Ever felt that sinking feeling just as you hit send on a marketing email? No matter how diligent you are about proofreading and double-checking, email errors slip through the cracks sometimes, regardless of the email clients you use. Whether it\u2019s a minor typo or a major mistake, it\u2019s what you do next that really matters.<\/p>\n
The good news? There are ways to recover from an email disaster \u2013 from good old unsend, to recalling, to minimising the impact with a follow-up email.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what you need to know:<\/p>\n
Email recall is a feature that allows you to retract an email that has already been sent. This can be a lifesaver when you realise you\u2019ve sent an email to the wrong person or included incorrect information. By recalling the email, you can prevent embarrassing or sensitive information from reaching unintended recipients. It\u2019s a handy tool for those moments when you wish you could take back what you just sent.<\/p>\n
There are several scenarios where you might want to unsend an email. Perhaps you accidentally sent an email to the wrong person or you realised that the email contained incorrect or sensitive information. Maybe you simply changed your mind about sending the email in the first place. Whatever the reason, the ability to unsend an email can save you from potential embarrassment and help maintain your professional reputation.<\/p>\n
The best-case scenario? You realise you’ve made a mistake immediately, so you can unsend or recall your email before your customers see it. Gmail and Outlook both let you unsend an email for a short period after you send. Outlook also has a \u2018recall’ features that lets you delete messages that have yet to be opened. Get familiar with the process before you need it.<\/p>\n
Gmail has an automatic feature that lets you undo shortly after you hit send on an email. When you send an email, a message window will pop up in the bottom left of your screen with an \u2018undo\u2019 option. Click this and breathe a sigh of relief.<\/p>\n
The Gmail app for iPhone also supports the undo send feature, allowing you to retract an email within a 30-second window after sending.<\/p>\n
You can also choose to change the window of time you have to unsend a message.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n
If you use Outlook, you can choose to turn on the \u2018Undo send\u2019 feature, which delays sending emails for a set period.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how:<\/b><\/p>\n Once you have the undo send feature switched on, you\u2019ll see an \u2018Undo send\u2019 prompt pop up when you see an email. With just five or ten seconds to undo, you’ll need to act fast!<\/p>\n While unsending an email essentially deletes it before it\u2019s sent, recall pulls it back from the recipient\u2019s inbox. This feature is available in Outlook, but it usually only works if the person you\u2019re emailing is in your organisation and is using the same email client. This means, unfortunately, that it\u2019s useful for internal emails gone wrong \u2013 but not for customer-facing messages.<\/p>\n Note that, if the email has already been read or if there are technical constraints, the email may still appear in the recipient’s inbox.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to use recall:<\/b><\/p>\n While email recall can be incredibly useful, it\u2019s not foolproof. In some cases, the recipient may have already opened the email or it may have been forwarded to someone else. In these situations, recalling the email may not be effective. Additionally, email recall may not work if the recipient is using a different email client or if the email was sent to a group or distribution list.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also important to note that once an email has been delivered to the recipient\u2019s inbox, it may still be visible to them even if you try to recall it. To avoid these limitations, always double-check your emails before hitting send and use email recall as a last resort.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, you won\u2019t always catch errors quickly enough to unsend or recall. Once a sent email has reached the recipient, it is crucial to act quickly to minimise any potential damage. If this happens, you need to minimise the impact as much as you can. Your business should have a plan in place for these scenarios so everyone knows what to do.<\/p>\n How bad was the mistake in your sent message? If you\u2019re dealing with a tiny typo, you can probably let it slide. If you\u2019ve promoted an event with the wrong date or used unintentionally offensive language, you need to follow up with customers as soon as you can.<\/p>\n While you want to send a correction quickly, don’t panic and make the problem worse. Make sure to double and triple check the wording on your follow-up email. Have at least one other person check it over before you send it. Include an acknowledgement of the error, a sincere apology and a promise to look into your email processes to ensure it doesn’t happen again.<\/p>\n When you’re sending an apology or correction, speed is crucial. Get your follow-up email out quickly enough and it will appear above your previous email in the customer’s inbox, which could mean they don’t even see the mistake.<\/p>\n If you’ve made a truly egregious email error \u2013 for example, making an offensive joke or an outright false claim \u2013 you may need to apologise on social media and other platforms as well. Make sure your language is consistent and your customer-facing staff are briefed on in-person apologies as well.<\/p>\n RELATED:<\/b> How to create a successful eDM marketing strategy.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n While there\u2019s no way to completely eliminate email errors, you can do your best to avoid future mistakes. Planning can reduce time pressures that contribute to errors. Learn about planning your email campaigns in our article here.<\/a><\/p>\n The most effective strategy is to create an email approvals checklist and make sure your marketing team knows how to use it. The Mail app on Apple devices also offers an undo send feature, allowing users to retract sent emails within a specified time frame.<\/p>\n Sample checklist:<\/strong><\/p>\n Apple Mail has introduced an ‘Undo Send’ feature in recent updates, making it competitive with other email clients such as Gmail and Outlook.<\/p>\n Email mistakes may be embarrassing for your business but they\u2019re not the end of the world. With a solid recovery plan in place, you should be able to minimise the impact and keep your reputation intact.<\/p>\n\n
Recall and delete unread copies in Outlook.<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Email recall limitations.
\n<\/b><\/h2>\nCan you delete unread copies of an email?
\n<\/b><\/h3>\nDamage control.
\n<\/b><\/h2>\n1. Assess the damage.
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n2. Write a correction.
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n3. Send ASAP.
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n4. Be consistent.
\n<\/b><\/h3>\nDelay outgoing email messages to avoid future email fails.
\n<\/b><\/h2>\n\n