Business Email Etiquette

Email is one of the main sources of communication in the business world, and it's important that you practice proper email etiquette. There are many ways an email may be misread or misinterpreted by the recipient, so it's important to focus on the following things.

The Greeting is Important

It’s important to add a salutation to start the email, and you need to include the person’s name to practice proper email etiquette. This shows that you are taking the time to speak directly to an individual, and it starts the message out in a friendly way. Don’t use any slang to start the conversation as this is too casual and can be offensive.

Talk as You Would in Person

It is difficult to guess someone’s tone and attitude in an email, which is why email etiquette is so important. Do not write words in all capital letters, which can seem like you are shouting. Avoid using exclamation points, which may make you come across as angry or impatient.

You don’t need to make things bold or underline them to get a point across, and this may make the recipient feel like you think he is ignorant and can’t comprehend what you are saying. Your email etiquette should be as friendly as a real-life encounter.

Spell Check Your Work

If you don’t spell check your message, it will look very unprofessional and show bad email etiquette. Read the email once or twice out loud to yourself, and use a grammar spell check system to make sure that the email has the correct information without any flaws.

Reply to Everyone Awaiting a Response

It is important email etiquette to reply to everyone who is awaiting a response even if you don’t have the answer they need right away. Acknowledge that you got the messages and are working on answering their questions, or let them know what is going on so that they aren’t waiting to hear from you all day. Even if the email is short, it's better than nothing.

Make Your Subject Line Descriptive

Put what the email is relevant to in the subject line so that the recipient can open it quickly when regarding an important message. If you put the project that the message pertains to, or other important information, in the subject line, the recipient knows he needs to read it quickly. About 33 percent of email recipients will choose to open an email based off the subject line alone, so it’s important to be clear and concise.

You don't want to offend someone and ruin a professional relationship because you have poor email etiquette when you communicate with him. Follow these steps and always make sure that you are sending an email to the correct recipient.

Photo Courtesy of StockImages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net