Today, many employees spend several hours each day either sending or receiving emails as an essential aspect of their job. Most employees who claim to be professionals don’t know the required standards while using the email. They end up making mistakes which do not suite a professional interaction. Such mistakes could be seen in missing spelling errors while typing an email especially on your phone, or inappropriate tone used in the content or text of the email. These mistakes may be detrimental to the entire business in the form of loss of significant clients.
Explained here are most of the essential email etiquettes which are necessary for any business:
Tips on how to have more Professional Emails
Use of a professional email address
Your company email address should be official and the most appropriate to use. But if you are self-employed or like presenting your personal email address on occasions, then the choice of the address is essential. A proper email address for a corporate job should convey your name so that the recipient is confident of your identity. It shouldn’t be your nickname, school, pet name or what you love most. Any of these is deviant of the standards or email etiquette for business.
Don’t rush to click the “reply”
An octagon sign that says ‘Don’t Panic’
Always think twice before hitting the reply unless it becomes essential that everyone on the list gets the email. Constant mistakes can happen if you rush to reply. It may be disturbing to recipients.
Always include a subject line objective
Choosing a subject line which addresses the concerns of your readers or the current business issues is essential while sending an email. Why? The decision to either open an email or not is almost entirely dependent on the subject line. Busy readers will not waste their time opening emails which may likely not be relevant to prevailing issues. Again, the subject line should be precise and concise too. A good example would be “change of meeting date”.
Avoid frequent use of exclamations
Use exclamations sparingly in your text to convey excitement and avoid it appearing immature or too emotional.
Include a signature block
It is essential to provide your reader with some information about you such as your full name, contact, company name and sometimes little publicity for yourself.
Use professional salutations
Formal salutations such as “Good day” and “Hello” should be used before the content. Avoid laid-back colloquial expressions such as “hey guys” as they are unprofessional.
Be cautious with humor
‘You’ve got mail’ Cartoon
Sometimes, what you perceive as humor may not appear same to someone else. So, it is essential you leave humor out to avoid appearing unprofessional.
Proofread every message before sending
Always read your typed email a couple of times before submitting. And do not solely rely on spell-checks as they may imply words with entirely different meanings.
Insert the email address last
To avoid accidentally sending unfinished and unchecked email, always insert the email address last.
Choose classic fonts
The font style and size for your email should be easy to read. Font sie between 10-12 is ideal while time new Roman, Calibri or Arial is perfect.
Try replying your emails even when not intended for you
Though replying emails may appear unnecessary and stressful, it is proper email etiquette especially when the sender works in the same company with you.
In addition to these essential email etiquettes, it is also necessary to keep tabs on your tone. Preferably, you should read out loud before hitting the send. For your business, always assume everyone will see what you write.
Linda Rawson is the CEO, and Founder of DynaGrace Enterprises, (http://DynaGrace.com) which is a Women-Owned, Small Business. She is also the author of The Minority and Women-Owned Small Business Guide to Government Contracts.
