Request Delivery Receipt and/or Request Reading Receipt

Much business is conducted via e-mail. Important messages can be flagged with Request a Delivery Receipt and/or Request a Read Receipt option to make sure the message was received and read.

Open Outlook program / Write e-mail message
Go to Options tab / Tracking group
Select Request a Delivery Receipt option and/or Request a Read Receipt box

Send the message

The Microsoft Exchange Server delivers the message and generates the following e-mail to your Inbox:

As the e-mail message is opened and read the following message is delivered to your Inbox:

This message can be deceiving. Sometimes an e-mail is opened and because of the length or other reasons, the message will be closed and read at some other time.

As the recipient opens the tracked message the following screen displays:

This is where you lose control over the tracking feature ...
The recipient can read the message without acknowledgement;
or check the box Don't ask me ....
Even if the reader does not acknowledge, the minute the e-mail message is opened the Microsoft Exchange server does generate a read receipt.

Tracking Receipt Responses

There is another way to track receipt responses.
Go to the Sent Items folder and open the original message
Notice the Tracking symbol will display in the message listing

Double click to open the message
Click the Tracking Icon and the information will be listed.

If this message was sent to three or four people, the responses would be included in the list.

Note: The Tracking icon will only display when at least one receipt is received.

Recommendation: Drag the Original message from the Sent Folder to the Inbox folder. It is easier to keep track of messages, especially if you are tracking several recipients.