6 Tips on Proper E-mail Etiquette
With the digital age upon us, personal contact is becoming less popular. everyday. Cellphones,e-mail,voice mail and blogs almost make actually seeing a person unnecessary.
The main problem with digital communication is, we tend to forget all about etiquette.
The internet is a world within itself, with that, there are certain guidelines that we should follow. The list I have compiled is not in any particular order.
1. Use a clear, professional subject line
Show your recipient clearly what the email will cover. Many people will decide whether they will open an email depending on the subject line. For someone who gets hundreds of emails a day, a subject line that is to the point makes it easier for them to sort through their inbox and decide what communications to prioritise.
2. Proofread every email you send
Make sure there are no grammatical or professional errors. Have you spelt the recipient’s name correctly? Are there spelling errors? Are you using simple sentence structures and correct capitalisation and punctuation? Ignoring these compromises your professionalism and the credibility of your email.
3. Write your email before entering the recipient email address
It is always best practice to write the contents of your email first in case you accidentally send the message too early.
4. Double check you have the correct recipient
There is nothing worse than sending an email to the wrong Jess or a confidential document to the wrong client or company.
5. Ensure you CC all relevant recipients
It is unprofessional to leave out a colleague or client from a relevant email chain. Be mindful of who should be informed about a given matter and respect that.
6. You don’t always have to “reply all”
Think about who needs to read your response; no one wants to read an email chain from 20 people that has nothing to do with them.
7. Reply to your emails
Most people at some point have felt swamped by the large number of emails they have to sift through. But replying to an email is good etiquette, especially if the sender is expecting a response. Acknowledging you received the email but will get back to the sender at a later time is a professional alternative to ignoring or avoiding certain emails.
8. Include a signature block
If your recipient doesn’t know anything about you, they may be skeptical of the authenticity of your email. It is professional to include your full name, title, your company and your contact number.
9. Use the appropriate level of formality
For instance, begin with “Dear _____”, use “please” and “thank you” where necessary, and always end your email with the appropriate phrase, “Kind regards”, “Thank you”, “Sincerely” and so on.
10. Keep emails brief and to the point
No one wants to read an enormous chunk of text. You can always follow up on the matter later or suggest they give you a call if they have any queries or concerns.
