The Use of Email in Business – The Top Do's and Don'ts
Email Article
Safe Email Practices for the Health and Elder Care Business Owner
written by Barbara Mascio
An estimated 147 million people across the country use email daily for both personal and business use. Most companies provide email access to their staff as a means for quick communication with clients and inquiries via public access to the Internet and some restrict the use of email communications to an in-house propriety service.
Most businesses recognize the value of training when it comes to perfecting the verbal communication skills of the staff answering the telephone but it is quite surprising that few companies train staff members on proper written communication when using email.
The following is a short list of Do’s and Don’ts in regards to email communication. We are in fact, compiling a training tool that businesses will be able to download and share with its staff. This should be completed within the next month or so.
One rule of thumb: Each email being answered by your staff should be treated with the same care as you would expect to see if he or she were composing a letter to be sent via land mail. The underlying focus is that you want each email sent by one of your staff members to reflect the professionalism of your health or elder care business.
Top 5 Do’s
Protect your company’s web site, server and access to the Internet by making use of spam and virus services. One employee that happens to open an email laced with a virus or Trojan worm can completely crash your entire system.
Spell check your work prior to hitting the send button. A letter or response to a question laden with poor grammar and misspelled words immediately says ‘non-professional’ to the reader.
Use the CC option wisely. If you are sending an email to John Doe, and also include Mary Smith in the CC section of your email, recognize and explain this to both readers. Why is Mary being copied the email addressed to John Doe?
Include a full signature line. This includes at the minimal, the senders full name, position in the company, and the web site address of your company. Your telephone number is beneficial to add as well, depending on the nature of your business and whether or not you are welcoming phone calls.
If you are sending group emails (one email message, a press release, a notification, etc) to a group of email addresses, always include a statement such as: If you prefer to stop receiving updates from ABC Company, simply reply to this note and place the word REMOVE in the subject line. This provides the option of being taken off your email list and lessens your liability of accusations of sending spam.
Top 5 Don’ts
DO NOT USE ALL CAPS OR EXCESSIVE BOLD OR UNDERLINED TEXT. In the world of emails, the reader interprets this as you YELLING at him or her.
Do not use excessive punctuation marks. Again, this comes across as yelling to get your point across or worse yet, implying, ‘Hey stupid, pay attention to this one sentence !!’
Refrain from sending attachments when ever possible. Attachments may or may not be opened for fear of viruses. If you have something of value to share, simply state the offer and then direct the reader to a page on your web site to download the file, or ask permission to send it as an attachment in a subsequent email.
Do not write an email and send it to anyone without first remembering that once it’s been sent your words are now part of the permanent world. Once it’s ‘out there’ it’s out there forever. Check your tone, check your choice of language, and ask yourself if your email note serves its purpose. The underlying purpose of all communications should be that of relaying a professional reflection of your business.
Do not publish your email addresses on your web site. Use cgi formatted forms for your clients or prospective clients to send you emails. Anyone that has suddenly begun receiving hundreds of emails from unknown sources understands why this is so important.
There are programs sold to marketing companies called ‘email harvesters’ that literally scout the Internet and pulls published email address off your web site. Not only a nuisance, but also a real danger of receiving a Trojan worm that will ultimately crash your entire computer network.
Emails are a quick and efficient method of communications if used properly by your staff. This form of communication can also present a slew of problems in your company unless you have formal policies in place for each staff member.
The training manual on business email etiquette is in process. Once complete, it will provide your business with, at the very least, a basic template to build upon in order to make full use of it with your staff.
To receive this free copy once it is complete, simply fill out the following form. You'll be the first to get notified!
