E-mail tips for business owners
Before you click the send button on your next e-mail, Angie's List has some tips to make sure your company is using proper e-tiquette. Are your e-mails sabotaging your professionalism?
Keeping your e-mails in line with your company image is important. To make sure you're not jeopardizing your business through e-mail:
- Make sure your e-mails look professional. Stick to a standard font (like Arial or Times New Roman) in basic black or blue. Other colors and fonts can be harder for your customers to read, and not all fonts are standard on all computers.
- Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation. Your e-mails are a reflection of your company, and if your e-mails look sloppy and have poor attention to detail, the impression will pass to your company. Don't forget to take advantage of the spell check option either—it's there for a reason!
- BTW: Avoid abbreviations such as BTW (by the way). Your customers might not be as familiar with internet lingo as you are, says Mike Kleptz of JMK Home Improvement in Indianapolis.
- Check and reply to e-mails every business day. Customers send e-mails because they're looking for a quick response—let them know when you generally check your e-mail so they'll know when to expect a reply. In a 2008 survey of Angie's List members, 57% said they like to receive an e-mail response from service companies the same day; 40% said within a couple days. Try to respond within 24 hours, even if it's just a quick note to let them know you've gotten their message and will send a more detailed reply later. Don't just fire off a quick answer to get it out of the way—make sure you're 100 percent confident in your reply.
- DO NOT SEND MESSAGES IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS—you'll seem like you're shouting. Additionally, it's much harder to read. If you must emphasize, embolden or italicize.
- Use attachments when necessary. Kleptz sends quotes to his customers in e-mail attachments which, he says, cuts back some time. "Based on experience, I can look at a list and say 'that's something I can't do' or 'I can do that.'" Attachments will help keep the body of the e-mail from looking long and daunting. Just make sure you have good virus scan software in place so you don't accidentally attach (and send) a virus.
- Utilize the "out of office" auto-reply tool if you'll be away from your e-mail for an extended period of time—longer than a typical two-day weekend. This way, anyone who sends you a message while you're gone will be alerted of your absence and won't expect to hear from you until you return.
- Resist the urge to send an e-thank you. Even in the digital age, nothing will ever replace a handwritten note or personal call. In a 2008 survey of Angie's List members, 64% said a follow-up call would be great, but almost never happens.