6 Rules to Remember When Sending Emails

6 Rules to Remember When Sending Emails

Sending emails is a daily part of many of our lives, however many of us would find that our email etiquettes are somewhat lacking in certain aspects if we were to take a step back and look at what we do from a neutral perspective. To make sure you are doing things correctly, here are 6 rules to bear in mind when you are sending emails:

Avoid Sending Multiple Messages

When your email account is synced to your mobile phone the last thing you want is multiple emails coming through at the same time, disrupting whatever it is you are currently doing. On top of this it makes it harder to keep track of a conversation, if several points have been made in different emails then they will require an equal amount of responses to deal with them all. The end result is that you end up with a 30 response discussion that could have easily been done in 4 or 5.

Have a Professional Font

First impressions matter, even more so when you are not face-to-face with the person you are communicating with. Language barriers may mean that certain phrases and sentences end up getting lost in translation so these can be forgiven, but one thing that is universally recognised for credibility is a good professional font. Imagine you were receiving an invoice for some work and it was sent to you in a bright red comic sans message. Unless the invoice was for a clown appearance at a child's party it would seem like a very unprofessional move. Stick to the classics such as Arial, Calibri, Verdana and even Times New Roman for all of your e-mailing activities.

Remember to Be Human

Try your best to always give your emails a little personal touch. If the content in the email is supposed to be strictly formal nature then at least remember to include a “please” and “thank you” when you ask for something. On other occasions you may find that it helps to be completely relaxed and friendly with the person you are contacting. Sometimes a personal touch with a client or customer can make them feel more comfortable with you and with the situation you are emailing them about. The trick here is to find the right balance. Don't start messaging your CEO things like “Alright Dave?” and at the same time don't behave like a robot with someone who you have known on a first name basis for several years.

Include Additional Contact Information in Your Signature

Some emails conversations may require instant communication at any point during the working day. The fact that emails are not instantly checked means that if someone needs to contact you for something important, make sure you give them several options of communication. Include a business or personal mobile number, a skype number or at the very least the contact number of your company's reception in your signature. Instruct them in your signature to use these options if they need to. Doing this will allow people to get information immediately if they need it, or if any network problems means that emails can't be sent between you both, you at least have some other ways of contacting each other.

Allow Time for a Response

Following on from the last point, make sure that you leave adequate time before rushing to contact head office or visiting the person at home to get your response. Emails are no longer instant in our society and have slowly gone back to the way things were with physical mail. It is completely reasonable these days to get a response to your email 5 working days after you have sent it If you haven't received a response instantly it is usually for a good reason. Give it around 5 working days (unless it is really important) before you contact again.

Do Not Mix Work and Pleasure

If you have a work email or a university email then it should only be used for the reason it was issued to you. Avoid signing up for personal websites such as Twitter, Facebook, YouTube etc. with them unless you are prepared to sift through multiple pages of spam to get to that one important work email you were sent. Some websites may require you to sign up with a work email if there is a specific benefit for it, such as student or company discounts on certain products, however these are the exception to the rule and should not be taken as the rule.   What other rules do you follow when it comes to sending out emails? What are your biggest pet peeves when it comes to receiving emails? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.