10 Email Etiquette Tips to Save You Time and Money

- Take 5 minutes and boost your email etiquette

I remember the first email account I opened and how simple and fun it was to send an email.

However, those days are long gone!

Nowadays email exceeds telephone traffic for business communication and many people feel overwhelmed by the constant email.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that it won’t be long before people are spending 3-4 hours a day on email.

Long email threads, muddy subject lines, CCing the whole company, poorly written email communication....means time on email is likely to increase.

This costs your company money and is a drain on your productivity.

This makes it important to get your email etiquette up to scratch!

Some email etiquette tips to save you time and money.

1. Clear subject lines. One of my pet peeves is a subject line that says "Hi!" or "From Steve." Your subject line needs to be crystal clear on the action or purpose of the email. A clear subject line makes it easier to search and scan email, and can be good for your time management system. A good rule of thumb is that the subject line tells you what the message is about before you open it.
2. Keep messages brief and to the point. Another pet peeve are those long email messages that wander and digress without actually getting to the point until the end of the dissertation. Keep your messages brief. If you have to send a long message then make sure that you state clearly the action required up front and then explain. At least if the main point is up front then the reader can read with the long message with that in mind.
3. One subject per message. One subject per message helps in the triage process when you are going through your emails. Clear subject headings with one subject per message also aid searching and filing of emails.
4. Use spellchecker. Poor grammar, spelling errors….these seemingly small things can tarnish the professional image of the company with the press of a button. Most email programs have a spellchecker
5. Avoid SHOUTING. Don’t use capital letters, even if you want to emphasise a point in your email. Rather use an asterix or underline your words if you want to emphasise. Avoid using colors as some email programs don’t read the colors.
6. Use BCC and CC appropriately. Did you know that over 70% of CC emails are irrelevant to your performance? Overuse of CC clutters your Inbox. To avoid clogging your email, set up a filter so that you CC’s are sent to your CC folder (and check that folder once a week). Don’t use BCC to show people who you copied to, however, do use your BCC for a distribution list.
7. Don’t use email to avoid personal contact. Email messages are not appropriate when sending emotional or confusing messages. It is better to make personal contact or picking up the phone.



8. Use an email signature that has your contact information. An good email signature gives your email a consistent and professional look. Make sure that you put your contact information in the email signature. Here is a step-by-step approach to setting up and inserting an email signature in Microsoft Outlook.
9. Clean up long email threads. A long email thread with many people in the conversation can be difficult to see who is taking charge.

   If long threads are becoming a problem you need to clean up the thread and summarize the main points so far.

   Establish ownership of these points and delegate (if needed) accordingly.

   When I think long threads may impede on email etiquette and efficiency, I am now in the habit of posting a document on Microsoft Sharepoint and send the link to the relevant people.

   I ensure that I specify that I would like input and give them a timeline. This time management tip can clarify priorities, improve delegation and reduce long email threads.

   Another option may be to set up email etiquette rules within the team or company that ensure long email threads are managed appropriately.

10. Remember that your tone can’t be heard in email. The tone that you use to communicate your message is a big factor in communication. This is missing in email communication, and if not careful this can cause issues. If you have ever tried to be sarcastic in an email and the participant took it the wrong way then you know what I mean.

These email etiquette tips are a starting point that you can put into place to help you and your team maintain professionalism, stay on top of email, and save time.

If you want to spend less time on email then see these tips on how to use email.

Related email productivity articles

Email Template: Use an email template for those regular replies and save plent of time.

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