Mail & Email Business Etiquette
Business etiquette encompasses a wide variety of things, from what you wear to how you interact with peers, supervisors and customers. Written correspondence is a vital component of any business, so it's essential to use good etiquette when communicating with others through email or letters send in the postal mail. Business etiquette for mail and email is based on common sense, clarity and respect for others.
Other People Are Reading
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Purpose
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Email and postal mail are two ways to communicate information in writing. Email is done electronically, while postal mail is used to send a hard copy of a letter or other correspondence. Email is used to send internal messages in a company and to external customers, vendors and other parties. It is especially valuable when a message needs to get to someone quickly. Postal mail is usually used to communicate with outside people when speed is not essential or for more formal types of correspondence, especially when the sender needs proof of receipt.
Benefits
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The benefits to using proper business etiquette with any type of written correspondence are numerous. A potential customer's first contact with a business may be through email or a letter. He will get a bad impression if it is long and rambling, or full of spelling errors, which may cause him to use another company instead. Employees within the company can also make a bad impression on peers and supervisors through emails.
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Length
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Business letters and emails should be short and to the point, Lisa O'Connor of the Business Know-How website advises. A letter should not be more than one page unless absolutely necessary, and emails should be no more than three or four paragraphs. People in the workplace tend to be busy and place a high value on their time. Long correspondence, whether written or electronic, is often pushed aside temporarily or ignored altogether. Sending brief, meaningful correspondence is good etiquette because it shows respect for the other person.
Content
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State the purpose of your message and any action you expect, software giant Microsoft advises. Use email rather than a letter if you need something handled quickly, and clearly state the deadline. You may be misinterpreted if you say "please do this as soon as possible" rather than "I need it by noon on Thursday." This can lead to misunderstandings and problems.
Proofread the content of every business letter and email before you send it. Spell check can eliminate many mistakes, but it can differentiate between words such as "their" and "there." Such mix-ups make you appear hurried or inattentive. The reader may not absorb your message because her attention is drawn to the mistakes. O'Connor warns it might even be trashed.
Warning
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It is bad etiquette to write and send a business letter or email when you are upset, and it can cause you to lose a customer or you job. You cannot take something back once it is committed to writing, on paper or electronically, and received by the other person. Write a letter if you need to vent your feelings, but tear it up when you are done. Don't type a venting email, as it's too easy to accidentally click the "Send" button rather than the "Delete" button. Write the message by hand or in a word processing program.
Microsoft advises handling difficult communication situations in person rather than through a letter or email. This allows each person to see the other's verbal cues and gives an immediate opportunity to ask for clarification.
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References
- Photo Credit email image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com
