Have you ever had an email from a business or company that made you think again about using their services? Do you know that sloppy spelling and dubious grammar are things that can really turn people off your company?
Email etiquette is extremely important if you want your company to present itself as a trustworthy and reputable company. There are many things that can be misread or taken the wrong way in the written word and its really important to get it right when you are talking with your clients over email.
Here are a few vital tips for you to keep in mind when writing business emails or training your staff:
1. Be courteous, good manners and politeness go a long way in email communication. Courtesy costs you nothing but can make people feel warm towards you.
2. DON’T WRITE EVERYTHING IN UPPERCASE WRITING This can appear irate or threatening and your customers may not respond well to this.
3. Make sure you don’t cc the world into your conversations. If you must CC someone into your conversations make sure it is critical information for them. Extra email traffic clogs up email boxes and takes up valuable time from peoples day.
4. When writing emails make sure your spelling and grammar is correct. Your company or message could be misinterpreted if you don’t communicate it effectively.
5. If you receive an angry email complaint from a customer don’t reply straight away, re read the email and make sure you are interpreting the right message from it. It may be that you are misreading their message. If the email is making you {cross|irate|angry, calm down and try to respond when you are feeling less agitated about the situation.
6. Don’t talk in abbreviated words or acronyms unless you are sure that the person reading the email will understand them. You may alienate your customer by doing this.
7. Label your subject lines appropriately, communicating effectively will reduce your email traffic.
8. Try to make sure all the information in your emails is laid out well and effectively – this will also reduce the amount of email traffic coming into your inbox.
9. When using email make sure that you are representing your company in a professional and polite way. Happy customers are people that will want to use your company time and time again.
10. Try to keep your emails short and effective. Don’t ramble or waste your customers time, they will react better to your emails if they are taking up less of their precious time.
Keep your email etiquette in mind when you write your company emails and you’ll find that your email communications and customer relationships will improve dramatically.