Polish up your business eMail etiquette

The do's and don'ts of writing business eMails

You use eMail to communicate with your co-workers, your clients and the businesses you work with, but are you giving off the great impression you should be? Brush up on your eMail etiquette and learn how to master the perfect response.

According to a recent report from Radicati, more than 100 billion business eMails are sent and received per day how many of those are essential and how many are well written? Cut through the noise with well-crafted messages.

Do keep your eMails brief

With so many eMails hitting the average inbox every day, the shorter and more to the point your message is, the better.

Don't forget to spellcheck

You're in a hurry and you need to fire an eMail off quickly, but that's no excuse for sloppy spelling. Mistakes make you look unprofessional and there's no excuse when most eMail platforms include a spellchecker. 

Do sign off appropriately

No matter how stressed or annoyed you are, you should always sign off politely. "Best wishes", "Yours sincerely" and "Many thanks" are all appropriate choices. Your eMails should also have a signature that includes your title and phone number. 

Don't use unnecessary abbreviations

There are two types of abbreviations to avoid: the shorthand, text-speak style that makes you look unprofessional and the jargon-heavy business chat that can alienate potential clients.

Do consider the subject line

In many ways, the subject line is the most prominent part of your eMail, so use it wisely. Make sure it reflects the content of the eMail and update it if you're replying to a long eMail chain but changing the subject under discussion.

Don't use emoticons

You may feel the temptation to lighten up a heavy eMail with a smiley face or other emoticons don't. Not only are emoticons unprofessional, they often don't render well between different eMail platforms, sometimes making them indecipherable.

Do reply promptly

Ideally, you should aim to reply to all eMails within 24 hours of receiving them. This may be challenging, but it keeps conversations fresh and ensures important information doesn't get buried.

Contact your local Snap Centre for more help in crafting the ideal eMail for all your business queries.