In follow up to my recent post about custom emails I thought I would quickly touch on a subject that is important with emails, business and professionalism. I have had various discussions with other business owners and know I am not alone with my thoughts on the subject so thought I would write about it.

Good, clear communication is essential when emailing but it really amazes me when I receive business emails which don’t address me as the receiver. There are no Dear…. or Hi…., etc. I cannot tell you how much it annoys me and how bad it looks to the recipient. If you are emailing a business and require their support and advice the least you could do is address them. If you know the person’s name use it or if not just a simple hi or hello.

I receive so many emails that just launch into their spiel and then end it without so much as a thank you or regards. They are literally started and ended with nothing, absolutely nothing.

An example might be receiving something like this:

“My emails are not working how do I fix them?”

That is it, just 10 words which leave me feeling like I am there at your beck and call and a robot rather than a person behind a screen.

It doesn’t take much to use manners and will go a long way in achieving the support and assistance you require. Of course there are exceptions to this, for example when you are emailing so frequently and quickly you might as well be in a live chat. Having said that, though, it should be mutually acceptable.

On the same note if someone sends you an email it is always polite to acknowledge it. Even if you cannot reply in detail in the near future, a simple acknowledgment such as the one below will work wonders for keeping open lines of communication.

Dear….,

Thank you for your email. We will look into your request and be in touch shortly with an answer.

Regards,

……..

There is nothing worse than wondering if your email has arrived and if you will actually receive a response. Not responding to emails not only makes the sender question themselves and feel unimportant, but it doesn’t look good for the recipients professional reputation.

Next time you send an email; have a think about how it will be received or if receiving email how a lack of response will be perceived.