I recently seem to have received more than my fair share of dreadful emails – emails that were badly expressed and difficult to understand. So, I thought that this week I’d have a quick look at correct business email etiquette!
As you know, email is now an essential part of business correspondence but exactly the same rules apply about expressing your ideas as in ordinary letters. You must plan what you want to say and then make sure that what you say is concise and clear. At the same time you need to give all the necessary information. We know that emails are, ideally, brief. But this is no excuse for omitting important information and then having to send a follow-up email.
When you have composed your message make sure that you check it very carefully before sending it. Once you have clicked the ‘send’ button it is on its way – you can’t change your mind!
In business you should use complete, grammatical sentences and paragraph your work sensibly. Before sending your email always use the spell check facility. But also read your work carefully because the spell check will not pick up mistakes such as “there” instead of “their” and “to” instead of “two”.
Many computers also have a grammar check. This can sometimes be helpful, but not always. If you understand why it is pointing out that your grammar is faulty this may be helpful, but if you don’t understand there is no benefit. So, it is far better to make sure your grammar is correct from the start.
In business, never use short forms for words, for example ‘u’ instead of ‘you’ or ‘c’ instead of ‘see’ (e.g. I look forward to meeting u next week).
Also, don’t use “emoticons”. These are the smiling/sad faces that people use to show the mood of the piece. They are for personal correspondence, not business.
Just as you would in a letter, you should always start the first correspondence with “Dear Mr … “. Emails are a lot less formal than business letters, so if they reply and use their first name, then you can use their first name next time. But if they use their full name, then continue to use this.
Never start an email with “Hi!” – take the trouble to find out the name of the person you are corresponding with. At the end of your email you can use “Kind regards” or “Regards” but until you know the person well you should still type your full name and title when closing.
A handy tip is to build up a “library” of emails that you use frequently. You can then simply send out the email after changing the address, the salutation and any pieces of information that are not appropriate. This can save you lots of time and effort. But always check that you have made the necessary changes that personalise it.
Another important point is to make sure that you use the subject line effectively. When your reader is checking their emails in a morning you don’t want them to delete yours because they think it is “spam” or may carry a virus. So, if your email is to make arrangements for a meeting put something like this in the subject line: Re: Meeting on 27th February.
There will be times when you want to send an attached document or file. It is usually attachments that carry viruses, so some people are reluctant to open them. But, if you have been sensible in what you put in the subject line (and also once you have an established correspondence with a customer) this should be no problem. But make sure that your attachment is in a form that can be opened easily by most computers. Also, remember to attach what you have said in your email. If you don’t, it’s as unprofessional as sending a letter in which you say that you have enclosed a brochure or leaflet, and then not done so.
Many companies now have a definite email policy. This means that management can check employees’ emails to ensure that they are not sending anything offensive. Many employers don’t mind if you use the system to send a few emails to friends, but don’t be tempted to abuse the system. Remember, somebody could be reading your private correspondence and you could get into trouble because you are contacting friends instead of concentrating on work.
Finally, a word about the time it takes to answer emails. Most people expect that they will have to wait to receive an answer to a letter. But they can get very impatient if they have to wait for an answer to an email. Usually, they will email again – so you will have twice the number of emails to deal with.
Some companies try to respond within 48 hours, others say five working days. The choice is yours depending on how fast you feel you can reply. But we suggest that you have an automated message telling people how long they can expect to wait. This will avoid extra work and also give a better impression to the people you are dealing with.
So, if you ever need to email me – follow these tips and I can assure you that you’ll get a quicker and more helpful reply!
