10 Email Rules You Cant Ignore, According to a CEO

10 Email Rules You Cant Ignore, According to a CEO Some days, I hate my inbox. I am sure you can sympathize. Like you, I (and every other business woman) receive an average 124.5 emailles a day. Yet, despite the fact that we are all glued to our screen, our email etiquette seems to have slowly disintegrated. Ive seen emails that bedrngnis only contained sloppy errors, but in some instances were downright rude or worse, overly casual. Even seemingly innocuous errors add up. And in some instances, can have serious consequences.Ive outlined some basic rules of etiquette to ensure your electronic communications match your professional image.1. Use a professional greeting.Granted, every company culture is different, but a polite and slightly formal salutation is always appropriate. Using words like hey or yo isnt professional, no matter who the recipient. Instead, use hi, hello, good morning/afternoon, or, to be even more formal, dear.2. Use reply-all appropriately.Group emails can be re al time savers because everyone is included in project updates or whatever else youre sending. Unfortunately, group threads can also spiral out of control and segue into separate topics that the whole group doesnt need to be part of. Think twice before hitting reply-all to consider whether everyone really needs to be looped in.3. Dont use nicknames.Shortening someones name (if youve not been told he/she prefers it) is overly casual, presumptuous and, in some cases, can come across as demeaning. My name is Tiffany. Unless I know you personally, its not appropriate to call me Tiff.4. Avoid using humor.Humor does not often work in email. Whats funny to one person may be offensive to others, or worse, could be misinterpreted as sarcastic or caustic.5. Reply in a timely manner.Even though we are glued to our keyboards, theres no need to play hostage to your inbox. If an email comes in under high priority and you know youll need several hours (or even days) to handle it, reply right away to acknowledge the request. Emails that hang around and gather dust in your inbox can give people the impression that you are overwhelmed or that you are ignoring their requests. Unread emails may also mean missed deadlines.6. Proofread your message.The ease of spell check means many of us rely on it to catch spelling errors, which only gets you about half way there. Consider the work public. If you mistype it and accidentally skip the letter L, the word is totenstill spelled correctly but has an entirely different meaning Its also a good idea to check for missed words or words that sound the same but are spelled (and mean) something different, such as your and youre. 7. Dont forget the attachment.This is an easy one to avoid. If you type the word attachment or attach in the body of your email, Outlook will prompt you if it looks like you forgot to attach something. One way to curtail this error is to start your note with in the attached 8. Avoid using all caps.All capital letters u sed in an email can come across as an affront to your recipients. If something is really important, say so or instead use bold or underline to highlight a key point or phrase.9. Consider a call.If you have a lot to say in your email, it may be more efficient to just pick up the phone or schedule a call. Not only can a phone call save time, it can also prevent any misinterpretation of your message. After the call, document agreed points or follow-up tasks with a concise email message.10. Include a closing greeting.Similar to point 1, its just good practice to include a closing greeting. Think about the last email you received where the note just ended abruptly. Chances are, it felt less like a note and more like an order. Remember, email, like any other form of business communication, is a direct reflection of your professionalism. Making sure your email etiquette is on point shows your colleagues that you are thoughtful, polite, and prompt in zugreifbar exchanges.More on email etiqu etteThe One Subject Line that Gets Me a Response Every Time6 Awkward Emails You Shouldnt be SendingThis Is Exactly How To Introduce Yourself Via Email--Tiffany Couch is the CEO and founder of Acuity Forensics, a forensic accounting and fraud investigation firm that helps unravel complex financial crimes.