Your people write and send emails every day. You may see some of them, but you probably don’t see the majority. Do you know how many of these emails will be effective? Or how many will even be opened?
Ineffective emails have a cost. It’s not just about money, but also about your company’s reputation and integrity. The good news is that we all receive emails every day too, so you will already have a pretty good idea of the types that work and those that don’t.
Have you ever…
- looked at an email with errors in it and wondered how good the company is?
- sent an enquiry email but received a reply that didn’t answer your question?
- struggled to understand an email, particularly on a complex topic?
- wished you could spend less time dealing with your inbox?
Read on to find out how to help your team write effective emails — and maybe you’ll pick up some tips too!
How did the email takeover happen?
Once upon a time (not that long ago really), we had three choices for contacting people:
- phone calls
- letters
- in-person meetings (usually arranged by phone call or letter).
Phone calls had a bit of etiquette in terms of courtesy. In the days before Caller ID, you’d always identify yourself and greet the person, and you’d usually have a way of finishing the call as well. Letters also had conventions, which we learned at school, starting with things like ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ and finishing with ‘Yours faithfully/sincerely’.
But along came email, effortlessly bridging the gap between phone calls and letters — but with absolutely no guidelines on how to write good ones. So we all just figured it out as we went along.
It’s not surprising that we’ve ended up with bulging inboxes full of emails that we:
- don’t want to read
- haven’t got time to read
- can’t understand if we do try to read them
- wish we hadn’t read.
And the biggest question of all that we don’t ask is this:
Is email the best type of communication for what I’m trying to achieve?
Is email the best option?
Consider whether email is the best option for the result you’re aiming for. Think about what you need from the other person, and then consider what option might work best. If it’s urgent, you might choose to phone them. For a quick question, you might use Teams or online messaging.
Email is best when you need a formal record to refer back to. But you don’t have to use it for everything.
Pitfalls to avoid with email
Try not to use email as an ‘electronic phone call’. You may feel quite at ease having digital ‘conversations’. But emails form a record, which may be used later in unintended ways. A phone call is usually a one-off interaction (unless you deliberately record it). So take email seriously and write yours with care!
Even more care is needed with email at work. A careless, sloppy, or factually incorrect email can have major consequences. It might result in legal action or a claim for a refund, or you might lose a customer because they equate a sloppy email with a lack of care.
Write emails that make your company look good
You can help your people to write emails that not only get results, but also that enhance your company’s reputation. Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Encourage your team members to stop and think about whether email is the best way to communicate.
- Provide a process or checklist to help people plan their emails before they do any typing.
- Include a spellcheck and quality check for every email before hitting ‘Send’.
- Make sure that you have answered the reader’s question, or that you’ve thought about any questions they may have after reading your email.
Keen to try a new approach to email?
Remember, even though we’ve all composed thousands of emails, nobody trained us to do it well — like picking up the phone, we all just started typing. But with a good process, you can streamline your inbox. And you can write emails that do the job first time and that represent your company well.
Get more practical advice for writing effective emails
Our Email Writing Bundle is a collection of 18 video tutorials that walk you through the steps of crafting effective everyday emails. It’s practical advice you can learn and apply to your own emails in a matter of minutes.