Why Your Team Is Failing Terribly in E-mail Communication.
Jackie Wahome, Customer Experience Trainer
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Nine E-mail Etiquette Tips That Will Make Your Team Stand Out.
It would seem that the evolution of social media chat platforms would bring an end to email communication. Well, this is far from reality as a lot of emails are sent daily, especially for official reasons.
Just so you understand how popular emails are, there were no fewer than 3.8 billion users that used emails actively in 2019. That was 3 years ago and the truth is that the number of active email users has increased to date.
In other words, email is still a highly preferred communication method. It is however important to note that most people, either do not know or have ignored email etiquette.
This article will look at nine email etiquette tips that you and your team should be keen to implement with the goal of achieving an edge in customer experience.
1.????The Subject Line Must Be Precise and Clear
The average person with access to the internet and an email account gets a lot of emails every day. For some people, there are so many of these emails, and reading every one of them is near impossible.
A subject line is undeniably the most important part of every email.?You need to make sure your email’s subject line ticks all the right boxes to increase the chances of the recipients reading it. Against this backdrop, the subject must be descriptive but brief. Stay within six to eight words when it comes to the subject.
A blank subject line is a huge mistake as the recipient might not take it seriously. A subject line that is written in capital letters may seem like you are yelling at the recipient.
Lastly, a subject line that has typos becomes an automatic turn-off to the recipient and it communicates carelessness or unprofessionalism.
?2.????Steer Clear of Fanciful Email Addresses
How seriously would you take this email address? ‘[email protected]’ Not so seriously right? If it was a job application, would the prospective employer take the candidate seriously?
While most companies provide all their employees with official email addresses, this is an important point at a personal level as there is still official communication from personal email addresses.
Using fanciful email addresses for formal purposes can put off the recipient. It can even send the impression that the sender is not professional enough.
?3.????Do not Use that “Reply-All” Button Without Due Cause
Email companies have brought a lot of ease to users. For example, it is possible to send the same message to many recipients at the same time. This is a more convenient option than sending the same message individually to recipients.
Email companies have also made it possible for people that get such messages to reply-all. This means that everyone that the message was sent to and the sender will get the reply.
This is a good feature but it should not be used inappropriately. This is so that irrelevant messages will not be sent to the rightful people. So, you need to figure out who needs the reply before sending it. If it is for just one person or a select few, then you should not use the reply-all button.
?4.????You Stand a Better Chance with Email Signatures
For starters, people get lots of emails and many of them do not make an effort of reading most of them. This does not mean that using emails, especially for marketing purposes, is ineffective.
However, you need to take measures that will make you stand out so that your email open rate and market conversion will be higher. It is important to note that the use of email signatures will help a lot in this regard.
But in addition to this, you are better off with a signature that is as professional as possible. This is especially important for those that are using it for marketing purposes. Always ensure that your recipients have a clear way of communicating back to you.
?5.????Play Safe with Exclamation Marks and Resist Using Emojis
Let’s face it, excessive use of exclamation marks is like screaming all over the internet. This is not to say there is no place for exclamation marks. However, they should be used in moderation and only when the need truly arises.
Emojis on the other hand are to be totally avoided unless in the very rare occasions where the recipient uses them. But even then, they must be used sparingly so as to maintain professionalism.
?6.????Keep a Professional Tone at All Times
Generally speaking, the tone of your email must conform to the intent of the mail. If you are sending something casual, then there is no problem using a casual tone.
However, you cannot do that if the email is for official purposes. In that case, you would need to use a tone that is official. The greetings section suffers quite a bit when it comes to keeping a professional tone. For official emails, avoid greetings like “Hi and Hey”. These expressions do not convey the required tone of formality.
?7.????Acknowledge the Receipt of Emails
Some people have the habit of going through official emails and not acknowledging them. This is wrong!
You should make it a point of duty to acknowledge that you received the mail. Depending on the content of the mail, you may also be required to acknowledge that you understand and agree with the content of the mail.
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Even when a request or action cannot be taken immediately, it’s polite to acknowledge emails.
?8.????Proofread, Proofread, and also Proofread
There are possibly a thousand and one things that you have to get done and so you are in a hurry to construct that message and send it. As a result, proofreading is not on your agenda.
Grammatical errors and missing key information are some of the reasons why proofreading should not be ignored. That last check to ensure that everything looks good makes all the difference.
There are also tools available to check on grammatical errors that can save you time. There is clearly no space for any excuse.
?9.????Email Addresses Should be Added after the Message has been Constructed
You are better off adding the recipients’ email addresses after you have properly constructed the message. This ensures that you send the right information to the right people.
Sending an email to the wrong person can breach the privacy of the right recipient or the company. This can result in legal problems or long avoidable explanations to the wrong recipients especially when recalling the email is not an option.
?So Next Time When Writing That Email,
Start with a precise subject that communicates the reason for the email clearly. Use a professional email address for official communication and keep your tone professional at all times.
Remember to use the ‘reply to all’ option with caution to avoid tagging along people that have nothing to do with the email as it becomes a time waster for them and fills up their inboxes unnecessarily.
Lastly, always acknowledge the receipt of emails, proofread and confirm that the email addresses indicated are the right ones.
Happy emailing!
Article Author
Jackie Wahome, a Customer Experience Trainer in Kenya with over 15 years of experience in Customer Experience across different industries in Kenya.
I help businesses make more and retain more customers through unrivalled Customer Experience.
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Nominal Director (Biomedical Engineer) with a passion for leadership. Solution Focused, Critical Thinker, Fitness Enthusiast, Empathetic Team Leader & Perpetual Student of life with an open mind. Dimetrica Ltd
2 年I support this ?? in fact Jackie Wahome, Customer Experience Trainer on the subject matter one can set as mandatory an email before being sent it prompts you for a subject matter if you have not put one.