e Mail Etiquette

E-MAIL ETIQUETTE

Designed and Created By: Mustafa Mazumdar


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Aim and Objectives

Emails are such an essential form of communication in an Organisation, but

how do we ensure that they do not lead to miscommunication?

The aim of this session is to: -
Provide you with the rules that should be followed when sending business emails. This session gives you tips for email etiquetteHelp you create a better impression with your emailsShow you that sloppily written emails waste time and moneyDemonstrate that poor English spelling and grammar discredits you
Objectives

By the end of this session, you will be able to write an effective business email.


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Read out - the aims and objectives on the slide.


Why do you Need Email Etiquette?

A company needs to implement

etiquette/rules for the following three

reasons:

Professionalism: by using proper email language your company will convey a professional image

Efficiency: emails that get to the point are much more effective than poorly worded emails

Protection from liability: employee awareness of email risks will protect your company from costly law suits


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Read out - the information on the slide.

Highlight the remember section this is the main reason why we need to write effective emails and be vigilant in checking emails before they are sent.

Dos & Donts



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Advise the dos and donts of effective mailing outlined in the next few slides are generic tips which can be adopted in any company. These are the basic rules however, that must be adopted by anyone who uses email as a form of communication.

You may have adopted some of the tips already, you may learn new ones and if you have your own please share them with the group.


Dos

Be concise and to the point:

Do not make an email longer than it needs to be. Remember that reading an email is harder than reading printed communications and a long email can be very discouraging to read.

Answer all questions and pre-empt further questions:

If you do not answer all the questions first time you will receive further mails. This is a waste of yours and the senders time and it is frustrating. Pre-empting, however gives the impression you are efficient and thoughtful and it is excellent customer service.


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Read out the information on the slide and discuss.


Dos

Answer Swiftly:

Customers send an email because they wish to receive a quick response. Therefore always keep to your agreed business response times set out in the SLAs. If you receive a complicated email and need longer than the agreed response period, reply to the sender advising you have received their request and will get back to them. This is extremely polite and will put the senders mind at rest.

Use templates for frequently used responses:

Some emails you will need to send over and over again. Save these texts as response templates and paste these into your message when you need them. You can save your templates in a word document, or use pre-formatted emails.


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Dos

Use proper structure and layout:

Since reading from a screen is more difficult than reading from paper, the structure and layout is very important in emails. Use short paragraphs and blank lines between each paragraph. When making points remember to number them, or bullet them. Use enough words, no one wants to waste time reading long, involved paragraphs when they can skim a bulleted list.

Use enough words to make your point clear.


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Dos

Keep your language gender neutral:

Avoid using gender specific language such as the user should add a signature to his emails, If you dont know the gender, either use he or she or use the neutral gender the user should add a signature to their emails.

Take care with abbreviations and emoticons:

In business emails do not use abbreviations such as BTW (by the way) and LOL (laugh out loud), they are unprofessional and not understood by everyone. The same goes for emoticons such as the smiley , :-) these are inappropriate.


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Dos

Read your email before you send it - Proofreading

Read your email through the eyes of the recipient, this will help you to send a more effective message and avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate comments. Wait a moment before pressing 'send, proofread it to make sure there are no mistakes.

Remember spell check can only highlight gross mistakes. It doesnt highlight real words in the wrong place. E.g. he has gone could easily be written as he was gone just by typing a w instead of an h. They are both legitimate sentences but mean different things.

There is grammar checking software which can help you to stop using their instead of there. But it is not a mind reader. Tell him I can come, will be accepted by all checking tools but it wont know you meant to say tell him I cant come!!!


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Dos

Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation:

Poor spelling gives a bad impression of you and your company. Correct spelling and grammar is important for conveying the message properly. Emails with no commas or full-stops are difficult to read and can sometimes change the meaning of the text.

USE SPELL CHECK.

Use proper Signature.


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Dos

Use a meaningful subject:

Try to use a subject that is meaningful to you and the recipient. E.g. Payment Advice not received

Use active instead of passive:

Try to use the active voice of a verb wherever possible. For instance we will process your payment on the 25th, it sounds better than your payment will be processed on the 25th.

The first sounds personal, the latter sounds unnecessarily formal.


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Dos

Avoid using URGENT and IMPORTANT:

Even more so than the high priority option you must try to avoid these types of words in an email or subject line. Only use it if the situation is extremely urgent or important. Keep it to a minimum.

Avoid long sentences be brief:

Try to keep your sentences to 15-20 words. Email is meant to be a quick medium and requires a different kind of writing than letters. Also take care not to send emails that are too long, your recipient will simply not read it!!


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Don'ts

Do not attach unnecessary files:

Sending large attachments can annoy some people and even bring down their email system. Wherever possible try to compress attachments and only send them when it is productive.

Do not overuse the high priority option:

If you overuse the high priority option it will lose its function when you really need it. Also the use of high priority can be misunderstood as aggressive.


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Don'ts

Do not write in CAPITALS:

CAPITALS IS THE WRITTEN FORM OF SHOUTING. This can be highly annoying to read and may trigger an aggressive response unnecessarily.

Do not leave out the message thread:

Always reply with history to include the original mail. This will keep a record of all correspondence relating to that subject.


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Don'ts

Do not demand action, request it:

This is especially important if you are asking for help or requesting money to be paid. You may think this would be obvious, but emails being sent to people demanding payment is all too common. A simple, polite description of your problem/request, and a polite "please advise" will get you much better results and much faster ones too.

Do not OVERUSE reply to all:

Only reply to all if you need your message to be seen by everybody who received the original message.


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Don'ts

Do not forward chain letters:

Delete them as soon as you receive them.

Do not ask to recall a message:

This is pointless unless you do it IMMEDIATELY after you sent it otherwise it would have been read already. Preferably, send a second email advising of the mistakes in the first one. This is much more honest than recalling it.


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Don'ts

Do not use email to discuss confidential information:

Sending an email is like sending a postcard. If you dont want your mail to be displayed on the notice board dont send it. More importantly, never make any racially discriminating comments even if they are intended as a joke.

Do not reply to an angry email immediately:

Compose your response email, wait for 1 hour, re-read your email and then send it. You will be much calmer and more prepared to send a neutral, professional email.


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Points to Remember

Always have a subject for every mail

Make the subject convey in brief the intent of the message

Write the addressees e-mail address in the to box

Use the CC box to enter the e-mail addresses of the people who you

want to copy on the mail

Always use the same e-mail to respond/reply/forward etc. so that the

history of the issue is not lost

Avoid short forms, use complete words

Be very specific and clear when you state the problem/issue/query



Points to Remember

Give the information required from your end. E.g. For an invoice-related issue give the bar code number, supplier name etc

Put yourself in the recipients shoes and make sure he will understand you the way you intended him to

If you are not the person handling the particular area, it would be better for you to forward the mail to the person concerned with a copy marked to the sender, rather than asking the sender to write to the person concerned



Out of Office Message

Before you leave the office for 1 day or more due to business travel or holiday set up your extended message or out of office message on your email systems. If someone emails you whilst you are away, an email will be sent to them advising you are not in the office.
Provide an alternative person to contact in your absence Advise your date of return Dont forget to turn it off when you return to work

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Read out - the information on the slide.


Thank you

Remember make yourself look good on line because your email can be forwarded to anyone in your company and outside!


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Thank you for your participation today and remember what your email technique says about you, Capgemini. Check, double check and check again before you send it out.

Thank you and goodbye.

e Mail Etiquette

Documents

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