RSVP Services Insights: 38% of email is checked from a mobile

The frenetic pace at which we conduct our lives means that we’re constantly on the go, and multi-tasking throughout the day. This has resulted in our need to be connected 24/7, regardless of where we are, and whatever we happen to be doing. The ever- increasing reliance on our mobile devices means that we can communicate no matter what we’re doing. It’s now become the norm to check our emails on our phones as we hurry between work and family commitments – something event managers need to keep in mind when sending out invitations.

In 2012, The Litmus Group found that 38% of email is checked from a mobile device, and this figure is bound to have increased when you consider that our lives are busier than ever before.

Deciding whether or not to attend an event hinges on these three factors:

 1.    Whether or not they have existing plans
The first thing a guest will consider is if he or she is available. This is often done via a mobile calendar. People often have shared, personal calendars with a spouse or significant other, that are kept either at home or offline, which means they’ll first need to first follow up with their other half before committing to an event.

2.    Establishing if their colleagues are planning on attending
Nobody wants to attend an event on their own. Arriving solo and then having to make small talk with a bunch of strangers isn’t anybody’s idea of a good time, so guests will first check if they know anyone else who’s going before they RSVP.

3.    Researching the brand and the event they’ve been invited to
Guests want to know whether your event is something they’d like to go to or not – and will usually do some online investigating to establish what the event can offer them, whether in terms of guest speakers, networking opportunities, or entertainment value.

It’s important that you take these factors into consideration when compiling a guest list.

As well as having to consider the three factors we’ve listed above, they may also forget to respond if they opened your invitation on a mobile device while on the go.

A recent study by the Radicati Group found that the average corporate user sends and receives 105 emails a day – which means that the chance of your event invitation getting lost amidst the other 104 emails they’ve received is high – especially if they received it on their mobile, and first want to run through the three considerations above

Using the services of an RSVP agency will ensure that even if your guest has in fact, forgotten about your invite, they’ll be reminded of your event.

A professional RSVP service offers the following RSVP services that up your response rates, save you money, and most importantly, time:

• Ensure you receive the maximum amount of RSVP’s using a variety of different techniques. As demonstrated above, the RSVP process can’t rely solely on email. An RSVP service will follow up with phone call, or any other alternative method on your behalf in order to establish why someone hasn’t responded, and if they are in fact planning on attending your event.
• Optimise your email invitations This is in order to ensure that your email lands in the inbox of your intended recipient (and doesn’t get marked as spam) and that it can be read using whatever type of email software or device used by your guest.
• Conduct response optimisation This will ensure that it’s as easy as possible for a person to respond to an invitation by making sure that your call to action is engaging enough in order to elicit a positive response.
• Consistently monitor your guest list An RSVP service will constantly review your guest list in the run up to the event. If they notice that there’s an impending shortage of attendees, they’ll cross off guests from “List A” who’ve declined, and replace them with a new guest taken from the “B” list. They’ll also resend invites every few days to make sure that they are in fact being seen.
• Offer real-time reporting so that the event can be better planned.  For example – the amount of catering needed, how much seating is required, how many hosts there will be and the seniority of said hosts – you don’t want your CEO to take time out to host an event, only to find that the audience consists solely of interns.
• Remind guests about the event the day and/or week before
• Thank guests for their attendance, and ask for their feedback and evaluation of the event.

If you want to streamline your RSVP process and ensure its success, it’s vital that you employ the services of an RSVP agency.

The management of guests lists is often neglected and then becomes the responsibility of the event manager – who already has enough on their plate as they’re busy organising the logistics of the event. The time-consuming task of the RSVP process, and the need to do it correctly has given rise to the outsourcing of RSVP services growing in popularity.

Image Credit: FMI Group