Do you know how to follow up an unanswered email?

Sometimes the person you have sent an email to may not reply promptly. They might be too busy or just have forgotten about it.

If you need an answer, remind them by:

1. Sending an IM with the words "(PING) - {{ EMAIL SUBJECT }}"

If you still get no response, then:

1. Reply to the email thread:
   • Add "(PING)" in 1^st line of the body
   • Feel free to include any other useful information, such as "following-up as this is blocking another task" or "need an answer before the end of the Sprint" or "it's been 2 months and I'm wondering what is the status of this task"
   • Remember to always reply to all
   • Make sure to not duplicate the task(s) - the person will see it in the history of the thread

✅ Figure: Good example - "(PING)" written at the top of the email, with some extra information that explains the urgency of the task

Of course you should use a friendlier tone when following up a client or a third party compared with following up a colleague.

If it's really important and you need an answer you might like to consider using the phone instead of email.