| Email use is a daily fact of life and is an important | | | | can sometimes be used to send viruses, so let your |
| medium for today's business communications. The | | | | recipient know if you are sending one so they will not |
| way businesses handle email communications can | | | | be afraid to open it. If you are sending photos, shrink |
| enhance or detract from their business image and | | | | them to a small file size and don't send them right |
| even hamper their business relationships with clients | | | | off your digital camera in a size like 2000 pixels wide |
| and new prospects. In fact, email is so important, | | | | by 1200 pixels tall. If the files that you send are too |
| that some businesses rely solely on this medium for | | | | big, and every Internet Service Provider has a |
| routine communications with customers and | | | | different size that triggers their filter, it will be |
| prospects. To make sure that you are putting your | | | | dumped. You may never even be informed that your |
| best foot forward when it comes to your own email | | | | recipient has not received your files and they may |
| correspondence, consider following our email | | | | never know that you tried to send them. Try to |
| etiquette tips to improve your email note's | | | | keep your attachments under 5 MBs as this is the |
| effectiveness. | | | | limit that many Internet service providers use as their |
| Use a Proper Salutation | | | | benchmark to trigger their filters. |
| Written letters will always start with the "Dear so | | | | I recommend that you turn all Word and Excel files |
| and so" lead-in, but with email, the typical salutation is | | | | into PDFs when possible before sending them via |
| "Hi John", "Hello Nancy", just the recipient's name and | | | | email. Not only do you keep a macro virus from |
| a comma, a time greeting such as "Good Morning | | | | spreading, if you happen to be infected, but your |
| Alex", and sometimes even "Dear so and so". Some | | | | document is in a more versatile format for online |
| people don't even add a salutation to their email and | | | | web reading and use. If you are going to send a |
| just jump right into the message. (This lack of | | | | Word document, let your recipient know in advance. |
| salutation should be reserved to situations where you | | | | Some people will not open an attachment unless they |
| know the person well and are involved in a rapid-fire | | | | know it is coming in advance or unless they know |
| email exchange over a short period of time.) | | | | the sender. With the number of viruses that are |
| If you are unsure what to use as your opening | | | | easily spread through movies, PDFs, Word |
| salutation, or if your recipient is overseas, it is best to | | | | documents, and even links, it is best to limit sending |
| stick with the old standby of "Dear so and so" or | | | | any attachments to only people that you know or to |
| "Hello Mr. Smith". But, in nearly every other case, it is | | | | those that are expecting one from you. |
| perfectly okay to start your email note with Hi or | | | | Be Courteous with Return Receipts and High Priority |
| Hello and the recipient's name. In fact, some people | | | | Tagging |
| break even this Hi/Hello issue down even further, and | | | | Use return receipts and high priority tagging |
| use Hi if they personally know the recipient and Hello | | | | judiciously. Only ask for a return receipt if you really |
| as the salutation if they do not know the recipient | | | | need it. Do not aggravate your recipient by having |
| well. Whether you are a Hi/Hello or a Good Morning | | | | nag boxes open to ask to send a receipt for every |
| Good Afternoon kind of person, know that there is | | | | correspondence that you send to them. If you did |
| simply not a hard and fast rule for a proper salutation | | | | not receive a return receipt for an email, keep in |
| in email as there is in regular letter correspondence. | | | | mind that your recipient may have turned on the |
| Monitor the Length of Your Correspondence | | | | setting to never send a return receipt in their email |
| Have you ever gotten a huge email note full of | | | | client. If you are unsure if your recipient has received |
| details that just seemed to go on and on? Although | | | | your note, pick up the phone to ask or confirm with |
| there is certainly a place for detailed emails and | | | | another separate note. Just as equally, reserve high |
| specifically if you need to confirm a plan so that you | | | | priority tagging for just that; things that need urgent |
| will have a written or electronic record, but too much | | | | attention, not every email note. |
| content may lose the attention of your reader. They | | | | Check Your Spelling, Formatting, and Forwarding to |
| may scan the message or not even read it, if it is | | | | Others |
| too long. It may simply be better to break one super | | | | It seems simple, but some people do not spell check |
| long email note into several smaller notes. In some | | | | their emails before sending them. Make sure that you |
| cases, it may be better to pick up the phone and nail | | | | have enabled the automatic spell checker in your |
| down some of those details and then just confirm in | | | | email client. In Outlook, you can turn on automatic |
| a bullet list the items agreed upon in the phone | | | | spell checking by going to Tools, then Options, and |
| conversation. | | | | then select the Spelling tab. Put a check in front of |
| When you do send a long email keep your recipient in | | | | "check spelling before sending" to make sure that |
| mind. Some colleagues and clients are more verbal in | | | | your emails are spelled correctly before going out. |
| nature and others want written details. Cater to your | | | | Make sure that you do not use ALL CAPITALS IN |
| audience when you can with your emails. I have one | | | | YOUR EMAILS. All capitals are considered shouting in |
| client if the email is longer than two paragraphs, he | | | | the world of email, and are not appropriate in your |
| will never read it and so I know from experience | | | | correspondence. If you want to draw attention to a |
| that for discussion of important information that | | | | phrase or information, try bolding it, not capitalizing it. |
| would normally go into a long email note, it is best | | | | Be courteous and don't forward someone's email to |
| done by phone and not by email with him. The best | | | | you to another party without approval. Some people |
| rule to follow with email is to keep your notes short | | | | will even put a note about forwarding their emails or |
| and sweet and use bullets and lists when possible. | | | | install a confidentiality notice in the footer of their |
| Keep paragraphs small and make sure to have white | | | | email. It's just a good practice to not forward email |
| space above and below a new thought or request in | | | | to other parties if they are not on the distribution list. |
| your note. | | | | With email being a medium that we all use every day |
| Monitor Your Email Attachments | | | | for business, it's time to take a careful look at your |
| Be kind, don't send huge files via email or send a zip | | | | daily email practices to see where you may have |
| file without the recipient knowing in advance. Zip files | | | | room for improvement. |