Email Etiquette For Businesses. October 10th, 2011.
How you respond to people by email affects how others perceive you and your company. By following a few simple points you can ensure that your emails provide the information needed and portray you in the way that you want to be seen.
Answer quickly
Always reply to an email within 24 hours (better still, do it on the same day). Even if you only say when you will get back to them about their query, some sort of quick response is needed.
This shows that you are taking the person seriously and, in the case of a more in-depth answer being needed, that you are taking the time to answer correctly.
Outcome: people are normally a lot more patient.
Use the Reply facility – don’t start a fresh subject
If somebody has emailed you about a specific issue, having their email beneath yours ensures that you can both reference where the conversation has got to.
Outcome: no hunting around the mail box for the previous email, allowing simple follow-up.
Relevant subject field
The subject should be as specific as possible to the email body. If for example you are emailing Giant Peach about getting a website designed by us, “Beautiful design” isn’t very specific. Try adding your company name and what type of design you are after.
Outcome: the email is easily referenced and filed and takes you a step away from the spam box.
Answer the question
Make sure that you have answered the question and given links to any resources that might back up what you have talked about (FAQ’s or Informational blog posts). If you feel that the email might naturally move to another question, try to offer a complete answer that pre-empts further query.
Outcome: recipient feels that you are taking that extra step to ensure that they are happy. It also avoids the frustration of them having to come back to you because their question hasn’t been anwered fully.
Be clear and concise
Don’t beat around the bush – answer the question clearly and concisely. If you can use bullet points, all the better.
Outcome: easily digested by recipient and easily checked by you to see that you have covered all of the points.
Attachments
If your attachment is more than 10mb in size, or you have a large number of files, I would recommend either using a free online tool like www.dropbox.com or www.dropsend.com where you can upload the file and the receiver can quickly download it or send the files in separate email batches.
Outcome: this will ensure that the recipient’s email client doesn’t get bunged up with your mahoosive file and that you don’t instantly get added to their nuisance file.
Make it personal
Auto replies are okay if you are on holiday, but for the day-to-day, ensure that your responses are personally addressed with an indication that you are dealing with the topic specifically mentioned in their email. Templates are fine if you are responding to the same question again and again but only if you remember to tailor them to each individual recipient.
Avoid being misunderstood.
Don’t assume people will understand an abbreviation – offer the full phrase with the abbreviation in brackets, then use the abbreviation only after that. Also, don’t capitalise wording as this is deemed as SHOUTING in the world of email etiquette.
Outcome: people don’t misunderstand you and the happy relationship cogs keep on turning.
Don’t forward on emails that might be deemed to be offensive, you never know who will get to see them.
Outcome: Avoids offence to the recipient or anyone they forward it to and keeps a professional image for your business.
Spell check
Use spell check to ensure that people can understand what you have written, and check your punctuation so that the meaning of a sentence is clear and that emphasis is in the right place.
Outcome: gives a professional impression of your company and helps ensure that you are understood first time.
Check and Send
Check your email again before sending. Don’t carbon copy (cc) in the world as this can become quite confusing for the cc receiver. In general, don’t ask for a read receipt as most people say no to sending one anyway. Make sure attachments are attached. When you are definitely good to go, press send.
Outcome: message goes to the correct person(s) with the correct information!
And my last point….
If you accidentally send out an email to the wrong person, call the unintended receiver telling them of your mistake.
Outcome: You will look a little silly anyway having sent the email to the wrong person but mistakes happen. A phone call is better than an automated email request for an email to be deleted and it will usually be appreciated. Deletion requests only arouse interest in the incorrect email anyway, so you may as well own up on the phone.
With the frequency emails are sent out from a business and the importance that this mode of communication now has, following simple email etiquette tips will help ensure a happy relationship for you and your business contacts.
Email Etiquette For Businesses.
How you respond to people by email affects how others perceive you and your company. By following a few simple points you can ensure that your emails provide the information needed and portray you in the way that you want to be seen.
Answer quickly
Always reply to an email within 24 hours (better still, do it on the same day). Even if you only say when you will get back to them about their query, some sort of quick response is needed.
This shows that you are taking the person seriously and, in the case of a more in-depth answer being needed, that you are taking the time to answer correctly.
Outcome: people are normally a lot more patient.
Use the Reply facility – don’t start a fresh subject
If somebody has emailed you about a specific issue, having their email beneath yours ensures that you can both reference where the conversation has got to.
Outcome: no hunting around the mail box for the previous email, allowing simple follow-up.
Relevant subject field
The subject should be as specific as possible to the email body. If for example you are emailing Giant Peach about getting a website designed by us, “Beautiful design” isn’t very specific. Try adding your company name and what type of design you are after.
Outcome: the email is easily referenced and filed and takes you a step away from the spam box.
Answer the question
Make sure that you have answered the question and given links to any resources that might back up what you have talked about (FAQ’s or Informational blog posts). If you feel that the email might naturally move to another question, try to offer a complete answer that pre-empts further query.
