Business Perspective : The importance of email etiquette in business

It is amazing to find that in this day and age, some companies have still not realized how important their email communications are. Many companies send email replies late or not at all, or send replies that do not actually answer the questions you asked and this can be very annoying. If your company is able to deal professionally with email, this will provide your company with all that important competitive edge. Moreover, by educating employees as to what can and cannot be said in an email, you can protect your company from awkward liability issues. A company needs to implement email etiquette rules for the following three reasons: Professionalism By using proper email language your company will convey a professional image. This is not only important because improper spelling, grammar and punctuation give a bad impression of your company, it is also important for conveying the message properly. E-mails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even change the meaning of the text. And, if your program has a spell checking option, why not use it? Also an email reply must answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions – If you do not answer all the questions in the original email, you will receive further e-mails regarding the unanswered questions, which will not only waste your time and your customer’s time but also cause considerable frustration. Moreover, if you are able to pre-empt relevant questions, your customer will be grateful and impressed with your efficient and thoughtful customer service. Efficiency Customers send an e-mail because they wish to receive a quick response. If they did not want a quick response they would send a letter or a fax. Therefore, each e-mail should be replied to within at least 24 hours and preferably within the same working day. If the email is complicated, just send an email back saying that you have received it and that you will get back to them. This will put the customer’s mind at rest and usually customers will then be very patient. Protection from liability Employee awareness of email risks will protect your company from costly law suits. A lot of people don’t bother to read an email before they send it out, as can be seen from the many spelling and grammar mistakes contained in emails. This advice has certainly been given before. But, it is always worth reminding ourselves about the importance of being polite and avoiding unnecessary rudeness. We will regret it later. Email makes it easier to use harsh words because it is impersonal. Apart from this we need to be very careful, reading your email through the eyes of the recipient will help you send a more effective message and avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate comments. By sending or even just forwarding one libelous, or offensive remark in an email, you and your company can face court cases resulting in multi-million dollar penalties. It is said that we are evaluated and classified by what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it. When it comes to your business e-mail communications, you need to make an impression that can lend to the determination that you are a credible professional enterprise and someone that will be easy and a pleasure to do business with. You only have one chance to make that first impression which will be invaluable to building trust and confidence. Ends