Continuing from my previous post, on the Corporate-Email etiquette, here are the Do~s of using Corporate-email more effectively.

There are other tips too that I might add to this post as they come to my notice.--------------------------------------------------------------- -----------

Some practices for reducing and managing e-mail more effectively

Do~s

1. Think - is email needed for the communication you want to make? Or will a phone call help?

2. Keep messages short and precise. (This also helps with less data on the network).

Avoid narrative descriptions whereever possible. Use bullet points to brief.

Managers like bullets to charge their ammo of info :)

3. Decide on formal or informal formats based on audience.

4. Content clarity should be maintained - otherwise you risk several after effects which are more time consuming to deal with than not having sent the email at all.

5. Mention clearly if you expect a reply back.

6. If the subject line carries all you want to convey, suffix – No Text [NT] in the subject line itself.

7. Use Calendar & Meeting Planner to send mails about meetings. It is easier for people to see a pop-up reminder of a meeting than remember an email about a meeting.

For example, in Calendar use Actions/Plan a Meeting to find times when attendees are likely to be free. (this feature is not available if the Outlook server is not configured to show public calendars)

8. 'To' means ‘action expected from’- so the email must be directed to those who can take action on your content; CC indicates "for information only"

But these days the more the merrier seems to be the mantra in corporate emails. Everyone is required to be kept in the loop with To/CC running into multiple lines

9. Include timescales by which you expect a reply.

10. Use Follow up Flags to remind recipients of actions in an e-mail. If you need a reply or comments by a certain date or time, let people know by setting a Flag. This will pop up and remind them at the appropriate time.

11. Use Out of Office Assistant to tell people when you are not attending to your email (not just when you are actually out of office, though this was the original purpose of this feature).

12. Recall messages when appropriate, such as when someone is "out of office". Open the e-mail that was sent and use Actions/Recall This Message. (this option might be different for different versions of the client software)

13. Use Rules option to manage incoming mail.

14. Important key - Delete - if you don't need an email, delete it!

15. Regularly clean up your ‘Sent Mail’ folder.

16. Use meaningful subject lines

17. Use Priority and Sensitivity settings to indicate contents upfront. (People probably don’t even look for these flags these days, but make this a practice)

18. Organize your mail – use folder structure. These can be in your mailbox, personal folders on your PC or file server.

19. Remove/save attachments from e-mails in your mailbox. - Attachments take up lots of space when left in an email. If you need to keep an attachment, save it to your PC, public folder or a file server and note in the e-mail where you have put it.

20. Preferably, write the subject of the mail first, fill in the body text next and then add the To and CC fields to avoid clicking Send by mistake and sending an incomplete mail.

21. Use BCC (blind copy) to restrict mass replies. If you put all recipient names in the Blind Copy (BCC) field, then they can only reply to you. You don't need to put anyone in the TO field. But do not use this feature indiscriminately.

22. For contents to be circulated within a group clearly mark the mail body on top 'Restricted circulation' to ensure the mail does not go into the boxes of other recipients.

23. Protect data files(.pst files) which have sensitive emails with passwords, in case your PC is used by multiple users. This is possible using the data file properties option.

But make sure you Remember the password.

24. If your CIN provides a Global Address book, you can create your own contacts for only those who are not listed on that address-book.

25. Use email for formal written communications as far as possible. Informal written communication can happen through Intranet chat, IP Messenger, face-to-face or the phone.

Not all email clients have the ‘Tag email’ option. If available, this will ease mail filtering in the times to come.

Disclaimer: The contents in this post have been gathered over from different sources and from personal experience. They do not belong to any specific source

Next - the Don't~s of Email etiquette...