Are you tired of sifting through your inbox, trying to find that one important email? Do you wish there was a way to make your business emails more organized and easier to manage?
Well, there is! Check out these 14 business email hacks to make your life easier. From creating templates to using the BCC feature, these tips will help you take control of your inbox and boost your productivity.
1. Check email at set times
When it comes to email, there are two schools of thought: some people check their email as soon as they wake up, while others wait until later in the day.
But what does the research say?
According to this article that appeared on HBR.org, the best time to check your email is at 10 am. That is because most people are busiest between 9 am and noon, so checking your email then gives you a chance to deal with any urgent messages before you get too busy.
So why is it important to check your email at set times?
Well, for one thing, it can help you stay focused on your work. When you’re constantly checking your inbox, it’s easy to get distracted by every new message that comes in.
Another this the study found was that people who check their emails less often, are less stressed!
So, check your emails first thing in the morning.
2. Set up auto-responders
An autoresponder is an email that is set up to automatically send a response when someone contacts you. This can be a very useful tool for businesses, as it allows you to quickly and easily respond to inquiries without having to manually type out each response.
There are a few different ways that you can set up an autoresponder. One way is to use an email template. This will allow you to create a pre-written response that you can simply send whenever you receive an inquiry.
Another way to set up an autoresponder is to use a canned response in your email software. This will allow you to insert a pre-written response into your email with just a few clicks. Canned responses can be very helpful if you find yourself responding to the same questions over and over again.
You can also set up an autoresponder to forward all incoming messages to another email address. This can be useful if you have someone who is better equipped to handle the inquiry than you are.
No matter how you choose to set up your autoresponder, it can be a valuable tool for streamlining your customer service process.
Here’s an example of a simple autoresponder email:
Hello,
Thank you for your inquiry. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Best,
[Your Business]
3. Create templates
Email templates can be a lifesaver when it comes to busy professionals. They provide a way to quickly respond to common inquiries without having to start from scratch each time.
When used effectively, templates can help you maintain a consistent brand voice and save time.
To get the most out of email templates, start by creating a few general ones that can be used for a variety of purposes.
For example, you might have a template for customer service inquiries, another for sales questions, and one for follow-ups after an initial contact.
Be sure to customize each template to fit the specific situation. Include placeholders for information that will vary depending on who you’re emailing.
For example, if you’re responding to a customer service inquiry, you’ll need to include the customer’s name and order number.
When creating your templates, be sure to:
- Use a consistent layout and branding across all of your templates. This will make it easier for recipients to quickly identify that the email is from you.
- Keep the overall message concise. No one wants to read a long template response!
- Include placeholder text for information that will vary depending on who you’re emailing. For example, if you’re responding to a customer service inquiry, you’ll need to include the customer’s name and order number.
But then also, do not overuse it.
Remember that people can see through templates, and if you use the same one over and over again, they will catch on. So make sure to switch it up every once in a while!
4. Keep it short
In today’s business world, time is money. That’s why it’s important to learn how to keep your email short. Not only will this save you time, but it will also make your communication more effective.
Here are four tips to help you keep your email short:
- Get to the point. Don’t waste time with pleasantries or small talk. Your recipient doesn’t have time to read a novel, so get to the point quickly.
- Be concise. Use as few words as possible to communicate your message. Every word should serve a purpose.
- Use bullet points. Breaking your email up into bullet points makes it easier to read and understand. Plus, it takes up less space than writing out long paragraphs.
- Edit, edit, edit. Take the time to edit your email before hitting send. This will help you eliminate any unnecessary words or phrases.
Short emails are hard to ignore. By following these tips, you can make sure your email gets read and that your message is communicated effectively.
5. Get to the point
Talking for getting to the point, no one wants to waste their time reading a long, rambling message that could have been summed up in a few sentences. That’s why it is important to get to the point in your emails.
Luckily, there are a few ways you can keep your messages focused.
First, start with a clear subject line that accurately reflects the content of your email. This will help the recipient know what to expect and whether or not they need to take action.
Second, make sure your opening sentence gets right to the heart of the matter.
And finally, don’t be afraid to be brief – if you can say what you need to in a few sentences, there’s no need to write a novel.
You need to figure out a way to get your point across without being too long-winded. After writing, sit and think about other ways you could have said what you just wrote.
If there’s a shorter way to say it, try that instead.
