I received an email yesterday afternoon asking me if I had received the email that same person sent me that morning, since I hadn’t responded yet. The email was not about a sick family member or an event that was happening that day. They just had a question about an article I wrote online for the Wall Street Journal. At first blush, you would think this person has a problem. They don’t. I do.

Consumers are demanding faster and faster responses. If you don’t respond in time, they are effectively saying “look somewhere else.” As long as no one can respond faster than I can, I’m safe. But the day someone figures out how to respond to every inquiry, to every email, specifically and immediately, they win. And me? I’m out of business.

Just like it has always been and always will be, the consumer will tell us what they want, loud and clear. They will demand “absurd” things. Don’t ignore it. Don’t deny it. Find a way to do it. Find a way to serve it. You will take over your industry the second you figure out how. And you will lose to your competitors if you don’t.