By Team Learning Minds
Most professionals feel that if they are courteous and concise while writing and reply to their emails within 24-hours, they are doing just fine. However, this is not enough. There are so many habits professionals tend to adopt over time, that go against the email etiquettes.
Here are 7 of them. Let’s talk about them one by one.
- Sharing Confidential Information
People don’t mind sharing someone’s confidential information, for instance their tax payments or the details about a business deal. If the email gets in the hands of a person it doesn’t concern, one can face repercussions that are serious, or even legal. In short, confidential information must not be shared, especially if someone’s being emailed the first time.
- Forgetting NRN
If the acknowledgment is important for you, you mention “Please acknowledge” by the end. Similarly, if you only email someone to inform about something and don’t expect an acknowledgment from their end, don’t forget to add “No Reply Necessary” before starting your email, or by the end. Forgetting to mention it might get you many replies you never intended to get.
- Using shortcuts
Using too many shortcuts like 4u and Gr8 will turn your email into more of a text message and are not acceptable for business emails. In addition, using emoticons is not appreciated either especially when you are writing to your clients no matter how closely you have worked before.
- Vague Subject Lines
It is essential that your subject line is to the point, as many inboxes are clogged with hundreds of emails every day. Not having clear subject lines will keep your readers guessing what the email is about and might even keep them from opening an urgent email. Moreover, concise subject lines can even keep your correspondence liner and on track.
- Clicking ‘Reply All’
Have you ever received several email replies to an all-staff email? You notice that these replies are mostly acknowledgements and don’t concern you, but you too hit the ‘reply all’ tab when you wanted to respond. Choosing the reply-only tab can save us all time, space and attention.
- Misnaming the Attachments
Not naming attachments appropriately can create confusion for the receiver when more than one files are attached. Moreover, people sometimes forget to mention that they have attached something. Especially heavy attachments are worth mentioning with the added ‘May I send you an attachment?”
- Using Autoresponder
It is a good idea to set an auto-response especially when you know you can’t reply while traveling or for a few days. However, an automatic response saying “Thank you for your email message. I will respond to you as soon as I can” is not necessary when you are anyway going to respond by the next day.