The document provides guidance on proper email etiquette, emphasizing the importance of using professional language, being clear and concise, and ensuring emails represent oneself and one's company in a positive light. It cautions against unprofessional greetings, jargon, abbreviations, all-caps text, and other issues that could damage how one is perceived or make the email difficult to understand. Proper email etiquette creates efficiency and conveys a polished image.

1. Email Etiquette

2. WHY SHOULD WE USE PROPER EMAIL ETIQUETTE
Professionalism: by using proper email language, the company will convey a
professional image.
• Efficiency: emails that get to the point are much more effective than poorly
worded emails.

3. WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS MESSAGE?

4. EVERY EMAIL SHOULD HAVE A SUBJECT.

5. DO NOT USE THE SUBJECT LINE FOR ASKING A
QUESTION

6. Ensure the subject line reflects the content of the
email.

7. The generic Hello or Dear Name is generally
acceptable. Avoid the following:
USE THE APPROPRIATE GREETING
about it – a-yo – cracker – greets – holla – how do? – how goes it? – how (one)
living – how's it hanging? –howsyamomanem – how ya goin – howzit – killer – sup
– 'sup – 'sup, b? – wassap – wassup – wassuper –what ho – what is the scene –
what it be? – what it do? – what it is? – what's clicking – what's cooking? –what's
crack-a-lackin'? – what's crackin'? – what's cracking? – What's in the bag? – what's
poppin? –what's shakin', bacon – what's shaking – what's the dilly? – what's the
dizzle? – what's the haps? –what's the rumpus? – what's up – what up? – wussup
– yello – yo

8. If responding to a Customer's email, begin
with,Thank you for your inquiry or Thank
you for your email regarding.

9. Use language that this particular Customer will find
understandable and acceptable.
Ensure the tone is friendly, but professional for ALL
Customers. Do not be tempted to be overly friendly or
too cold.
Match the tone of the sender. If they have a
short e-mail, you send a short response, etc.
USE CUSTOMER FRIENDLY LANGUAGE
STYLE.

10. Use full stops, capital letters, commas, and
quotations appropriately.
Do not write in CAPITALS or italics. Writing
in capitals is aggressive, and is the same as
shouting. It will trigger a negative reaction. A
lot of writing in italics is difficult to read.

11. Do not use abbreviations or jargon
with which the customer may not be
familiar. This will irritate the
customer. Beware of industry jargon,
abbreviations or social network type
language.

12. Use paragraphs and spaces between each paragraph. This looks much better than
a solid block of text, and it is easier for the Customer to read.

13. BE CLEAR, CONCISE, COMPLETE, AND
CORRECT.
Be to the point when answering questions.
If somebody asks you what time it is, don’t
tell them how to build a watch.

14. Always sign off with Regards, or Kind regards, or Thank You and your first
name. Some people feel that the formal signature and contact details at
the bottom of the email is sufficient. This is not good practice and it is
better to add your first name to the sign off.
Alternatives to best regards are as following: sincerely, kind regards, all
the best, best wishes, warm regards, best, sincerely yours, kindest
regards, respectfully, thank you, yours, sincerely, best
regard, cheers, yours faithfully, very respectfully.

15. Have a nice, concise signature. It is usually
not necessary to put your full address; the
basic contact details are good.
Sincerely,
Virginia Ham
Cafeteria Manager
ACME Meat Producers
555-765-4321

16. Be careful of using additions on your email, like
color or logos. Your Customer may have a
different mail system that will not read these or
may distort them.

17. Do not ask for an email receipt. This is annoying,
and is pointless anyway as most good antivirus
systems will close them out.

18. Do not mention confidential information in your
email that you would not like broadcast on your
local radio channel.

19. Remember that every email is a representation of
both you and your Company - ensure it is a
positive one!

20. Use Spell Check to check spelling and grammar.
Consider using Grammarly (With IT approval).

21. Use the best communication method. Email vs. phone.

22. Be aware of response time; both yours and the
addressee’s.

23. Only use Reply to all when necessary.
Only use CC & BCC when necessary.

24. Give a complete response to each e-mail. Double check to make sure
every item has been given a response.

25. Don’t hide behind email. It’s easy to talk smack
when not face to face.

26. Use “Out of Office” if you will be out of the office for an extended
period of time.

27. Do not mark all emails “high importance” if the request or information is routine in nature.
Reserve this for the times when you want the recipient to really take note of the fact that it is “hot”
(i.e. not routine). If it is overused, the recipient will start to ignore it and something that is really
important might get missed.

28. REVIEW MESSAGE BEFORE SENDING.
Don’t end up with this.

29. EMAIL IS GOOD FOR FACTS, NOT FOR COACHING, NOT
FOR INCRIMINATING INFORMATION

30. USE THE SAME TYPE OF PROFESSIONALISM IN EMAIL
AS YOU WOULD WITH REGULAR MAIL AND PHONE
CALLS
Don’t add quotes or sayings at the end of your
email
“A joke is a very serious thing.” - Winston Churchill

31. EMAIL IS COMPANY PROPERTY AND MAY BE
MONITORED. PROCEED WITH CAUTION.

32. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS EMAIL?

33. What is wrong with this e-mail?
*Change the senders email address right away…sexybeast!!!!!
*Don’t email everyone in sight
*Definitely change the subject to less of a panic…who is really in a panic?
*”Hear” should be spelled here
*Change “the community” to your…
*BTW…don’t use jargon…what does this mean anyway?
*account executive should have first letter as capitals
*The tense of the email should either be passive or present tense and not both
*The goal of the email should be to get a meeting with the prospects and not to annoy him
*Should have put a full signature of all vital company information with the email including a phone
number for prospect to call if he really wanted to entertain the idea of placing that call