AutoresponderAn AutoResponder (also known as mailbot="mail robot") allows e-mail users to specify messages to reply automatically to all or targeted groups of message senders. It is becoming an important part of on-line marketing for commercial users.
Autoresponder is just one example of the growing use of the Internet for commercial purposes. It allows those selling a service or product to communicate with customers in a highly time efficient and cost effective manner. Although Autoresponder services differ in their level of sophistication, they all allow an e-mail user to respond automatically to a request for more information. In response to the request, the autoresponder sends a general message appropriate to the recipient. Some Autoresponders allow users to set-up key words for which to search, and respond with a custom-made message suitable to the request. These service providers also allow their customers to establish files in which different types of requests can be filed.
Autoresponder can also be useful for individuals not involved in marketing. Some e-mail services allow users not only the ability to automatically respond to a message, but also to file and sort mail automatically. These services would allow a person who receives a lot of e-mail the freedom to inform users of important information, such as when the user will not be available to return mail personally. The specifications a user uses to personalize her account are called "rules." Rules act in combination as a type of personal assistant, providing a user with the kind of efficient organization of information that would require the work of another individual in the traditional phone/snail (regular) mail means of communication.
Marketing on the Net
The Autoresponder is part of one of the fastest developing areas of growth on the Internet: the electronic marketing revolution. Organizations no longer need to rely on a slow and sometimes inaccurate postal system, or pay high- rates for long-distance phone calls. Electronic marketers save money and energy by limiting expensive mail-outs, which require design, paper, and postage. It has another advantage over telemarketing as the e-mail application performing the tasks is far less expensive than paying individuals to make phone calls.
Organizations wishing to advertise on the Internet may also pay for lists of e-mail users by area code. Subscribing to such a list allows a business to send messages to the entire group at once. They may also have their information in the form of a home page on the World Wide Web. Commercial home pages usually include e-mail addresses to which interested parties may respond. Some even provide well-designed forms for customers order a product on-line. Although one aspect of the commercial use of the Internet is currently up for debate (namely, the security of providing account information over the Internet), it seems likely that the use of the Internet for commercial purposes will continue to grow as more people obtain access to Internet and establish e-mail accounts.