Outcome: recipient feels that you are taking that extra step to ensure that they are happy. It also avoids the frustration of them having to come back to you because their question hasn’t been anwered fully.
Be clear and concise
Don’t beat around the bush – answer the question clearly and concisely. If you can use bullet points, all the better.
Outcome: easily digested by recipient and easily checked by you to see that you have covered all of the points.
Attachments
If your attachment is more than 10mb in size, or you have a large number of files, I would recommend either using a free online tool like www.dropbox.com or www.dropsend.com where you can upload the file and the receiver can quickly download it or send the files in separate email batches.
Outcome: this will ensure that the recipient’s email client doesn’t get bunged up with your mahoosive file and that you don’t instantly get added to their nuisance file.
Make it personal
Auto replies are okay if you are on holiday, but for the day-to-day, ensure that your responses are personally addressed with an indication that you are dealing with the topic specifically mentioned in their email. Templates are fine if you are responding to the same question again and again but only if you remember to tailor them to each individual recipient.
Avoid being misunderstood.
Don’t assume people will understand an abbreviation – offer the full phrase with the abbreviation in brackets, then use the abbreviation only after that. Also, don’t capitalise wording as this is deemed as SHOUTING in the world of email etiquette.
Outcome: people don’t misunderstand you and the happy relationship cogs keep on turning.
Don’t forward on emails that might be deemed to be offensive, you never know who will get to see them.
Outcome: Avoids offence to the recipient or anyone they forward it to and keeps a professional image for your business.
Spell check
Use spell check to ensure that people can understand what you have written, and check your punctuation so that the meaning of a sentence is clear and that emphasis is in the right place.
Outcome: gives a professional impression of your company and helps ensure that you are understood first time.
Check and Send
Check your email again before sending. Don’t carbon copy (cc) in the world as this can become quite confusing for the cc receiver. In general, don’t ask for a read receipt as most people say no to sending one anyway. Make sure attachments are attached. When you are definitely good to go, press send.
Outcome: message goes to the correct person(s) with the correct information!
And my last point….
If you accidentally send out an email to the wrong person, call the unintended receiver telling them of your mistake.
Outcome: You will look a little silly anyway having sent the email to the wrong person but mistakes happen. A phone call is better than an automated email request f
How you respond to people by email affects how others perceive you and your company. By following a few simple points you can ensure that your emails provide the information needed and portray you in the way that you want to be seen.
Answer quickly
Always reply to an email within 24 hours (better still, do it on the same day). Even if you only say when you will get back to them about their query, some sort of quick response is needed.
This shows that you are taking the person seriously and, in the case of a more in-depth answer being needed, that you are taking the time to answer correctly.
Outcome: people are normally a lot more patient.
Use the Reply facility – don’t start a fresh subject
If somebody has emailed you about a specific issue, having their email beneath yours ensures that you can both reference where the conversation has got to.
Outcome: no hunting around the mail box for the previous email, allowing simple follow-up.
Relevant subject field
The subject should be as specific as possible to the email body. If for example you are emailing Giant Peach about getting a website designed by us, “Beautiful design” isn’t very specific. Try adding your company name and what type of design you are after.
Outcome: the email is easily referenced and filed and takes you a step away from the spam box.
Answer the question
Make sure that you have answered the question and given links to any resources that might back up what you have talked about (FAQ’s or Informational blog posts). If you feel that the email might naturally move to another question, try to offer a complete answer that pre-empts further query.
Outcome: recipient feels that you are taking that extra step to ensure that they are happy. It also avoids the frustration of them having to come back to you because their question hasn’t been anwered fully.
Be clear and concise
Don’t beat around the bush – answer the question clearly and concisely. If you can use bullet points, all the better.
Outcome: easily digested by recipient and easily checked by you to see that you have covered all of the points.
Attachments
If your attachment is more than 10mb in size, or you have a large number of files, I would recommend either using a free online tool like www.dropbox.com or www.dropsend.com where you can upload the file and the receiver can quickly download it or send the files in separate email batches.
Outcome: this will ensure that the recipient’s email client doesn’t get bunged up with your mahoosive file and that you don’t instantly get added to their nuisance file.
Make it personal
Auto replies are okay if you are on holiday, but for the day-to-day, ensure that your responses are personally addressed with an indication that you are dealing with the topic specifically mentioned in their email. Templates are fine if you are responding to the same question again and again but only if you remember to tailor them to each individual recipient.
Avoid being misunderstood.
Don’t assume people will understand an abbreviation – offer the full phrase with the abbreviation in brackets, then use the abbreviation only after that. Also, don’t capitalise wording as this is deemed as SHOUTING in the world of email etiquette.
Outcome: people don’t misunderstand you and the happy relationship cogs keep on turning.
Don’t forward on emails that might be deemed to be offensive, you never know who will get to see them.
Outcome: Avoids offence to the recipient or anyone they forward it to and keeps a professional image for your business.
Spell check
Use spell check to ensure that people can understand what you have written, and check your punctuation so that the meaning of a sentence is clear and that emphasis is in the right place.
