You never liked writing and now are you expected to compose a dozen emails a day at your new job? On top of it, are you worried about an email etiquette blunder? Here are five crucial etiquette tips that might save you some embarrassments.
01. Respond Fast
When you are new, there is a lot to prove. Responding fast to emails will boost your reputation, so make sure you do so within a maximum of one to two hours of receiving the email.
If you don’t know to respond, acknowledge having received and read the email and say that you would get back. Something like ‘The contents of your email are noted. I will revert shortly.’ should work.
02. The To and the Cc
Always put in the ‘To’ field those you address the mail to and Cc those who are to be in the loop. Never Bcc anyone.
If the organisation has a sir or Mister culture, address people with a Mr./Ms. followed by their surname (not their first name).
Start off with the most senior person when you address the email to a number of people.
03. The Use of Colours
Using a maximum of three colours may be acceptable in an official mail provided that such colours are needed for better clarity of the points. Multiple colours should not be used for beautification – it will end up in a disaster.
Stick to black, blue, brown, dark green and purple or some such shade. Avoid red and colours that may be too light to read such ad yellow.
04. Sign Off
Always have a closing comment such as Best regards, Thanking you or Stay safe before your signature.
Use the corporate email signature template and get your name, designation, department and contact information updated clearly. Never send an email without a signature or an incomplete signature.
05. Keep a Note and Follow Up
If you make a promise in an email, take a note of it and ensure it is fulfilled. An acknowledgment or a half baked answer will not be of any use.
Do not wait until someone asks again, complete the task and get back to fulfil the promise.
Do you have other questions about sending or writing emails? Throw caution to wind and write to us at fullofetiquette@gmail.com. We will help you out.
Till I return with full of etiquette next week, stay safe!
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Praveeni Jayasekera is the Founder and Editor of fullofetiquette.com; she is a regular advocate on the subject. She is an ACMA, CGMA; holds a BSc. Economics and Management; PG in IT and Diploma in Social Sciences. She is employed full time in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer at CL Synergy (Private) Limited; a Sri Lankan freight forwarding company. She is an ardent fan of the written word and has compiled content for numerous websites for search engine optimisation (SEO) purposes, corporate profiles and blogs. She has experience in training corporate professionals on customer service and business etiquette. She conducts coaching sessions on etiquette for school children every now and then.
