OK, gang -- I'm getting the shakes.

You see, about 20 minutes ago I reserved a hotel for a long-weekend mid-July. Just picture it...Florida. Sunshine. Pools. Afternoon naps. Delicious cuisine...and some hard-hitting, pass-me-an-ice pack-please kickboxing.

(Yes, I do actually have a hobby outside the realm of email. I knew you'd all be thrilled.)

Though I won't be stepping in the ring this year, I can't wait to jet down for the weekend and cheer on my club's team at the 10th Annual IKF World Classic. So naturally, I decided to book my hotel room early (last year sold out quickly) to ensure my event-discounted rate -- a.k.a. my happiness.

Unfortunately for a girl who prides herself on efficiency -- to get my special rate, I had to reserve my room by phone instead of online. Deep breath. You can do this.

At the end of my call, the gentleman who assisted me says, "Would you like to receive a copy of your reservation by email?" "Heck yea," I say, "That'd be super." At this point, I was pleasantly surprised with how the call had gone and feeling positive about my hotel choice.

But here's where the wheels fell off. Before I even snap my cell shut, I've opened my Gmail account and hit refresh 3 times. You think I'm exaggerating? Not so much.

Nothing. No confirmation email.

It's only been 30 seconds, Nicole. Calm down. So I calmly wait -- like 4 seconds -- and hit refresh again. Nothing.

I'd like to say this pattern didn't continue for the next 5 minutes...but I'd by lying. By that point, I assumed the man mistyped my email address and my email message was floating aimlessly in cyberspace. I'm stressed because I didn't get the triggered confirmation email I expected.

Well guess what. Your subscribers are just like me. They expect automatic confirmations when they purchase your products. They want instant notifications of dangerous weather or breaking news. They demand account updates when transactions take place. And they wouldn't mind a nice email on their birthday either. But the point is -- they expect them to happen automatically.

If you haven't thought about your Triggered Email Program lately, you need to. In fact, our team thought it was so important we devoted our entire April InSight Newsletter to Triggered Email. Even if you missed the issue, you can still download ExactTarget's Field Guide to Triggered Email. It's a fun new piece I think you'll enjoy (especially if you ever wondered what to do if you found an email abandoned in the wild). You'll read about all kinds of Triggered Email "Species" that can make or break your subscribers impression of your organization.

Exhibit A: Where is my confirmation email?!?!?!

...refresh...

Nicole
Marketing Communications Associate

ps - After the tournament, I'll be stopping by the Route 1-to-1 Email Marketing Seminar in Miami July 22. Hope to see you there!