Outcome: gives a professional impression of your company and helps ensure that you are understood first time.
Check and Send
Check your email again before sending. Don’t carbon copy (cc) in the world as this can become quite confusing for the cc receiver. In general, don’t ask for a read receipt as most people say no to sending one anyway. Make sure attachments are attached. When you are definitely good to go, press send.
Outcome: message goes to the correct person(s) with the correct information!
And my last point….
If you accidentally send out an email to the wrong person, call the unintended receiver telling them of your mistake.
Outcome: You will look a little silly anyway having sent the email to the wrong person but mistakes happen. A phone call is better than an automated email request for an email to be deleted and it will usually be appreciated. Deletion requests only arouse interest in the incorrect email anyway, so you may as well own up on the phone.
With the frequency emails are sent out from a business and the importance that this mode of communication now has, following simple email etiquette tips will help ensure a happy relationship for you and your business contacts.
Email Etiquette For Businesses.
How you respond to people by email affects how others perceive you and your company. By following a few simple points you can ensure that your emails provide the information needed and portray you in the way that you want to be seen.
Answer quickly
Always reply to an email within 24 hours (better still, do it on the same day). Even if you only say when you will get back to them about their query, some sort of quick response is needed.
This shows that you are taking the person seriously and, in the case of a more in-depth answer being needed, that you are taking the time to answer correctly.
Outcome: people are normally a lot more patient.
Use the Reply facility – don’t start a fresh subject
If somebody has emailed you about a specific issue, having their email beneath yours ensures that you can both reference where the conversation has got to.
Outcome: no hunting around the mail box for the previous email, allowing simple follow-up.
Relevant subject field
The subject should be as specific as possible to the email body. If for example you are emailing Giant Peach about getting a website designed by us, “Beautiful design” isn’t very specific. Try adding your company name and what type of design you are after.
Outcome: the email is easily referenced and filed and takes you a step away from the spam box.
Answer the question
Make sure that you have answered the question and given links to any resources that might back up what you have talked about (FAQ’s or Informational blog posts). If you feel that the email might naturally move to another question, try to offer a complete answer that pre-empts further query.
Outcome: recipient feels that you are taking that extra step to ensure that they are happy. It also avoids the frustration of them having to come back to you because their question hasn’t been anwered fully.
Be clear and concise
Don’t beat around the bush – answer the question clearly and concisely. If you can use bullet points, all the better.
Outcome: easily digested by recipient and easily checked by you to see that you have covered all of the points.
Attachments
If your attachment is more than 10mb in size, or you have a large number of files, I would recommend either using a free online tool like www.dropbox.com or www.dropsend.com where you can upload the file and the receiver can quickly download it or send the files in separate email batches.
Outcome: this will ensure that the recipient’s email client doesn’t get bunged up with your mahoosive file and that you don’t instantly get added to their nuisance file.
Make it personal
Auto replies are okay if you are on holiday, but for the day-to-day, ensure that your responses are personally addressed with an indication that you are dealing with the topic specifically mentioned in their email. Templates are fine if you are responding to the same question again and again but only if you remember to tailor them to each individual recipient.
Avoid being misunderstood.
Don’t assume people will understand an abbreviation – offer the full phrase with the abbreviation in brackets, then use the abbreviation only after that. Also, don’t capitalise wording as this is deemed as SHOUTING in the world of email etiquette.
Outcome: people don’t misunderstand you and the happy relationship cogs keep on turning.
Don’t forward on emails that might be deemed to be offensive, you never know who will get to see them.
Outcome: Avoids offence to the recipient or anyone they forward it to and keeps a professional image for your business.
Spell check
Use spell check to ensure that people can understand what you have written, and check your punctuation so that the meaning of a sentence is clear and that emphasis is in the right place.
Outcome: gives a professional impression of your company and helps ensure that you are understood first time.
Check and Send
Check your email again before sending. Don’t carbon copy (cc) in the world as this can become quite confusing for the cc receiver. In general, don’t ask for a read receipt as most people say no to sending one anyway. Make sure attachments are attached. When you are definitely good to go, press send.
Outcome: message goes to the correct person(s) with the correct information!
And my last point….
If you accidentally send out an email to the wrong person, call the unintended receiver telling them of your mistake.
Outcome: You will look a little silly anyway having sent the email to the wrong person but mistakes happen. A phone call is better than an automated email request for an email to be deleted and it will usually be appreciated. Deletion requests only arouse interest in the incorrect email anyway, so you may as well own up on the phone.
With the frequency emails are sent out from a business and the importance that this mode of communication now has, following simple email etiquette tips will help ensure a happy relationship for you and your business contacts.
or an email to be deleted and it will usually be appreciated. Deletion requests only arouse interest in the incorrect email anyway, so you may as well own up on the phone.
With the frequency emails are sent out from a business and the importance that this mode of communication now has, following simple email etiquette tips will help ensure a happy relationship for you and your business contacts.