6. Use a clear subject line
Again, in business, email is often the primary form of communication. That means a good subject line is key to getting your message read.
The subject line is the first thing recipients see when they open an email, so it’s important to make it clear and concise.
A good subject line will give recipients a general idea of what the email is about, without being too long or too vague.
Here are some tips for writing better business email subject lines:
- Keep it short and sweet. The best subject lines are under 50 characters long. This ensures that recipients can quickly scan their inboxes and know what the email is about at a glance.
- Be specific. Vague subject lines like “Touching base” or “Checking in” are not helpful to recipients who are trying to sort through their inboxes. Be specific about what the email is about so that recipients can easily decide whether or not to read it.
- Use keywords wisely. Keywords like “urgent” or “important” should only be used sparingly, as they can quickly become overused and lose their impact. When using keywords, make sure they are relevant to the content of the email and add value for recipients.
- Avoid all caps and excessive punctuation!!! No one likes to be yelled at, so avoid using all capital letters in your subject line unless absolutely necessary (for example, if you are sending an important legal notice). Excessive punctuation is also a turn-off for most people, so use it sparingly.
- Get personal with your recipient list. If you have a large mailing list, consider adding a personal touch by including each recipient’s first name in the subject line (e..g., “Hi [First Name], thanks for being part of our team!”) This will help your emails stand out from mass-mailings and feel more like a conversation.
- Be clear about your intentions. If you are emailing to ask for something, make that clear in the subject line (e.g., “Can I pick your brain about XYZ?”). This way, recipients can decide whether or not they want to help you before even opening the email.
- Use actionable language. Actionable language is specific, concrete, and inspires recipients to take some kind of action. For example, instead of “Request for proposal (RFP) due soon,” try something like “Submit your RFP by Friday at 5pm.”
And most importantly, test different subject lines. If you are not sure what works best, test out a few different options and see which ones get better open rates.
A/B testing is a great way to do this.
Just remember that what works for one email might not work for another, so don’t be afraid to experiment!
7. Proofread
As someone who spends a lot of their day communicating via email, proofreading is essential to ensuring that your messages are clear and free of any errors.
Not only does this make you look more professional, but it can also save you from potential embarrassment or miscommunication.
So, what exactly is proofreading?
Proofreading is the process of reading over a piece of writing to identify and correct any errors in grammar, spelling, or punctuation. It’s important to do this before hitting “send” on an email, as even the smallest mistake can change the meaning of what you’re trying to say.
There are a few different ways you can proofread your emails. If you have time, reading them out loud is a great way to catch any errors you may have missed when reading silently.
If you are short on time, reading them backward can also be effective, as it forces you to slow down and focus on each word individually.
Another option is to use a grammar checker like Grammarly, which will scan your email for any potential mistakes.
No matter how you choose to proofread your emails, taking the extra time to do so will pay off in the long run!
8. Use proper grammar
Whether you are communicating with clients, customers, or colleagues, it’s important to use proper grammar in your emails. This can be a challenge, especially if you are not a native English speaker or if you’re rushed and don’t have time to proofread your email before hitting “Send.”
Fortunately, there are some helpful tools that can take the guesswork out of using proper grammar in your emails.
Again, Grammarly is one popular option that can help you check your grammar, spelling, and punctuation before sending an email. It’s a great way to ensure that your emails are clear and error-free.
In fact, inside Grammarly, you can set different goals for each email. For example, if you’re sending a professional email to a client, you may want to set the goal of “No spelling or grammar errors.” This will help Grammarly catch any errors in your email before you send it.
Another tip for using proper grammar in business emails is to keep things simple. Use short, concise sentences and avoid overly complicated language. This will help ensure that your message is clear and easy to understand.
There’s a language for business emails, and it’s important to use it correctly.
If you can’t figure out how just consider your relationship with the recipient and keep it professional.
9. Don’t overuse exclamation points!!!!!
A recent study shows that exclamation points can actually make your emails seem less important. In fact, using more than one exclamation point can make you seem unprofessional. So what’s the right way to use an exclamation point in a business email?
Here are a few guidelines:
- Use exclamation points sparingly. One or two per email is plenty.
- Only use exclamation points for strong emotions, such as excitement or anger.
- Avoid using multiple exclamation points, which can come across as juvenile or unprofessional.
- When in doubt, leave the exclamation points out altogether. Your message will still get across without them.
