Poor email management by many firms could be leading to brand damage and lost customers, according to new research by internet hosting specialist Fasthosts.

Eighty percent of customers surveyed were disappointed by slow email response, and 90 percent said it could directly lead them to choose a competitor, according to the Customer Service Email Study released today.

In addition over 90 per cent admitted to being more brand-loyal and more likely to increase spend with a company who responded swiftly, with the average consumer prepared to wait no longer than 24 hours for a reply.

The results could be explained by poor email management and training by many firms, according to Fasthosts chief technology officer Mark Jeffries.

Over 60 per cent of businesses surveyed said they had no training on email issues such as email management techniques, email etiquette, or data retention law. And 55 per cent said they provided no formal training to their employees on the day-to-day use of their email system.

"During busy periods, customer emails can often be neglected in favour of face to face contact or phone calls," he added. "The first step for any type or size of business is to have a policy in place for email response time, and conduct audits regularly to measure their performance."

He added that access to mobile functionality like Blackberries can also reduce firms' response times and improve customer relationships