Good email etiquettes

Today, email has become a standard mode of communication in the business world. Not just within the organizations, email communication with customers, business partners, and clients also needs to be done. As emails are permanent, a better focus on their structure has to be ensured. Here goes few good email etiquette for business email users.
1)Every organization will have an email policy. There are organizations that set guidelines on types of messages to be sent. They even screen and monitor every mail that is sent and received by the employees.
2)As the written mails have no expressions or gestures to precisely convey the message, it is not wise to add smiley for the purpose, as the the receiver might not be aware of this concept.
3)When your content is to the point, there are chances of misinterpretation by the recipient. Hence, it is ideal to make your email sounds polite.
4)Like you don't encourage junk mails(inbox zero), so do your receiver, hence ensure the content is relevant to the recipient.
5)In case of including any quoted message, keep it to the minimum.
6)Subject line has to be relevant and should convey the reader what the mail is all about.
7)Adding quotes from original message would be ideal. Breaking the comments and adding individual comments would make the reader clear of your thoughts.
8)It is mandatory to add a brief signature in emails, so the receiver can have a clear idea of with whom they are communicating.
9)Not everyone is well versed with emails, so be patient, especially with those who are inexperienced with emails.
10)When you are replying to multiple recipients or a mailing list, check whether it is necessary to include all the names in the list.
11)Don't forget to remove your personal contact numbers when you are a part of a big mailing list.
12)In case of attachment, intimate the receiver of its format.
13)Delete those things which are of no importance.
14)While you forward a message, do forget to inform the correspondent that from whom they should expect a reply.
15)Emphasizing, say bold or italics, can be done where it is necessary. If your mail system doesn't provide you this option, then enclosing the particular word or sentence between stars would be ideal.
16)In languages like English, the spelling differs between countries, hence ensure you use the right one.
17)It is not a great idea to expect Read Notification Receipt.
18)Avoid composing mails when you are in a bad mood, as it could reflect in the content.
19Read through the content and do spelling and grammar check before hitting the send button.
Follow these tips, and enhance your email communication skills.

Clean your cluttered inbox with...Inbox Zero!

Picture this: After a long day at the office, you finally get home and go online to check your personal mail. You log in and what do you see? Piles and piles of mails from people; and not the personal how-are-you-doing mail. The ones which are inundated with queries relating to your work or unwanted “friend requests” from people you have never met in your life and never will. Get the drift?
Well, the simplest solution is deleting it. But when there are hundreds of mails just piling on in your inbox, the lure of the delete button seems to vanish. Also, there is no guarantee that your inbox will remain that way forever. New mails are gonna replace the deleted ones and the vicious cycle will start all over again. Well, here is a solution at your fingertips. Inbox Zero comes like Alladin's Genie to save the day.
What is Inbox Zero? Well, to put in laymen's terms, it is basically organizing and clearing up the clutter accumulated in a person's inbox. It is introduced by Merlin Mann, creater of 43Folders and he suggests alternative ways of clearing up overstuffed inboxes, other than deleting them. Some points which Mr. Mann suggests are listed as follows:
- Forward all your mails to Gmail: Gmail is one useful webmail that offers a lot of space (around 6.8 GB) and frankly, a better place to dump your mails cannot be found.
- Stop subscribing to every newsletter on this planet: You know, you are never read half of them that turn up weekly, in your inbox, so take a stand and unsubscribe.
- Filtering: Gmail or for that matter other webmails too, come with a filtering system, where you can filter your mails i.e. you can block certain people from sending you mails and establishing contact or you can create labels which is the same thing as creating folders on yahoo mail.
- Archiving: The best thing about webmail is, you can select multiple mails at a time and move them to “Archives” if you wish to read them later or “Trash” if you know you will never read them again.

Now, there is a catch to inbox zero. There is only so much that technology can do. But, if you wish to maintain Inbox Zero, you have to gear up. Just as a person on diet, sticks to his diet to remain slim, you need to be in action to keep the onslaught of your emails, at a bare minimum. The task is easier said than done, because Inbox Zero requires daily log-ins which most people cannot afford to do, due to time constraints. So, most probably, it can be termed idealistic but it does offer some valuable insights; for instance it shows a way to prioritize mails and offers quality email management and email etiquette. Thus, it cannot be dismissed out of hand. Like it or leave it, Inbox Zero, may be here to stay for a long time!

Make your Inbox Zero

In every working day, you receive a number of emails, which makes controlling of mails a difficult task. There are times you drown in emails and not sure of how to empty your inbox. This is because you are unaware of how to manage your emails effectively. Remember! Your mail box is not a to-do-list or a place to store all your project-related items. Here are few ways to optimally zero your inbox and have a relaxed control over your emails.

As a first step, create the right email environment. With every email application, inbox, sent, trash, and drafts folders come default. Now, you have to create a new folder – Working, under which three sub-folders need to be created – Answer, Read, and Hold. Now, you might wonder what type of mail should be moved to these folders. Lets discuss it in detail.

Emails you receive might require no action and immediate action. Some mails may take longer to read/reply, where as few needs to be archived. If an email doesn't require any action, just delete it once you read. Mails requiring quick action should be done promptly, and delete them after processing. Here, you might have to create a new folder called 'File/archive' to save emails with information that you might need for future reference.

For mails that need a detailed response have to moved to Answer folder. In Read folder, you will have mails that take more than 2 minutes to read, say lengthier mails. There are instances that action for some mails can only be done with the response from a co-worker. Such mails can be archived in Hold folder. Make it as a practice to empty these folders regularly.

Coming to processing of emails, it is wise to do it in order, and never put a mail back into your inbox. Do not process a mail more than once, which can be eliminated by deleting as soon as you complete processing. Imagine, you have a bunch of emails left in your inbox, you obviously tend to check repeatedly, which is of course a waste of time. Likewise, jumping between mails should also be avoided, or else you would end up in a worse disorganization. When you open a mail, question yourself – What is this? The answer would determine your next action.

Don't treat your emails as an action reminder. Action for the received mails may involves single step or multiple steps, hence create an action list and a project list and delete the mail. But, you need to review these lists regularly.

Once you have arrived inbox zero, another challenge lies in maintaining it. But, it is not as hard as your imagine. Check your mails every hour, process all the newly received ones, pay attention in clearing out working folder, and finally have a track of your action list and project list. Follow these principles, and you would surely have a good email workspace.

There are other nuances involved in the inbox zero concept, which can only be learned through a comprehensive training. Now, you have the opportunities to be a part of workshops conducted by experts and excel in organizing all your emails.