As we mentioned, earlier, no one wants to feel they are being shouted at in an email. So use exclamation points sparingly and only when absolutely necessary to get your point across effectively.
10. Avoid long signatures
In a business email, the signature serves as your “mark” – it’s how you let the recipient know who you are, and how they can contact you.
A good signature includes your name, title, and contact information, and is no longer than four lines.
Here are some tips to help you write better signatures:
- Keep it short and sweet: as mentioned above, your signature should be no longer than four lines. This means including only the essential information such as your name, title, and contact details.
- Use keywords wisely: choose keywords that accurately reflect your role and what you do. For example, if you’re a sales representative, include keywords like “sales”, “account manager”, or “customer success”.
- Be consistent: use the same signature across all of your business emails. This will help create a sense of professionalism and coherence.
- Use HTML formatting: this allows you to add links, images, and even logos to your signature. You can also use this tool to change the font size or color of your text – just make sure not to overdo it!
If in doubt, there are tools like WiseStamp that can help you create HTML signatures for your emails.
11. Use cc and bcc sparingly
CC stands for carbon copy, while BCC is short for blind carbon copy. Both let you send a copy of an email to additional recipients without those recipients knowing who else received the message. In general, it’s best to avoid using CC and BCC unless absolutely necessary.
The main reason to be careful with CC and BCC is that they can easily be abused.
For example, if you are cc’ing someone on an email thread that they are not actually supposed to be involved in, they may get upset or feel left out.
Additionally, if you’re BCC’ing someone on an email thread, they may feel like you’re trying to hide something from them.
There are a few situations where CC and BCC can be useful.
For example, if you’re emailing someone about an important project and want to make sure that your boss sees the email, you could cc them on the message.
Similarly, if you are sending an email to a large group of people and don’t want everyone’s email addresses to be visible, you could bcc them all instead.
In general, though, it’s best to avoid using CC or BCC unless absolutely necessary. If possible, it’s usually better to just forward relevant emails individually or add people directly to ongoing conversations.
12. Follow up
When it comes to business email hacks, following up is key. If you don’t get a response to your initial email, don’t be afraid to reach out again.
Oftentimes, people are simply busy and need a reminder.
Keep your follow-up emails short and sweet, and make sure to include the original message so the recipient knows what you’re referencing.
But you may wonder, after how long and how many times?
A good rule of thumb is to follow up twice, with at least a week in between each email. If you don’t hear back after your second attempt, it’s probably best to move on and focus your energy elsewhere.
13. Don’t be a stranger
When emailing a client or potential business partner for the first time, it’s important to remember to not be a stranger. This means introducing yourself and providing some context for why you’re reaching out.
It’s also important to be brief and to the point in your email, as busy professionals likely don’t have time to read through lengthy messages.
Here’s an example:
Hello [Name],
My name is [Your Name] and I am the [Your Title] at [Your Company]. I recently came across your company while doing some research and thought that we might be able to work together on future projects. Thank you for taking the time to read this email and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
14. Say thank you
Saying thank you is one of the simplest, yet most effective things you can do to improve your business email etiquette. It takes a moment to write and can make a big difference in how your message is received.
Plus, it’s just good manners!
Here are a few situations where a quick thank you can go a long way:
When someone takes the time to write you a long or detailed email, be sure to say thanks for your effort. This shows that you appreciate their time and care, and makes them more likely to want to help you in the future.
If someone provides you with helpful information or advice, letting them know that their help was appreciated is always nice. This could be something as simple as saying “thank you for your advice” or “thanks for the heads up.”
When someone does you a favor, whether it’s big or small, be sure to say thank you. This could be something like “thanks for sending that file” or “thank you for taking care of that issue.”
If someone introduces you to someone else via email, make sure to send a quick note of thanks.
Not only is this polite, but it also helps keep the connection alive and strengthens your relationship with both parties involved.
Read also: 14 Undeniable Benefits Of Using A Business Email Account.
Final thoughts
Email is a necessary part of doing business, but it doesn’t have to be a pain. You can make your email life much easier and more productive.
First, create templates for the types of emails you send most often. This will save you time by not having to start from scratch each time you need to send an email.
Second, use keyboard shortcuts to speed up the email composing process.
Third, take advantage of email tools and plugins to automate tasks and improve your workflow.
By following these tips, you can make your email life much easier and more productive. So give them a try and see how they work for you!
Not to forget, if you are looking for a reliable email hosting service to get started with, be sure to check out this page!