Writing a business email: What you need to know

In 2014-2018, the average office worker received about 90 and sent around 40 business emails per day. E-mails are the no1 communication tool within and among companies, but this does not necessarily mean they are effective.

McKinsey says employees spend around 28% of their working day on reading and replying emails, while SaneBox adds that 62% of the emails received by employees are not important.

Meanwhile, research shows it takes more than one minute to recover from an email. So, if you don’t want to be involved in a dead-end communication of irrelevant emails, you have to ensure you understand the email writing format.

Let us therefore examine one by one the must have features of a right business email. Firstly, make sure you keep it:

1. Brief and specific: Most people are busy, just as you are. They don’t have time to guess; They want to quickly understand and respond. So, the less you include in your emails, the better.

2. Polite and formal:

• It is of high importance to embed compliments and thanks when writing a professional email. e.g. It was lovely to meet you at…., Thank you for reverting…,
• Always keep language professional, e.g. Remaining at your disposal…
• Also, avoid slang, colloquialisms and emoticons, such as LOL.

3. Readable

• Use easy words
• Keep sentences short to avoid misunderstandings.
• Prefer active rather than passive voice, as it makes your writing more clear and lively.

4. Structured

• Include a meaningful subject line along with a brief outline of what the email body will include. (e.g. [REQ] Request (for a reference), [FYI] For your information)
• Address the reader in a professional manner (e.g. Dear Mr./Mrs.) and don’t forget the greeting.
• Present the reason for your email at the body (e.g. Further to our telephone communication before, I’m emailing to…)
• Always use paragraphs
• Include a call to action (CTA) – e.g. Could you write that up in the next week?
• Include a closing message and signature

 See also: How to detect and avoid phishing emails

Meanwhile, don’t forget…

-To review it

Always check a business email before sending, to ensure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes. You may even ask a colleague to proof read before you send it.

-To follow up

Follow up emails are sent to ask information, request a meeting, say thank you or catch up. See some suggested time frames are within:

• 24 Hours: “Thank you” follow up business email or after a meeting.
• 48 Hours: After submitting an application.
• 1-2 Weeks: Follow up on a meeting request or after no response.
• Every 3 Months: To catch up with a connection.

-The signature

A signature, providing contact information, is a must-have of an official email and should include:

• Name
• Job title
• Link to website.

…and finally, always know the difference between “To” and “CC”

It is important to address who has action (add these on “To”) and who just needs to see the information (add them on “CC” or “BCC”).