicate with customers via email? Every company parrots the falsehood that they are customer-centric and yet they can't figure out how to communicate with customers via email? Why is that acceptable?

oskee80 15y ago
I agree with the OP that all his examples were a poor use of no-reply addresses. My point is that they do serve a purpose sometimes - my example being notifications, reminders, and other inherently one-way messages. If it is a message I am not expecting nor am I immediately aware of why it is being sent, then I think the reply-to address should be a real address capable of handing my response.