Emails: How Well Do You Communicate?

The ability to stay in touch and exchange information quickly and conveniently is something many professionals are grateful for. Email has revolutionized the way we run our businesses. With the advent of the smartphone, we can carry out conversations constantly and many times we don’t think twice about sending out a message with typos or a careless subject line. It is important to practice good email etiquette to not only maintain a professional front but to make sure that there is little to no chance of a miscommunication. An email represents the way we communicate to others and we all want to make sure we make the best possible impression.

Use a professional email address

Having an email address like maddog54 or crazycatlady72 does not cut it anymore. At the very least, your professional email should contain your full name. An even better email address will contain your website’s URL to show your clients you represent a reputable company. (All Select Group email addresses meet these standards.)

Include contact info in your email signature

You should make it as easy as possible for clients to get back to you. A good rule of thumb is to have your name, company you work for, and license number (this is mandatory in California) at the bottom of each email — in addition to your phone number and website.

To ensure you appear as professional as possible, your marketing department designs top-notch email signature graphics for you to use. Adding your information below the email signature graphic not only makes sure your contact will have all avenues of communication open to them, but it will look great too! If you want your email signature updated or you do not have one yet, click here to fill out the request form and select “An eSignature for Emails.”

Take a moment to reply

Contrary to what you might think —  it’s not always the best idea to respond to an email as soon as you get it. Replying to an email demands attention to detail and should not be taken lightly. Take some time to read the correspondence and draft your response until you get it right. You should not leave any room for error or miscommunication. There will be instances where your response time must be extremely quick, but it’s never an excuse for professional communication to go by the wayside.

Don’t rely on spellcheck

After you’ve drafted the perfect response, take a minute to check over not just spelling errors, but also grammar mishaps. Often you won’t see a red line underneath a poorly worded sentence, so it is important to double check. The extra time spent on re-reading your response and correcting issues is worthwhile!

Know your audience

While some clients won’t think twice about adding “lol’s” and “hahaha’s” to their online correspondence, you should make sure to keep your replies as professional as possible. You don’t want to run the risk of your client doubting your abilities to perform your job. Of course, there are cases where you might have a very casual relationship with your client, but for all business correspondence, it is important to keep things simple and just go with the more professional approach.

There are many things we can do, but getting another chance at a first impression is not one of them. Let’s make sure to do our best to communicate with our clients in a clear, concise, and error-free way! Need marketing help? Contact Marketing@SelectGroupRe.com. We are here for you!