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Follow-up email to a customer after no response: what to say when they go quiet

Six emails for the customer who stopped replying: after you asked for something, after you fixed something, and the last one before you close the conversation. Each is short and easy to answer in a line.

The templates

Each one copies with its subject line. The parts in brackets are the parts to change; everything else can go out as written.

After you asked for a log or screenshot

Subject: Re: [their subject line]

Hi [Name], I am still looking into [the problem with feature], and the one thing I need to find the cause is [the log file / a screenshot of the error]. In case it helps, here is where to find it: [one or two steps, for example: choose Help, then Export Logs, and attach the file to your reply]. If it has stopped happening, or you found a way around it, a one-line reply saying so is just as useful. [Your name]
After you shipped a fix

Subject: Re: [their subject line]

Hi [Name], [Product] [version number] went out on [day] with a fix for [the problem you reported]. I wanted to check: is it working for you now? A quick yes or no is plenty. If it is still misbehaving, tell me what you see and I will pick it straight back up. [Your name]
A second, very short nudge

Subject: Re: [their subject line]

Hi [Name], Is [the problem] still happening for you? A one-word reply is fine. [Your name]
The last one, before you close it

Subject: Re: [their subject line]

Hi [Name], I will assume [the problem] is sorted, or no longer a priority, and stop nudging you about it. If it comes back, or you want to pick this up again, reply to this email any time. It comes straight to me, and you will not need to explain it all again. Thanks for [reporting it / getting in touch]. [Your name]
A refund or billing question

Subject: Re: [their subject line]

Hi [Name], A quick note about your [refund / billing] question: I have not been able to [refund it / change your plan] yet, because I need one thing from you first. Could you tell me [which charge you mean / the email address you bought with / whether you want the subscription cancelled as well]? As soon as I have that, I will sort it the same day and confirm by email. [Optional, if a renewal is close:] Your next payment is due on [date], so it is worth replying before then. [Your name]
After a trial or onboarding question

Subject: Re: [their subject line]

Hi [Name], You asked about [setting up feature / whether Product can do X] a few days ago, and I wanted to make sure my answer actually got you going. Did [the step or setting] work? If you got stuck somewhere after that, tell me where, and I will walk you through the rest. [Optional, only if true and useful:] Your trial ends on [date], so if something is in the way, now is a good time to tell me. [Your name]

Subject lines for a follow-up

A follow-up belongs in the original thread, where the customer sees their own words and your last message underneath: the context they need to answer. If you do need a new subject, make it the question itself, so they can answer from the notification.

  • Re: [their original subject line] (always, if the thread exists)
  • Is [the problem] fixed for you now?
  • Still need [the log / the screenshot] to fix [the problem]
  • One thing I need before I can [refund / change] your [order / plan]
  • Closing the loop on [short description of the problem]

What to say in a follow-up, and what to leave out

  • Lead with the specific thing. Not “just checking in”, but “is the sync working for you on 2.4.1?” They should be able to answer without scrolling back.
  • Make the reply cheap. Ask a yes-or-no question, or say a one-line answer is fine. Silence in support is rarely disagreement; more often the reply they meant to write felt like work.
  • Repeat the instructions. If you asked for a log, say again where to find it. “As mentioned in my last email” sends them off to look.
  • Space them out, then stop. A few working days for the first, about a week for the second, then the closing email. Nobody needs a fourth nudge.
  • Never make them feel chased. No “I have not heard back from you” as the opening line, no “as per my previous email”. The follow-up is about their problem, not your unanswered message.
  • Close it kindly. The last email ends the conversation on your side and leaves it open on theirs. That is what makes it safe to stop.

The hard part is remembering to send it

When you are waiting on a customer, the last message in the thread is yours. In a mail client that looks exactly like a finished conversation: you replied, the thread slid down or went to the archive, and if they never write back, nothing brings it back. The follow-up that should have gone out on Thursday never does, and the bug you needed a log for quietly dies with it.

Moorline has a state for this, Waiting on them, and it is a real state rather than a place things disappear to. If the customer goes quiet, they come back to your list, so the follow-up gets written; in Focus mode, W parks a customer for four days. When they do reply, they are back with everyone else who needs you. The follow-ups above can live as snippets, one ⌘; away, with {name} filled in as the customer’s first name. The model behind all of this is in how to never forget to reply to a customer.

Questions people ask

How long should I wait before following up with a customer?

A few working days after your last message is about right for a support question. Go sooner for anything blocking them or involving money, and later for a feature conversation. The exact number matters less than the follow-up happening at all, which means the date has to live somewhere other than your memory.

How many follow-up emails should I send if a customer does not respond?

Two, then a closing email. Beyond that you are nudging someone who has solved it, lost interest or is too busy, and a fourth email fixes none of those. The closing email leaves the door open, so nothing is lost by stopping.

What should I say in a follow-up email after no response?

The specific thing you are waiting for, in the first line, and the easiest possible way to answer it. Repeat any instructions rather than referring back to them, and say that a one-line reply is fine.

How do you politely close a conversation when the customer stops replying?

Say you will assume it is sorted or no longer needed, that you will stop following up, and that they can reply to the same email any time to pick it back up. Do not make it sound like a penalty. The point is to end it on good terms, with the thread still there if they need it.

Is it rude to follow up when a customer has not replied?

No. In support, a follow-up is you still caring about their problem after they have stopped mentioning it. It only reads as rude when it is phrased as a complaint ("I have emailed you three times") rather than as a question about their problem ("is it working now?").