Five tips for better email etiquette
Let's talk about the elephant in the room: emails. We all have to send them, we all get them and we all need to know how to navigate them correctly. This time, I'm going to run down some things to keep on top of your emails and make sure that you can handle all situations in the best way possible.
Emails are both casual and formal
Emails straddle the fine line between instant message and written letter. We use them to negotiate contracts and invoices. We use them to check in on projects, and we use them to casually mention we'll be out of office. This means that it can be difficult to choose the correct tone. There's also the added difficulty of boundaries, especially when the majority of us have our emails on our phones.
This hints more towards the 'casual' realm of communication, but given that you don't email your mates, emails are still a professional way of communicating. However, that doesn't mean to have to start every email with 'Dear X' and sign it 'best regards'. Depending on your relationship with the recipient, you can easily say "hi" or "hey". Then you can sign it by saying "thanks", "chat soon" or even "cheers". Gone are the days of overly formal emails!
Never say 'just'
This is one that I struggle with; sending an email to a client saying I'm 'just checking in', 'just wondering', etc. By saying just, you're minimising your authority and your question. If you have a question you need to be answered, ask it. If your invoice is late or hasn't been acknowledged, it's a legitimate concern. Commonly, people apologise for what we see to be intrusive when in reality, we're entitled to know what's happening.
Be upfront and ask what you need to ask, you're entitled to be kept up to date and informed about what you're working on. Being polite doesn't mean being shy or submissive, as it could potentially set up a bad precedent that you don't check up on projects or progress. Remember, communication is part of a project and so you need to communicate. Don't be afraid of asking questions, no matter how slight you think it is.
Always follow up
The previous point leads in to the next one: always follow up. If you're cold-emailing someone and get no reply, send another email about a week later asking if they received your previous mail. If you wanted to, you could then check in a month or so later. After a while, if you still get no reply, it's worth leaving well enough alone. There's 'checking in' and there's pestering and with cold emails, if you do it too frequently, it's pestering.
However, if you've been asked to quote for a project, try to check in and ask if the person needs clarification about anything you said. This is particularly true when you have gone to the trouble of sending across a lengthy proposal. In these cases, a follow-up email between three weeks and a month after sending it is perfectly acceptable. It could be that the project was stalled or they went with someone else, but common courtesy would lead most people to let you know. You could follow up with saying you're open to discussing anything if they have any questions.
Set boundaries
Just because you have your emails on your phone, doesn't mean you need to answer them in the same way you'd answer a text. Personally, I don't answer emails on my phone because the formatting isn't great and it can always wait until I'm at a proper keyboard. Unless it's to do with something easily sorted or I'm running late, then I'll send a quick message from my phone.
Gmail and Outlook also allow you to 'schedule send' so you can make sure your email arrives in an inbox during designated times. This not only gives you peace of mind that you won't forget to send the email but shows your clients that you don't email after hours. It's a small but simple step to take that will enable you to set professional boundaries. You'll feel so much better for it.
Always double-check
When you're negotiating a contract with someone over email, or you're sending files across, always double-check. In the past, I've sent emails with a quoted price for a project, but hit the wrong number and given a discount when I didn't intend to. Given that emails are a type of written record, this can be seen as the price you're happy with. So just make super sure you've written everything correctly.
Email attachments are another thorn in everyone's side: we forget them, attach the wrong ones, or have problems uploading them. The worst is definitely attaching a wrong file, but it's also annoying if we don't attach something, then step away from our emails. To ease all headaches and delays, make sure you attach a file first, then compose your email and send it. Start with the important thing first, then write the rest of it.
Conclusion
Of course, there are so many more questions, tips and tricks for emails including such gems as: do we need to sign our names? When should we CC others? And the ever-confusing: is emoji usage appropriate or not? (Maybe I'll do an emoji blog soon…) But for now, these five tips are some that I've used over the years and found to make my life easier. And, hopefully, the lives of my clients.