How to ask and get responses

Tessa Author

Teamwork is great, but it's rarely easy. Read on to learn a simple technique to "light the fire" that gets a timely response from your colleagues.

Collaboration is unavoidable, not always easy

We often depend on the information from others to complete our own work. And, it's pretty frustrating (and frequent) when your deadlines don't align with the availability of others. 

Consider a scenario where you, as the keeper of the Key Dates Report, have to collect information from the business manager before presenting it to the Real Estate team. Unfortunately, the business manager doesn't deem your email important and responds in a leisurely manner after numerous follow-up emails, unknowingly forcing you to pull an all-nighter to finish the report before your deadline.  

I may exaggerate about the all-nighter, yet, like many, portfolio managers must work with others to complete their jobs. Frequently, the collaborating members don't respond promptly, invoking frustration, resentment, and hours of wasted time in follow-up. 

Cross-functional collaboration is an effective way to get the job done, but it's not always easy. Large workloads, inefficient processes, and even office politics get in the way of productivity.

To avoid frustration and streamline the process, embrace the responsibility to get your deliverable across the finish line. It's a form of managing without authority, where you'll need to motivate your collaborators to help you without the ability to inflict punishment. 

Managing with Authority

Managing without authority is a skill with many facets and uses. In this post, I'm focusing on inter-company cross-functional partnerships, where you have no reporting ties to the person you need to work with, yet you need their input to complete your work. 

People witing one company are working for the same goal success of the company. And, it's a no-brainer that the results are amplified when all are working together and in sync. It's possible and widespread at successful companies all around you, and you too can have that by reminding your teammates about that common goal in your request. 

If you're uncomfortable with asking people for help, just think about how you felt the last time you helped someone. I bet it felt good. Maybe even a little proud that you were able to accomplish something others weren't. Now, imagine if everyone around you felt the same way about helping. Don't deny them an opportunity of that feeling. As long as you are kind and transparent in your request, others will be generous in response. 

People love helping, but you must make it easy for them. Your objective is to clearly, yet nicely, deliver your request, confirm its receipt and facilitate a timely response from the requestor. Just like with any skill, you must practice to improve. 

It's not as difficult as you think, as long as you follow a few simple steps. Below, I'll share an easy technique to motivate people to help you get the job done. 

Ask the way you'd want to be asked.

Your collaboration starts with a request, and the golden rule applies here as much anywhere else. Think of what you'd want to see in a request and include the same in your email. 

If we take the Key Date Report example from above, I'd include the following in my email request: 

• Key Dates Report. It's the object of your request, yet I bet you'll get extra points if you make the report easy for the user to read - add formatting and a filter for the manager's region, for example.  

• Clear instructions for the request. People aren't mind-readers and appreciate the clarity. Everyone is busy, focused on their own agenda, so they don't have time to guess what you need from them. Make it easy by being concise yet requesting in your tone, not demanding. Also, give a reason for your request as people are more apt to help when they have context.

• Deadline for completion. It's a critical element for planning because you can't expect the person on the other end to drop everything and work on your request. Ensure you give them ample time to complete your request and state when you need their response. 

• Helpful links and attachments. Provide the manager with easy access to the information they need to see and know to expedite his response to you. Consider adding links to the Real Estate database, department dashboard, or attaching a last month's Key dates report for additional reference. 

• Special Notes. Address any pending items you may be waiting on from others or specific follow-up items you want the reader to address in their response, such as a lease with a past due key action date.

Make it easy for the recipient of your email to read, complete, and respond to your request. 

People don't like to read long emails; however, you want to make sure you include all relevant information and enough of it. 

In my request emails, I use many lists, usually with bullets. I avoid numbers as it seems a little demanding. (I can just picture the reader saying, "Look at this chick sending me a seven-point to-do list. Who does she think she is?"). Bullets are less obvious, understated. Lists, in general, are more accessible for people as they can be quickly scanned.  

Follow up with an inquisitive phone call.

Depending on the urgency of your request, the follow-up phone call can be as soon as you send an email for the extra urgent issue, but no less than 24 hours before the deadline. So, if you need a colleague to respond tomorrow, I suggest following up with a phone call as soon as you hit send on that email; You merely want to bring their attention to the request, knowing that they likely haven't had the chance to look at it.

There are a few purposes to the "inquisitive follow-up phone call":

• To confirm receipt. You want to bring awareness to your request. Not every request will need a phone call for this sole purpose, as many general inboxes send out an automated receipt confirmation email that serves the same purpose. Yet, it's recommended for all urgent matters. 
• To find out your place in the cue. It's arrogant to assume that your colleagues will drop everything to respond to you; please be respectful of their time. Take the time to build rapport, find out what's going on, and whether they'll have the capacity to complete your request timely. 
• To reiterate your reason and the common goal. It's a perfect opportunity to remind your counterpart why you value their input and how imperative to the process it is to keep moving along.
• To arm yourself with information early. By following up, you'll be quick to know if you've missed anything in your request that could delay the response or learn that the teammate cannot help you timely. Either way, the sooner you know, the more time you'll have for course correction. 

Please remember to mind your attitude. You'll want to remain positive and curious, not judgemental. And, don't be afraid to dial that number - people are more receptive to a human voice asking for a favor instead of an email demanding an action. As long as you ask kindly, the person on the other end will respond in kind.

Send one reminder email.

If your teammate is unresponsive to the phone call and the initial request, I recommend following for the last time with an email about 24 hours before or the morning of the due date stated in your request. 

There are ways to motivate without throwing others under the bus. Think of it as escalating an issue, but doing so with a bunch of colorful balloons, the "Up!"- style. Remember that Disney cartoon?

For the first-time offenders, remind them of the deadline and how much you appreciate their effort. You could also note a consequence of inaction, such as "we won't be able to negotiate the best possible deal for the business without your input." 

In the rare instance where you're waiting on approval from one to ensure another person approves the payment right after, it may be worth including both parties in the reminder email. 

It's a non-threatening way to kill two birds with one stone: You are making sure that your original request is completed and giving a heads up to your next-in-line person, so they'll be ready when it's time to do their part.

The key here is to inform about the process and collaboratively resolve any bottlenecks. The email is just a handy reference.

Final Thoughts

Approach requests with empathy, and you'll get a timely response every time. The idea is to foster a positive work environment where the job gets done, and people are happy. 

Remember that people are not mind-readers, so you'll need to share your vision and expectations, explain what you need and why.

Also, you can simplify the request and follow-up process for yourself by using templates for both - initial and follow-up emails. It takes minimal time to set up, and you can use it repeatedly, saving hours in the long run. 

Also, set up a reminder on your calendar for your follow-up call and reminder e-mail, so you don't have to think about it. However, if you're looking for more ideas to save time in your lease administration process, check out the short video about the Seven time-saving strategies for the busy lease admins. 

Stay productive, and please share your methods for getting people to respond. Managing without authority is the reality of many within the operations department; therefore, your insight is sure to help ease someone's day. 

Categories: : Process Improvement