You’re almost there, just resist the urge to send the “hi” until you’ve added the substantive part of the message. That way the recipient can work out the appropriate response in their own time, and get back to you when it’s ready. You won’t know if they’re frantically working on your issue, or having lunch, and that’s as it should be.
I do that, but I send the actual message right after, without waiting for a reply to “hi”.
You’re almost there, just resist the urge to send the “hi” until you’ve added the substantive part of the message. That way the recipient can work out the appropriate response in their own time, and get back to you when it’s ready. You won’t know if they’re frantically working on your issue, or having lunch, and that’s as it should be.