10 Essential Email Practices That Will Save Your Business Time And Increase Productivity

February 11, 2008 : Topic: technology
Related: , ,

If you’re going to be communicating sans voice, you really need to be on top of what is acceptable and not acceptable email practices. Practicing good email etiquette is nice. It’s friendly. And your friends and colleagues won’t hate you for SENDING EMAILS THAT LOOK LIKE THIS!

Even more importantly, proper email etiquette can save you (and all your recipients) a whole bunch of time. According to an August 2006 report by Information Mapping, Inc., 65% of U.S. employees spend 1-3 hours reading email on an average workday. One to three hours! And another 12% spend more than three hours. That’s huge. Like up to half of their day huge. I can’t even imagine what that equals in actual dollars paid by employers.

65% of U.S. employees spend 1-3 hours reading email on an average workday. And another 12% spend more than three hours.

Email Etiquette: Top ten essential email practices employees should follow on a daily basis.

  1. DON’T TYPE IN ALL CAPS
    This is the equivalent of screaming at someone. If you need to emphasize something, keep capitalization to ONLY the word you need emphasize. Other than that, it’s just plain rude.
  2. Don’t mark all emails as High Priority (!!)
    This option is meant to be used ONLY when something is really, really, really important. If you mark all your email as high priority, it’s essentially the same as crying wolf and pretty soon, even emails that really are important will be dismissed entirely. Also, if your correspondence is so important that it necessitates an high priority designation, then by all means, just pick up the phone and call the person.
  3. Unless requested, don’t send attachments
    They’re large. They’re annoying. And I really don’t need to have my system crashed from some renegade virus. If you really think your recipient should see something, simply send them a link. That way, they can decide if they want to see it and when.

    4. Special tip about sending large files and presentations.

    Even with a fast Internet connection, large attachments can bog down your email software. You have to wait for the file to download, it fills up disc space (albeit hard drive space is cheap), and every time you need to refer back to the email , you again have to wait for the file to load — very annoying. Why not make life easier for everyone instead by using a free file transfer service like YouSendIt.com?

    It’s fast, reliable, and free. And best of all, instead of sending the actual file, your recipients receive a link to download the file at their convenience.

    YouSendIt offers a free Internet based service that allows you to send files up to 2MG. And with the paid version, you can send files up to 2GB. The service is reliable and really easy to use. Simply add an email address and attached your file. YouSendIt will then send your intended recipient(s) an email with link to download the file — and holds the file for up to 7 days (more with the paid service).

  4. Don’t reply to an email to simply say “Thank you”
    Yes, it’s nice to thank someone for something they did, but reading email already takes up way too much of our time and we don’t need to waste even more by having to read 50 emails that say “thanks”. A simple solution is to wait until your next correspondence with the person and let them know of your appreciation then.
  5. Don’t forward jokes
    Similar to #3, don’t forward jokes or other humorous material unless they either A) requested them, or B) You verified from your intended that they actually want to receive them. Personally, I find this almost more annoying than anything else.
  6. Take full advantage of the Subject line
    If your email to, or response of, is going to be really short (e.g. 1 p.m. meeting canceled till next Tuesday) then simply put that message in the Subject line followed by “// EOM” (End of Message) and leave the actual email body blank. This is the fastest way to communicate short messages while saving everyone’s time from not having to open and close the email.

    7. On the same subject, if you don’t need the recipient to respond or reply to your email, end your subject line with, “// NRR””meaning, No Reply Required.

    Note: “EOM” and “NRR” are two standard email practices we created which has saved our company huge amounts of time and energy.

  7. Spell check your email
    Poor grammar and typographical simply make you look unprofessional. And if you’re sending business information, this could kill any chances of getting a raise or promotion.
  8. Keep messages short and to the point
    As mentioned in #6, it’s important to keep your correspondence focused. Avoid going off on a tangent or moving onto a different subject. After you’ve written your email, go back and re-read it. As you do so, delete any and all words that don’t add to value or help clarify your point. As a general rule of thumb, we found that most people can completely delete the first full sentence. Remember, you’re not writing a novel so don’t feel inclined to “build up” to your point.
  9. Double check the email address in the “To” field
    Last thing you want, is to send information to the wrong person. This happens even more frequently when the person your sending an email to has the same first or last name of another person. Check the name twice, hit send once.
  10. Refrain from the “Reply to All” syndrome
    Think about your message and who it really effects. You don’t need to unnecessarily include everyone and their brother as a recipient. I know it might be easier and faster to hit “Reply to All” instead of adding individual email addresses, but it’s just plain lazy and people hate getting email about business projects they’re either not involved in, or the message simply doesn’t apply to them.

Bottom line; think twice, even three or four time’s, about what you’re sending, how you’re saying it, and who’s going to see it before you hit the “end” button. Email etiquette is more than just being nice, it’s about being considerate of other people and their time. And by following the above listed email practices, you should start to see a dramatic increase in productivity.

Want articles like this sent directly to your inbox?

Just fill out the form below to join our email newsletter.

Your privacy is important to us. All information is considered strictly confidential.
We will never release or sell your information to any third party.

Add Observing Polarity to your Technorati Favorites!

Comments

Leave a Reply