Being stuck in the “slow lane” can be tiring (not to mention unproductive), whether you’re sitting in traffic or sitting on hold. It can be equally frustrating when you’re at work waiting for a colleague or customer to get back to you.

How can you make sure that your requests are acted upon quickly? Read on for tips to encourage “express lane” responses.

1. Be strategic with email: Keep business emails brief. Proof read your messages and cut non-essential information. Stick to one subject per email. Bold/underline key messages and deadlines (i.e., please get back to me by Friday). Avoid attachments (which are often perceived as extra work) unless necessary. A simple paragraph or table can easily be embedded in the email.

2. Describe the ‘so-what’: State why the task needs to be completed and link your request to a main goal. If you briefly address the “so what?” of why something needs to be done, your client or colleague will be more likely to respond with timely action.

3. Make face time: Follow-up your requests with a suggested meeting time. Having someone’s direct attention is often exactly what’s needed to make a commitment and move forward on a project.

4. Learn how others work: Pay attention to when other people are most receptive. If you know that someone is highly responsive at 7:30AM, try to catch them then. If you find that someone responds better to phone/voicemail, try to catch them that way. Your goal is to focus their attention on your request – in whatever way works best for them.

5. Train people how to work with you: Let people know the best way/times to reach you. This helps minimize phone-tag and makes it easier for people to follow-up with you (which is precisely the goal!).

6. Keep momentum: If someone sends you an interim question about your request, get back to them quickly to keep the momentum. Delaying your response sends the message that your request isn’t urgent and, consequently, it may drop down on their priority list.

These six solutions will help make it quicker and easier for people to respond to you. Soon you’ll be operating in the “express lane” of responses.