Business Email Etiquette

Business Email Etiquette Basics

"There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it." - Dale Carnegie (1888-1955) American Educator. When it comes to your business e-mail communications, you need to make an impression that can lend to the determination that you are a credible professional enterprise and someone who will be easy and a pleasure to do business with. You only have … Read More...

Essentials

Manners During Support Chats

When I go to a site with a chat feature, I do not hesitate to use it to get my questions answered. Heck, that is what it is there for and I take advantage of it when a site is so into customer service that they offer me that level of service … [Read More...]

BCc: = Being Consciously Calculating

Blind "Carbon Copy" comes from the days, way back when, where you would copy someone on a typed letter without the original recipient(s) knowing these other folks got a copy of the correspondence that was only addressed to them. Today "carbon" is … [Read More...]

Why No Greetings?

Without a nice greeting (Hello, Hi, G'Day, Hey) at the beginning of your e-mail, you risk your e-mail being perceived as demanding or terse. When you call someone on the phone, you don't just start talking without a greeting. In off-line letters … [Read More...]

Customer Service Issues

Asking for Help Via E-mail

Technology can frustrate even the most experienced of us. Whether it be website issues, partner inquiries, order concerns or follow-ups, when you are asking someone to be of help via e-mail or a Web form, it is best you do so in a humble way with … [Read More...]

How Do You Handle Rude E-mailers Through Your Site?

One thing I always make a point of doing when I don't understand something is to double-check that my actions or lack of knowledge are not leading to an incorrect perception. I certainly don't jump to whip off e-mails making terse accusations … [Read More...]

Should You Send a Virus Apology to Customers?

Should you apologize if your business computers/network get an e-mail virus (zombie computers) that start sending out e-mails to all your clients? First, you want to figure out how that was allowed to happen in the first place so it does not … [Read More...]

Style and Substance

Asking for Help Via E-mail

Lower Case Preferred Over All CAPS?

A site visitor writes: I actually just wanted to make a suggestion for the folks who use caps lock because they can't use the shift key: just leave your whole message in lowercase. It may look a little "casual," but most people will still prefer it … [Read More...]

Business E-mails are Confidential!

Part of running a successful business and forming long-term mutually respectful partnerships and relationships is trust. Both sides need to trust that the other has their best interests at heart and each needs to know that their relationship is … [Read More...]

Expectations of the Cc: Field

What should you expect from those you Cc: in an e-mail? If you are the one who is Cc:'d in an e-mail what are you required to do? Here's the basics! Cc: which used to stand for Carbon Copy, in now considered Courtesy Copy. Including a … [Read More...]

Dos and Don’ts of Business E-mail Signature File Use

Signature files have been around since, well, before most current Netizens were even aware that e-mail existed. Before the Web, folks generally had basic contact info and included their favorite quote to show their feelings or perspective on certain … [Read More...]