Email Etiquette - Connecting With Your Customer

It is estimated that 95% of professionals use email for work related correspondence and is quickly replacing traditional paper-based methods. At the same time, the user friendliness of the medium makes people wrongly believe that there is no such thing as email etiquette.

But before we go into that, let us look at why email is so popular. Well, here are a few reasons for it:

• it is cheaper and faster than a letter
• it is less intrusive than a phone call
• it is easier than a fax
• time and location differences are irrelevant

Any user will tell you that email is extremely fast and inexpensive. As a small business owner, you can use the email medium to communicate effectively, impress your clients favorably and build a relationship with them that could influence your business positively. Sometimes, however, the very fact that correspondence can be exchanged so rapidly through this medium has its own drawbacks. An inappropriately worded email or one that has been hastily composed can cost you precious business.

There are certain dos and don'ts that apply to email communication and we’ve listed the most important elements of email etiquette here for you:

• Do not send emails without proper salutations. All your emails should begin with a proper greeting and end with an appropriate salutation.

• Do include a subject line that is appropriate to the email content, always. This will make it easier for your recipient to know what to expect in the message body.

• Do not send mass emails like jokes, chain letters and advertisements to your co-workers or clients. Not everyone likes them.

• Do take permission before including people in your mass emailing list.

• Do not send attachments, especially large ones, without taking the recipient’s permission.

• Do reply promptly to all emails. Try to send a reply within 24-48 hours.

• Do not send private or confidential information over email. It is preferable to use the phone or meet in person to convey such details.

• Do proofread and conduct a spell check before you send out each email. Wait a moment before pressing 'send'. Remember, once you have clicked the send button, there is no way you can recall your mail.

• Do not write words in upper case unless you have to - it could be mistaken for shouting at the recipient. Use capitals very sparingly.

• Do ensure that you are referring accurately to individual, company and project names.

• Do not use nicknames of people before being invited to do so. It gives an impression that you are assuming familiarity when there is none.

An email can, typically, be more informal than a business letter but there are some rules of email etiquette that you should follow. It is so easy and simple to write out a few lines and click the send button; the mail will reach the intended person in a matter of minutes. And remember, a mail once sent cannot be taken back - a more or less permanent record is created.