Forum Moderators: phranque
Like most of you fellow webmasters, i respond to about 100 emails a day. Most of these emails require action on my part, forwarding to another party, etc.
The basis of this thread is to discuss certain do's and don’ts. and to discuss different types of emails.
I found a few web sites about email etiquette but most of them were things i already knew from years of doing it. Im looking for some tricks some of you word smiths might use :)
Typical things i usually have trouble with are closure. How do you close a request email? Is "Thank you" enough? I dont like using thank you! or thank you :) (close friends only).
Are phrases like "best regards" antequated. Or is "cheers" too british :P
A lot of my replies consist of the word "Done." indicating that i made the change...
does anyone have any good examples, and or solutions?
It's friendly, but also suggests a course of action, and yet isn't overly pushy... And I've never had a client react badly to "Done," especially if it arrives later the same day their change request did... ;)
BTW... Welcome to wmw! Good topic. :)
For the first reply to someone inquiring, I typically close with "Sincerely" AND a very sparse signature line that includes two web publications and a blurb about pageviews served annually. If it goes beyond that, I tend to reflect whatever degree of formality they've chosen to use in the body of the reply, but often just use my first name for closure. I also drop the sig file.
If I'm exchanging email regularly with someone, I open with their first initial and close with my initial as a sign-off. I also add "[no reply required]" to a few to save them the trouble of acknowledging.
(For those few that exchange email with me often, it tends to be a series of grunts and snorts.)
Dunno... I don't think I'd bother with sound files. ;)
For regular emails, if they open their with my name, I do the same... If they sign with their full name and elaborate sig file, etc., I do the same.
I once read an article explaining how car salemen would be trained to imitate their clients' body language, to make the customers feel more comfortable, and give them a greater sense of trust and camraderie with the salesperson. I think email can work the same way. After the first couple messages, follow the client's lead in your form.
(And why is it that I ususally make salesmen laugh nervously a lot? I don't laugh nervously at them...)
