Communication via e-mail enables fast and uncomplicated exchange – that is the theory. In practice, this often goes wrong. “Send” pressed and then found that the attachment mentioned is not there at all? Kind of embarrassing. Or made a joke in an email and others took everything at face value? Goofy.
Many of you are probably familiar with such situations from your everyday work. If you follow a few rules, you can avoid the biggest pitfalls in business emails. And we reveal another tip that will get you more feedback on your emails …
Email etiquette – All about the message
Subject line
What is the email about? The best way to ask yourself the question is before you write the subject. Because secretive or vague statements do not induce a recipient to want to open and read the email. And: in the mass of mails that everyone receives every day, so you can find the really rich emails faster.
Salutation
A personal salutation shows the recipient appreciation and courtesy. With first contact you are on the safe side with the classic “Dear Mr. xx” or “Dear xx”, with multiple contact it may also be looser. Be careful with “Dear Ms. xx” or “Dear Mr. xx” – not everyone likes this trusting salutation!
content
Write what is relevant in information – no more and no less. No long sets of boxes and complications. As the saying goes: As much as necessary, as little as possible.
And very important: Make your concerns clear! Do you expect an answer (from whom?), Something should be done (from whom to when?), Etc.
If the email gets too long, the question arises whether the content should not be discussed personally or on the phone. This way, complex content can be explained faster. Results can then be summarized in a mail for information – short and sweet.
heels
Would you like to read an e-mail with 500 words written in a row? Exactly, nobody reads such text blocks.
Divide the writing into meaningful sections. So if a new thought, a new aspect, etc. arises, you start a new paragraph. Targeted boldings are also helpful for reading.
Enough
Again, the following applies: You can’t go wrong with the classic “Kind regards” or a little less formal with “Kind regards”. In the case of longer email traffic or more familiar contacts, a “best / best / best regards” is a friendly way to end. At your discretion, you can also use variations such as “Sunny greetings from Munich” or “Many greetings to Berlin”.
signature
The same applies to business emails formal requirements like a business letter. So belong depending on the legal form certain information in the signature. With an OHG and KG z. B. Name of the company as entered in the commercial register, the commercial register number, the legal form, registered office of the company and the register court.
A full signature also includes first and last name, telephone number and email address.
Email etiquette – you should still pay attention to this
Select recipient group
Does every registered recipient really belong in the mail? Check who the message is important to. And who belongs in CC (short for carbon copy, in German Copy) and if any, who in BCC (Blind carbon copy = Blind copy)?
In CC addressees are entered for whom Information from the text is relevantbut do not have to react. Important: Everyone can see the email addresses in the CC line! This is not the case with BCC, only senders and BCC recipients see it, which is why this is often used for e-mail distribution lists.
Tip: Only enter the email recipients at the end when you are done and proofreading, because with careless movements you can send the email by mistake …
Proofreading
Yes, the spell check is a fine thing and a good basis for quickly recognizing mistakes. But even this program cannot do everything! Read your mail again before you send it and check your spelling and punctuation.
Avoid irony
Humor is something very individual and difficult to translate in writing, as is irony! Even if you make it very clear according to your own feeling, it is difficult for the recipients to read. So, even if it is sometimes difficult: leave the irony (and jokes in general) out of the mails.
Omit reading confirmation
Some senders want to be on the safe side and request a read receipt. This may be practical for someone, but the recipient may feel controlled and also put under pressureto answer quickly. This does not necessarily lead to the desired reaction, but can backfire.
Avoid attachments
If necessary, attach files to the mail. These should not be too large (e.g. more than 10 MB) so that they do not delay the addressee unnecessarily long. With large and many attachments, it makes more sense to use cloud services.
No emoticons and capitals
Loved by some, hated by others, they are now normal in messenger chats – unprofessional in business emails. Don’t use smileys & Co., they don’t belong there. Words written in capital letters are also considered to be screaming, so they look rather aggressive and this is anything but polite and appropriate.
Email etiquette – so you get more answers
Often the recipients do not have time to reply to mails, sometimes the responsibility for several addressees is unclear or the recipient has not yet read your mail.
There are many reasons not to get an answer. However, an analysis of the Boomerang email software has shown that a little something at the end of the email increases the chance of getting an answer. And this little thing is called gratitude. The highest response rate was given to those who had a “thank you in advance” (65.7 percent) at the end, followed by “thank you” with 63 percent and “thank you” with 57.9 percent.
Email etiquette for recipients
Some faux pas can also be committed as recipients of an email. A few Tipps:
- Response time: We all get a lot of emails a day. It is important to sort and prioritize. Urgent inquiries by email should be processed quickly – how quickly depends on various circumstances. In general, emails should be answered within 24 hours, sometimes an acknowledgment of receipt or an “I will take care” response is enough.
- Group emails: Most of the time, answering “All answers” leads to many annoyed people and a flood of mail in the mailbox. So ask yourself beforehand whether your answer is interesting for everyone and whether a reaction from your side is necessary at all.
- courtesy: In any case, the recipient is also to remain polite when answering and also to refrain from writing in block letters, emoticons and irony.
Farewell emails are a specialty. Here you will find a small guide for the farewell email to colleagues! Are you uncomfortable at work? You can find even more tips for your career in self-marketing and here first aid for fear of work.
Whether salary expectations, nervousness before job interviews or tips for the Christmas party: in the Brigitte Community you can exchange ideas about the job.