10 tips for being efficient with emails
© Egypt Business Directory
We've all been there! when we went on a short holiday and came back to find 400 emails waiting for you to read, respond to and take action about! Then you feel overwhelmed and waste one or 2 days dealing with it!
Well, if you have been through this, or it's just a busy Monday! Here are 10 tips to be more efficient with emails.
1- Clarity is king:
Using jargon and vagueness when it comes to an efficient email is just a waste of time! you'll waste your time trying not to misspell the difficult word and your recipient will waste time googling it. Be clear.
If your email requires action from the recipient keep it in a separate line or underline/highlight it. Maybe they have 400 emails to go through as well, so help them get your point quickly.
2- Why am i sending this email?
Are you sending an email just to show that you saw the email? that you are working? that you are up to date? we've all done this! But this is a waste of time. instead of sending an email just to say thank you, send that file required from you along with the thanks in the same email.
Don't get us wrong, thank you emails are sometimes important for the morale of the employees, so they are not a total waste of time. Just make sure you add value to the reader and the conversation.
3- Set your priorities straight:
This will take some practice, but once you are there you will be the master of efficient emails! Practice separating your emails into "must reply now or someone will die" versus "can reply tomorrow morning" vs can reply at night or by phone.
4- what's your response window?
Do you want to be the guy who answers in 5 days? nobody wants to be that guy. a 24-48 hour window is the most efficient, your recipients have work to do too!
5- Grammar and typos:
Check your email before sending because it says a lot about you! Grammar mistakes and typos are the least attractive thing ever and if your client sees this, it doesn't make you look so good. Take a few minutes after writing the email to check that everything is ok, or ask a colleague to take a look before you hit send.
6- Some emails need their time:
There are some emails that require a cup of coffee and a clear head to address them. For these ones, schedule some time in your day to write them and check them, answering in a hurry maybe not the best option here. (Maybe you should send an email with the expected sending time to buy yourself some time while you write that lengthy one).
7- Who to cc, who to address:
Is the person you are addressing the one who will get things done? take a decision? take a minute to see if you are addressing, CCing the right people and whether you are addressing them in the right way! Maybe speaking to them a bit informally will make them read that email carefully, maybe they like formal address. Know your audience.
8- Did you really need to say all of this?
Nobody likes reading a 5 page email for something that could be said in a paragraph. see?
9- Big brother?
Privacy is an issue in some cases and you need to keep that in mind. Are you CCing someone that shouldn't be CCed? is this thing to be documented in email? are you including any private data of your recipient in the email?
10- Email might not be the answer:
Sometimes getting up and going to the next office gets things done more efficiently, or picking up the phone and saying hello. Somethings are handled better in person, and email here might just be a documentation of what happened in the face to face meeting.
Well, if you have been through this, or it's just a busy Monday! Here are 10 tips to be more efficient with emails.
1- Clarity is king:
Using jargon and vagueness when it comes to an efficient email is just a waste of time! you'll waste your time trying not to misspell the difficult word and your recipient will waste time googling it. Be clear.
If your email requires action from the recipient keep it in a separate line or underline/highlight it. Maybe they have 400 emails to go through as well, so help them get your point quickly.
2- Why am i sending this email?
Are you sending an email just to show that you saw the email? that you are working? that you are up to date? we've all done this! But this is a waste of time. instead of sending an email just to say thank you, send that file required from you along with the thanks in the same email.
Don't get us wrong, thank you emails are sometimes important for the morale of the employees, so they are not a total waste of time. Just make sure you add value to the reader and the conversation.
3- Set your priorities straight:
This will take some practice, but once you are there you will be the master of efficient emails! Practice separating your emails into "must reply now or someone will die" versus "can reply tomorrow morning" vs can reply at night or by phone.
4- what's your response window?
Do you want to be the guy who answers in 5 days? nobody wants to be that guy. a 24-48 hour window is the most efficient, your recipients have work to do too!
5- Grammar and typos:
Check your email before sending because it says a lot about you! Grammar mistakes and typos are the least attractive thing ever and if your client sees this, it doesn't make you look so good. Take a few minutes after writing the email to check that everything is ok, or ask a colleague to take a look before you hit send.
6- Some emails need their time:
There are some emails that require a cup of coffee and a clear head to address them. For these ones, schedule some time in your day to write them and check them, answering in a hurry maybe not the best option here. (Maybe you should send an email with the expected sending time to buy yourself some time while you write that lengthy one).
7- Who to cc, who to address:
Is the person you are addressing the one who will get things done? take a decision? take a minute to see if you are addressing, CCing the right people and whether you are addressing them in the right way! Maybe speaking to them a bit informally will make them read that email carefully, maybe they like formal address. Know your audience.
8- Did you really need to say all of this?
Nobody likes reading a 5 page email for something that could be said in a paragraph. see?
9- Big brother?
Privacy is an issue in some cases and you need to keep that in mind. Are you CCing someone that shouldn't be CCed? is this thing to be documented in email? are you including any private data of your recipient in the email?
10- Email might not be the answer:
Sometimes getting up and going to the next office gets things done more efficiently, or picking up the phone and saying hello. Somethings are handled better in person, and email here might just be a documentation of what happened in the face to face meeting.