Business Email

Overview

Gone are the days when business dealings were primarily handled in-person or over the phone; email is the preferred method of communicating in today's business environments. Email communication gives businesses a quick way to send messages to clients and colleagues. When conducting business via email, it's important for users to exercise etiquette.

Start Your Message with a Greeting

Much like a face-to-face conversation, email messages should start with a proper greeting. Common greetings include the recipient's name, "Hello," "Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon."

Send to Appropriate Recipients

Email messages are often shared between more than two recipients, so it's important to identify which recipients go on the "To" line, and which recipients go on the "cc" or "bcc" lines. Include recipients who need to be kept in the loop, but who are not required to reply to an email, on the "cc" line. If you're expecting a response, use the "To" line. Exercise caution when using the "bcc" line. Use "bcc" when you need to protect the recipients email address and to prevent recipients from hitting the "reply all" button.

Use Descriptive And Meaningful Subject Line

Craft a subject line that gives the recipient insight into the content of the email. When checking email, recipients often determine the importance by reading the snapshot that the subject line offers.

Write Clear And Concise Message

Stick to one topic when crafting an email message and avoid going off on tangents about other unrelated topics. Proofread email messages for grammatical errors and clarity before hitting the send button.

Scan Attachments

Computer viruses are often transported through simple email exchanges, causing havoc on the recipients' computers. Protect email recipients by scanning documents, photographs and other attachments with an anti-virus software program before you send email messages.

Avoid Using Emoticons

Emoticons, often used in casual instant messenger and email conversations, go against the rules for business email etiquette. Emoticons are especially unprofessional when communicating with a manager or company executive.

Avoid Sending Forwards And Inappropriate Jokes

Resist the urge to send forwards and inappropriate jokes to clients and colleagues. What's funny to you may be offensive to other recipients.

Use Email Signature

Include a closing at the end of each email such as "Thank," "Thank You," "Sincerely," "Best" or "Regards." Under the closing, include your name. Email signatures often include the business logo, a link to the company website and contact information such as a phone number, email address or links to the company's social media profiles.

Respond to Emails in Timely Fashion

As a general rule, scan emails to see if the recipient is asking a time sensitive question or if the recipient has asked you to reply by a certain time or date. Reply accordingly to avoid missing deadlines, as it could have a negative impact on productivity. Respond to emails with no deadline attached within at least 24 to 48 hours.

Know When to Email and When to Call

It's not always easy to handle company projects and issues via email. Sometimes, it's necessary to pick up the phone or meet in-person to hash out details and move forward with complicated projects that involve a lot of details and a large team of people to handle.

Here is a sample email for job application