The Golden Rules for Email Etiquette

According to a survey carried out by Adobe Systems in 2015, on average, a worker spends 6.3 hours daily sifting through and responding to emails. This equals to more than 30 hours each week and about 63 days in a year. With so much time spent dealing with emails, we should have been experts, and yet, so many people are still making mistakes.

Sending the perfect email is critical in business communication. A poorly-written and formatted email can even damage the brand. In business, you don’t want to look like an amateur. Whether you are sending the email to your client, boss, or a co-worker, it needs to be perfect. Only then will you look competent and professional.

What is Email Etiquette?

Email etiquette refers to professionally and socially accepted principles for email communication. It includes structure, language, tone, and grammar based on context and the recipient. It helps you communicate better. One phrase in the wrong context can harm the communication and ruin a relationship. This is why it is so important to follow proper email etiquette.

Proper email etiquette will help you in the following ways – 

• You will appear professional – The business and also you personally will showcase a professional image.
• You will appear more efficient – It will prevent misunderstanding and confusion. The wording in a good email should be precise and clear.
• Gives you control over expression – The modern world of texting and tweeting has made us lazy. We often use words that have no place in business communication. Recipients cannot interpret by themselves when you eliminate such words and phrases. This gives you more control.
• Protection from liability – You and your business may be protected from costly lawsuits.

Unfortunately, you cannot “unsend” a poorly written and composed email, which is why it is so important to do it right. There is just one exception. If you are using Gmail, you can recall the email if you catch an error in 10 seconds. Otherwise, there is no way of preventing the damage. Learn how to recall an email in Gmail.

Here are some key email etiquettes you must follow – 

1. The subject line – The subject line has to be clear and professional. The recipient should know immediately what the email is about. Many people decide whether to open the email or not and also whether it is important and demands immediate attention by reading the subject line. After all, we get hundreds of emails daily and many of them manager to avoid the spam folder. By making it clear in the subject line, you will be helping the recipient decide and prioritize.

2. Address the person correctly – Always ensure that you have entered the correct spelling of the receiver’s name and the title. The receiver has every reason to feel offended if the spelling of his or her name is wrong.

3. Use right salutations and closing statements – Before sending the email, always make sure that the email contains a courteous greeting and closing. This will tell the recipient that you are respectful and that your intention is sincere.

4. Format correctly – The email must be properly organized. It should be grammatically correct and easy to read. Misspellings will surely be noticed and this will harm your credibility and reputation. So, be careful. Break up into small sentences and paragraphs. You can even include bullet points and numbered lists. The font you select should be professional.

5. Avoid all caps – Many people feel tempted to write in all caps to gain attention. This can have a counter effect. It may seem like you are yelling. Also, avoid exclamation points. The receiver may feel you are either not sincere or too enthusiastic. And, of course, the email copy should not contain any slang, even if it industry specific in your niche. Remember, an email is always an official communication.

6. Watch your tone – Your tone should be professional and positive. Avoid negative language. Rephrase the sentences to make sure that the tone is neutral.

7. Be careful with humor – Humor is subjective and is open to interpretation. Also, The recipient may interpret it as sarcasm. Something that is funny to you may not seem so to the other person. So it is best to avoid humor unless you know the receiver really well. And anyway, official communication should be to the point and shouldn’t contain humorous statements.

8. Make it mobile-friendly – A lot of people these days read emails on their mobile devices. So make it mobile-friendly. If it does not display correctly then there is always the chance that the receiver may delete your email instantly. Make your sentences concise and short.

9. The signature – All professional emails must have a signature. It should include your company’s name, phone number, website, and also your job title. However, If you are applying for a job, then the signature should also include a link to your LinkedIn page.

10. Respond timely – Always reply to an email within 24 hours. If you cannot, then set up a message saying “I’ll get back to you soon” or something like this. This will show that you care. If you won’t be available for a while, then mention this clearly in the email you sent and also mention the date when you can be reached.

Conclusion:

Proper email etiquette is especially important for business communication. Also, A properly crafted email may make a huge difference between potential conflict and confusion and a successful professional relationship. So take time in formatting your emails. Never hurry. Be careful of what you are writing, how you are writing, and how you are formatting the email.