Know the Importance of Email in Business Communication
Today’s culture is reliant on email, both at work and at home. The majority of workers devote a lot of time to reading, responding to, and handling emails. The McKinsey study found that the typical employee manages their email for roughly 28% of their working hours.
You spend a lot of time and effort managing your email, so it’s crucial to make the most of it. Your emails should be efficient and assist you in achieving your goals. Let’s review what email communication is, its benefits for your organisation, and the most effective ways to use them.
Definition of Email Communication
The exchange of brief informational messages via a computer network between at least two persons is known as email (or e-mail) communication. These emails, which may also include images or document attachments, are sent via web-based email providers like Google, Outlook, or Yahoo. Lately, we have seen email communication grow among businesses in India.
Email Communication Skills
Let’s look at the email communication techniques you need to master in order to maximise the use of your inbox.
Ability to Deliver the Right Information
The ability to clearly communicate your message is one of the most crucial abilities that can affect how well your emails perform. It’s important to express thoughts as briefly as possible in emails. Your readers won’t have the patience to read a lengthy response in its entirety, and they might miss important information. Maximizing the effectiveness of your correspondence may be made simpler by learning to synthesise your thoughts and explain key topics.
Focus on Details
Another essential email communication quality is attention to detail. That applies to both the text you produce and the communications you read from others. Finding grammar mistakes, typos, and missing information in your own writing can be done fast by paying attention to small details. Reading the emails you’re responding to in detail can also guarantee that you address all of the pertinent points made in the sender’s email.
Email Etiquette
The proper use of language, customs, and politeness in emails is known as email etiquette. Email etiquette should always be observed, whether you are having a formal or informal email conversation. If not, your intended message won’t be delivered and will never reach the recipient’s email inbox. And you have Uplyrn’s Email Etiquette Masterclass to help you master it!
Management of Time
Furthermore, effective time management is a crucial ability for email communication. Especially in a work environment, you might need to answer several emails per day. Gaining the ability to write concisely and effectively can boost productivity and demonstrate to your email recipient that you appreciate their time.
Advantages of Email Communication
- Flexible: You can send electronic information, like text documents, pictures, and data sheets, quickly and conveniently to several people at once by attaching the file to an email.
- Cost-effective: Emailing is inexpensive since the cost is the same no matter the recipient’s location or the number of recipients.
- Quick: An email gets to its recipient in a matter of minutes, or at most a few hours.
- Convenient: You can send the same message to a huge number of recipients, and your message will be saved until the receiver is ready to read it.
- Permanent: You can maintain a history of your communications, including when you sent and received messages.
Email in Business Communication
It is undeniable that email is a key component of business communication. This is because email is one of the most significant channels for different businesses to connect with both internal and external parties who are relevant to their business. Businesses connect with their staff and other members of the organisation using email. Also, it serves as a channel of communication for the company’s suppliers, clients, and other key stakeholders.
The Advantages of Email in Business Communication
- Quick Communication: Since email communication is practically instantaneous, it improves communication by enabling rapid information dissemination and speedy customer service. Also, it enables quicker problem-solving and more efficient company procedures. You can therefore complete more tasks in less time.
- Market Reach: Consumers have the option to receive emails about the goods they already possess, sales, or new products. Consumers are likely to be more receptive when they receive targeted emails based on their preferences. Customers can also be targeted via email marketing based on their relationship with a company. You may, for instance, modify your messaging to appeal to both new and returning clients.
- Productivity and Efficiency: Email can aid in boosting output. You can send information to certain people as required, forward material automatically depending on a topic or engage with established distribution lists. The majority of email programmes offer customization options that you can adjust to the nature of the work being done, the volume of daily email messages, and the user’s needs.
- Brings the World Closer: Businesses may operate more widely and across more time zones thanks to email. No matter where they are in the world, you can speak with workers or contractors. Likewise, your consumers can email you with sales inquiries and support requests according to their own time zones.
- Good for the Company’s Operational Costs: Email communications, instead of mailing them, can save a lot of money on postage, shipping supplies, and staff time. By concentrating on email customer care choices rather than phone-based services, you may also cut back on your customer service support expenses.
- Add-ons Available: Email in the modern day has evolved beyond just text communications. By using the same Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) that is used to develop websites, you can produce attractive, colourful flyers. Spreadsheets, Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files, and practically any other type of computer file that is 25MB or smaller can be sent easily and quickly by email attachment. Electronic technology now enables you and your business partners to sign digital contracts conveniently over email, doing away with the need to rush to the fax machine in order to obtain a signed contract.
- Handling of Automated Messages: The capacity to automatically process incoming and outgoing messages is a significant commercial benefit of email. Incoming emails can be automatically filed by sender, content, or subject using the software. It can deliver confirmation notices and message responses in response to requests automatically. Without human involvement, the software can also automatically transmit messages like statements, bulletins, and reminders.
The Basics of Writing Business Email
Every business email should be concise, easy to read, and direct. Nonetheless, the tone of a business email might range from casual to formal. The level of formality might vary depending on your business, the target audience, the topic, and a number of other considerations. Review our course on how professional an email should be if you’re unsure how formal your email should be.
No matter the formality, keep in mind that once you hit Send, you lose control of the email. Emails can be copied and forwarded indefinitely, so if you use unsuitable or unprofessional language, it might stick around.
Best Strategies to Write a Business Email
A business email should, like any other email, have a short but descriptive subject line, one or more recipients, and, if applicable, an attachment. To keep other recipients informed without asking them to answer, if you include many recipients, think about using the CC (carbon copy) option. Check out our course on common email features to discover more about the fundamental components of an email.
There is a straightforward framework you can use when you begin composing the email’s body:
- Greetings/Introduction: Brief and friendly greetings are appropriate. If you know the recipient’s name, use it. Such introductions as “Hello Robert” or “Greetings, Ms. Rachel” are equally appropriate. If you know the receiver better by their first name, use it; if you wish to be more official, use their last name.
- Main Body: Keep your writing succinct and focused on the issues of your audience. Start with your main point so that no one has to search for it. Include a call to action if you require the receiver to take action so they will understand how and why to do so. Additionally, be sure to indicate any files you’ve attached in this section.
- Closing Section: Finish by saying “Thanks” or “Sincerely” before providing your name and contact information in case they have any further inquiries.
Summary
In the modern business world, the ability to communicate successfully via email is a need. The correct email management strategy may help you improve business relationships, boost efficiency and productivity, and gain more from your communications.
The most important thing to remember from this article is that email etiquette should always be observed, whether you have formal or informal email communication. If not, your intended message won’t be delivered and will never reach the recipient’s email inbox.
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