Seven Essential Tips for Great Email Communication!

1. Use Email with Care
·Don’t use email to replace the human touch when communicating major change, sensitive information, conflict, bad news, or performance issues
·Avoid sending angry, sarcastic, or joke messages
·Remember email is not private and you have little control of where it will end up

2. Respond Promptly
·Remember that internal and external customers appreciate a prompt response
·Let your customer know when to expect your response, especially when you need more time
·Use auto-response if you are unavailable

3. Be Aware of Audience
·Maintain a professional tone for both internal and external email
·Modify language based on how well you know the customer
·Internal emails may be more informal and external emails may be more formal

4. Show Respect and be Courteous
·Use warm greetings, kind words, and thanks
·Use customer's name in message
·Make the customer feel important

5. Format with Brevity
·Be brief using short paragraphs, lines, and bullets
·Avoid fancy fonts, graphics, and tabs – they may be different when received by your customer
·Send only necessary email

6. Communicate Effectively through Clarity
·Make subject lines clear, short, yet descriptive
·Quote the previous email to which you are responding
·Use examples to illustrate a point

7. Always Proofread
·Spell check and use excellent grammar and punctuation
·Avoid sending messages when angry or tired
·Keep in mind when proofreading that anyone may read your email message