(This week's post marks our first appearance by a guest blogger, Jennifer Furst of Furst Staffing. Thanks Jennifer!) Email has become an important communication tool for all businesses. For the average email user, more than 30% of a given day is spent creating, organizing, reading and responding to email. This contributes to information overload, which hinders corporate productivity.
Be concise and to the pointDo not make an email longer than it needs to be. Remember that reading an email is harder than reading printed communications and a long email can be very discouraging to read. When emails are poorly written, the reader has to spend more time deciphering the meaning or sending follow-up emails to question or clarify. Try to keep your sentences to a maximum of 15-20 words. Email is meant to be a quick medium and requires a different kind of writing than letters.
Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuationMost programs include a spell check for a reason; please use it. Even the best writers overlook errors. This is not only important because improper spelling, grammar and punctuation give a bad impression of your company, it is also important for conveying the message properly.
Read the email before you send it A lot of people don’t bother to read an email before they send it out. Reading your email through the eyes of the recipient will help you send a more effective message and avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate comments. Emails that are poorly written, use poor grammar or have inappropriate business language wastes precious time. Even worse are unprofessional emails containing content the author would never say to a person face-to-face.
Reply to AllOnly use “Reply to All” if you really need your message to be seen by each person who received the original message. It’s all too easy to copy too many recipients or, worse, entire workgroups or all employees. Focusing on email distributions can help eliminate more than 10% of email received per day. At a savings of three minutes spent reading and addressing each message.
Answer swiftlyPeople send an email because they wish to receive a quick response. Reply to each email within at least 24 hours, and preferably within the same working day. If the email or request is complicated, just send an email back saying that you have received it and that you will get back to them. This will put the individual’s mind at rest and usually will then be patient.
Do not overuse the high priority optionWe all know the story of the boy who cried wolf. If you overuse the high priority option, it will lose its function when you really need it. If a message is flagged as “high priority,” you will come across as slightly aggressive. Reserve this function for situations where it is absolutely necessary.
Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questionsAn email reply must answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions. If you do not answer all the questions in the original email, you will receive further emails regarding the unanswered questions, which will not only waste your time and your customer’s time but also cause considerable frustration. Moreover, if you are able to pre-empt relevant questions, your customer will be grateful and impressed with your efficient and thoughtful customer service.
Do not write in CAPITALSWHEN YOU write IN CAPITALS IT SEEMS AS IF YOU ARE SHOUTING. This can be highly annoying and might trigger an unwanted response.
Take care with abbreviations and emoticonsIn business emails, try not to use abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) and LOL (laugh out loud). The recipient might not be aware of the meanings of the abbreviations and in business emails these are generally not appropriate. The same goes for emoticons, such as the smiley ☺.
Do not use email to discuss confidential informationSending an email is like sending a postcard. If you don’t want your email to be displayed on a bulletin board, don’t send it. Moreover, never make any libelous, sexist or racially discriminating comments in emails, even if they are meant to be a joke.
Use a meaningful subjectTry to use a subject that is meaningful to the recipient as well as yourself. Placing the topic of the e-mail in the subject line allows the recipient to sort their e-mails by subject and for placing in folders on a particular topic. Avoid using the words urgent or important on the subject line.
Close professionallyEnd your message professionally by closing with such words as “respectfully” or “sincerely”.
(Furst Staffing is just one of the many independent staffing firms that Allied partners with through our affiliation with AnserTeam. Call us today to see how we can help you in the Lehigh Valley and beyond.)
