At some point in our Internet lives, a majority of us have received a message from an autoresponder.  It could have been a short response letting you know that the individual is away, or an email thanking you for something that you have done.  Perhaps it was even an email letting you know about upcoming products, or even an email letting you know that a message you tried to send couldn't be delivered.

Each one of these messages is all but a different version of a useful program known as an autoresponder.  Autoresponders are very useful tools, as they will automatically send out an answer to any email that they receive.  The answer that they send out however, will all depend on the messages that you have the program set up with.  Autoresponders are very flexible, and most will hold a variety of pre-set messages.

The very first autoresponders were used with email providers or email transfer agents.  Whenever an email you sent out couldn't be delivered to the recipient, it would send you an automatic response letting you know that your mail couldn't be delivered.  Although these programs were somewhat helpful, they weren't all that sophisticated.

Over the years, autoresponders have changed quite a bit, proving to be very useful with big companies and even Internet marketing.  These days, autoresponders are used by businesses and companies to give immediate response and feedback to interested clients and subscribers.  This could include a response about programs, information about pricing, specific details regarding a product, and even a time that someone from the company can get in touch with the client.

In the world of Internet marketing, staying in touch with clients is easier than ever with an autoresponder.  They will save you a quite a bit of time, especially when you think about how long it would take you to personally send email responses to each and every email you get.  If you run a business, you probably get hundreds of emails a day.  An autoresponder can simplify your life, by sending out a pre-set message response to each and every email you receive.

You can set up an autoresponder using either one or two methods - an outsourced ASP model and server side model.  When using an outsourced ASP model, the company wishing to use the autoresponder will their business model will contract through an outside provider.  This outside provider will then give the company user access to a web based system, or control panel.  From the control panel, the company or individual can set up the autoresponder, pre-set messages, and decide how the autoresponder will handle the many different types of emails. One of the best services we have found is www.Automatic-Responder.com their service is top notch. To use these types of services, the individual or company will have to pay the autoresponder provider a flat monthly fee.

Server side autoresponders are a bit different.  Basically, they are programs that a company or individual installs themselves and runs it on their own computer or server.  You can save money with these programs, as you don't have to pay a provider to operate the autoresponder.  Although server side autoresponders weren't user friendly in the beginning, they have become easier and easier to operate over the years - and are now the most popular type of autoresponder.

In all actuality, autoresponders are great to have.  They are very reliable, and can easily save you a lot of time. The way the different types work can be a bit perplexing, although most are easy to use and easy to implement into your website.  If you own or operate an online business - an autoresponder is something you should never find yourself without.