You probably send dozens of emails a day, but are your messages well received? Are some of your emails causing frustration? It could be that you’re breaking some essential business email etiquette rules.
Our editorial team deals with hundreds of emails daily. We’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, we’ve come up with email etiquette guidelines that business people should follow to ensure effective email communications.
### Business Email Etiquette Guidelines
Here are 25 email etiquette guidelines you might want to consider for your small business.
#### Get the Salutation and Closing Right
Effective emails start with the right salutation and closing. A survey of 1,928 professionals by Perkbox Insights revealed a clear preference for certain email greetings and closings. Almost half preferred emails starting with “Hi”. Other popular greetings include:
– Good morning/afternoon (48%)
– Hello (21%)
– Dear (20%)
For closing expressions, the favorites were:
– Kind regards (69%)
– Thanks or thanks again (46%)
– Regards (31%)
– Thanks in advance (21%)
– Best wishes (20%)
The least preferred ways to end business emails were with “Love,” “Warmly,” or no sign-off at all.
#### Don’t Leave People Hanging
If you can’t respond to a message immediately, confirm receipt and let the sender know when they can expect a response. When you’re on vacation or out of the office, set up an automatic reply with the date you’ll be back and an alternate contact for urgent matters.
#### Limit Acronyms and Jargon
Evaluate your audience’s familiarity with business abbreviations, acronyms, or jargon before using them. If you’re communicating with clients from different industries, provide more context. Overusing acronyms can confuse or alienate recipients, reducing clarity.
#### Only Use ‘Reply All’ When Necessary
When responding to group emails, assess whether your reply is relevant to all recipients. Unnecessary use of “reply all” can waste time and potentially share sensitive information with the wrong people.
#### Use the Undo Send Feature
Some email clients, like Gmail, offer an undo send feature. This gives you a brief window to reconsider or correct any mistakes in your message before it’s delivered.
#### Wait 24 Hours Before Sending Emotional Messages
If you’re tempted to send an angry or emotional email, write the message but don’t send it immediately. Give yourself a day to cool down and review the email with a calmer perspective.
#### Avoid Using All Caps
Using all caps is perceived as shouting and can be off-putting. Instead, use sentence case to maintain a professional tone.
#### Keep it Short
Nearly 29% of people dislike long emails. Keep your messages concise, using short paragraphs and bullet points to make them easy to skim. For lengthy material, consider a video call, meeting, or attaching a report.
#### A Clear Subject Line is a Must
Make sure your subject line accurately reflects the email’s content. This helps recipients know what to expect and can improve the likelihood of your email being read and responded to promptly.
#### Don’t Share Confidential Information
Emails are easy to forward or send to the wrong person by mistake, making them a poor choice for sharing sensitive information. Use secure, encrypted channels for such exchanges.
#### Use Humor with Caution
Humor and tone can be hard to convey in emails, risking misunderstandings or offense. Only use jokes if you have a good relationship with the recipient and are confident they’ll appreciate the humor.
#### Limit Emoji and Emoticons
Reserve emojis and emoticons for personal or informal communications with friends and close co-workers. They can come across as unprofessional in business contexts.
#### Don’t Be Hasty with Reminders
Give recipients a day or two to respond before sending a reminder. And always check your junk or spam folder first to ensure the original email wasn’t misplaced.
#### Be Careful with BCC
BCC can be useful for informing others without revealing their email addresses. However, using it surreptitiously can be seen as devious. Consider how the blind-copied person might feel if they discover their inclusion.
#### Add a Personal Message When Forwarding
When forwarding an email, include an introduction to provide context. Changing the subject line to match the new content can also help clarify the message.
#### Add the Email Address Last
Write the subject and body of your email before adding recipient addresses to prevent accidental premature sending.
#### Have a Clear Call to Action
Clearly state what you want the recipient to do. If you need a reply, decision, or specific action, make it obvious.
#### Include Contact Information
A professional email signature with relevant information, like your phone number and company website, makes it easy for recipients to reach you if needed.
#### Stick to Black and White
Avoid using unique colors, fonts, or design elements in your emails. Stick to classic black and white with a basic font like Times New Roman for a professional look.
#### Limit Exclamation Points
Use exclamation marks sparingly in professional emails. Review your email to ensure it’s not packed with excessive excitement.
#### Proofread
Always proofread your email to catch spelling and grammar mistakes. Make sure the tone is appropriate and that the recipient’s name and email address are correct.
#### Know When to Be Formal
Err on the side of formality with new contacts, clients, and superiors. Once you get to know someone, you can adopt a more relaxed tone.
#### Don’t Forget to Attach
Double-check for attachments before sending your email. Name attachments appropriately and consider sending PDFs to ensure recipients can open them easily.
#### Consider Different Cultures and Languages
Be mindful of cultural differences and language nuances when emailing international contacts. Use simple, widely recognized terms to avoid confusion.
#### Start a New Email Chain for New Subjects
Start a new email chain for each new subject to keep conversations organized. Only forward messages and use “reply all” when absolutely necessary.
### Benefits of Email Etiquette
Following email etiquette rules enhances professionalism, improves your company’s image, boosts response rates to sales messages, increases organizational efficiency, and reduces the risk of misinterpretation.
