Why email etiquette is invaluable to your business
It amazes me that, even in this day and age, so many businesses haven’t yet grasped the huge importance of email etiquette.
One of my biggest bugbears is that a lot of firms will often send replies late and sometimes not at all.
There is nothing more unprofessional or rude than sloppy email communication.
Not mentioning any names, I’ve dealt with people in the past that have been so slow to respond to any of my polite emails, that I’ve simply taken my business elsewhere, working instead with companies who are friendly, professional and appreciate the value of good manners online.
What’s even more frustrating is the alarming amount of poor spelling and grammar I’ve come across. You wouldn’t send a badly written letter, so why suddenly become lazy elsewhere?
Everyone knows poor use of the English language only gives a bad first impression. It makes your business look unprofessional and makes a potential client question the quality of your products or services.
It’s important to remember that everything you put out, including your email communication, is representative of your business. If you forget simple manners then a customer or client is going to go elsewhere.
Then there are those awful emails that waffle and ignore addressing any of your original queries. Why is it so difficult to get straight to the point and reply to any questions the customer has sent?
With all of the above in mind, I’ve put together the following top tips to ensure that when you next receive an email, you will know how to correctly respond:
One of my biggest bugbears is that a lot of firms will often send replies late and sometimes not at all.
There is nothing more unprofessional or rude than sloppy email communication.
Not mentioning any names, I’ve dealt with people in the past that have been so slow to respond to any of my polite emails, that I’ve simply taken my business elsewhere, working instead with companies who are friendly, professional and appreciate the value of good manners online.
What’s even more frustrating is the alarming amount of poor spelling and grammar I’ve come across. You wouldn’t send a badly written letter, so why suddenly become lazy elsewhere?
Everyone knows poor use of the English language only gives a bad first impression. It makes your business look unprofessional and makes a potential client question the quality of your products or services.
It’s important to remember that everything you put out, including your email communication, is representative of your business. If you forget simple manners then a customer or client is going to go elsewhere.
Then there are those awful emails that waffle and ignore addressing any of your original queries. Why is it so difficult to get straight to the point and reply to any questions the customer has sent?
With all of the above in mind, I’ve put together the following top tips to ensure that when you next receive an email, you will know how to correctly respond:
- Be concise and get straight to the
point. The recipient won’t have the time or inclination to read through
reels and reels of copy. Just keep it brief.
- Answer any questions the recipient has asked. Be pro-active and pre-empt any further queries they might have.
- Reply
as soon as possible. Emails are supposed to be a fast form of
communication therefore people expect a quick response. If they don’t
get a swift reply, you’ll come across as rude and unprofessional and
they may take their business elsewhere. If the email reply is too
complicated for a quick answer – just write a short response, saying
that you’ll be in touch soon to answer their query.
- Use
correct spelling, grammar and punctuation. It will ensure you look
professional and will give that all-important, good first impression.
- Adopt
a proper structure and layout. Reading text on screen can be quite
difficult. Make it as easy as possible for the recipient by using
paragraphs to break up the copy.
- DO NOT WRITE IN CAPITALS. In the virtual world, this is deemed as somebody shouting, so it can appear rude.
- Ensure you have a ‘Signature’, providing your full name, job title, phone number, mobile number and web address.
- Do not overuse the high priority option. Only use when completely necessary.
- If
you’re a large company, add disclaimers to your emails. It can protect
your business from liability. If you have an email policy in place
which states that employees are expressly required not to make
defamatory statements, then you have a strong case of proving you did
everything you could to prevent offensive email communication.
- Read through the email before you send it, just to double check that you have addressed all of the above. A top tip is to only enter the email address of the recipient when you are completely satisfied with your draft. This avoids mistakenly sending an email before it is finished.
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