Etiqueta en el correo electrónico

Es increíble en esta época ver la baja calidad de los emails que tenemos que leer en nuestro ejercicio profesional, internamente en una empresa y con clientes también. Es extremadamente importante prestarle mucha atención a los emails que se escriben, sea quien sea el receptor. Ya había escrito sobre etiqueta en correos electrónicos varias veces (acá y acá también), pero estos días me llego una interesante presentación sobre el tema y quiero mostrarles los puntos mas importantes de ella. Disfruten y sigan estos valiosos consejos:

Just like the fine art of dinning, email has prescribed practices and norms. In a nutshell, Email etiquette is a set of unspoken rules which control acceptable behaviour. Failing to use proper etiquette, in this case email etiquette, can harm your relationship with others and leave an ever lasting bad impression.

When should we email?:
Timing is everything, You want your message to reach your audience at a time when they are going to be most receptive.
Don’t email during a meeting/diner/driving/holiday/weekend. If you’re dealing with your backlog emails on the weekend, save them as a draft and send them Monday morning. Don’t send someone an email at a time you wouldn’t call them on the phone

Do not send an email when talking is an option:
Email is an easy means of communication, but should never be chosen if talking is an available option. When possible one should always choose face to face conversation
over an, as it is much more personal, and the chances of the message being misunderstood are much lower.

Never, ever use the ‘To’ field to send a group email:
Use the bcc field to protect the privacy of your recipients. When you send a message to your mailing list, you are essentially providing every reader of the message with the email addresses of all your friends and relations.

Always assume positive intent:
Email lack tone and emotion. Always assume that the email has a positive tone unless you are certain otherwise. It really helps to include a greeting and closing to convey positive intent.

Be concise, Don’t write emails that are too long:
We are all busy. We all suffer from information overload. Keep it short and to the point. A long email is hard to read and can be discouraging for the reader. If you cant avoid a long email, write an elevator summary. Place all important facts and information at the top of the email.

Do re-read your email before you send it:
Not just for typos, check if the tone is appropiate.

Never write an angry or contentious email:
When you are angry, or wish to address a contentious issue, email can be the worst option … and will most likely come back to haunt you! Under such circumstances, a face-to-face or phone conversation is always best

Email that can Land you in jail:
We operate under the illusion that email communication is private. It’s not! A careless email can torpedo your career, or sink the whole company! Think Enron, Think Arthur Andersen, Think Worldcom.

Avoiding the Traps:
There are many industry examples of companies that use sophisticated software to mine email databases for “hot words”. Hot words: “worried”, “can’t sleep”, “confidential”, “confused”, “trouble”. Don’t use such words in your emails.

Only two things to remember:

• Write email you would like to receive.
• Think before your write. Think before you send.