E-mail is the most common method of communication among business professionals today. It allows people to communicate with numerous people from various organizations regarding many different topics. This saves countless hours for many people, ultimately making the business more efficient. However, there are some downfalls to electronic communication. While it does speed up the communication process between many different people, it almost makes it too simple. This can cause quick one-lined e-mails to be sent to the wrong recipient – especially if the sender isn’t a techie.
There are a few guidelines to follow when sending e-mails that will prevent complications later on in your communications with this person.
Simplicity
One of the major issues with e-mail is the person complicating things unnecessarily. A confusing e-mail title or an unclear first statement confuses the recipient, which means they have to spend more time figuring out what you mean than if you’d been clear and concise. The same is true when respond to an e-mail. If you answer the question in a complex manner, or beat around the bush, the recipient will not understand what you’re trying to say, and nothing is more frustrating than having a question ignored.
The same Keep-It-Simple-Stupid method should be used in your formatting. Adding fancy colours and using a hard to read font may look pretty to you, but it takes away from the general concept you’re trying to get across. It’s also very common for someone to delete a message that they can’t read, or even stand to look at. Not to mention, it’s TACKY TACKY TACKY! Being unprofessional is like back-pedaling your career.
Professionalism
Professionalism means more than just saving your pretty colours for your private e-mail account. One of the major pitfalls of e-mail communication is starting an e-mail with “hey” or “yo”. Do not do this. While you can get away without a salutation, if you feel it necessary to use one, Good Morning/Day/Afternoon will be sufficient. Also do not use short forms for names unless you know they like it or go by it. I personally despise when people call me Jenny, and I don’t forget who uses it.
Consistency
Another issue that people come across when e-mailing is the simple inconsistencies in their day to day e-mails. If you normally sign your e-mails with your name, e-mail address and phone number, continue to do so. An easy way to do this is to set up a “signature” that is automatically included in your e-mails. That way the same amount of information is included each time, which will also help you prevent typos in your phone number, e-mail address and address. You can also include your company logo consistency for your clients.
Another common inconsistency is in the formatting. Do you have a favourite font that’s easy to read like Verdana, Times, or Arial? Perfect! Set that font as your “stationary” and the same formatting will always be used.
Proof-Reading
Believe it or not, proof reading can be your best friend. It can save you from something as simple as spelling the client’s name wrong to sending a frustrated e-mail to the person you’re talking about. After you complete an e-mail, read it over, and make sure the e-mail addresses and subject title are spelt right and make sense. This will help keep your image professional and organized.