E-mail is the most effective communication tool since the telephone. In fact, 80 percent of computer users say the top reason for getting and using a computer is e-mail. As an insurance professional, are you making the best use of e-mail to build good customer relations? Here are three rules you can use to maximize your use of e-mail.
1. Be clear
Anytime you are not talking to someone face-to-face you lose some of the important nonverbal clues that we depend on, such as voice inflection and body language. So with e-mail, you have to be extra careful to express yourself clearly. This is true whether your “customer” is a part of your organization or an external client.
The first standard for clarity is an appropriate subject line. The subject line is the title or heading of your e-mail. It is what grabs their attention first—and may be the reason they either read or discard your message. When you reply to a message, change the subject line to reflect any change in topic. This is especially true when you have been exchanging a series of replies. No one is tempted to read the 15th “Re:your message”, but they are likely to read “Exciting news!”
Use capitals and punctuation for clarity. In the early days of the Internet, e-mail was very informal, with lower case and no punctuation standard. But since e-mail has become a standard business communication form, the rules of written correspondence apply as they do with letters and memos. Capitals and punctuation make your message more understandable.
In your e-mail, use https:// in front of any URL you mention. In many e-mail programs, a URL will become a “live link” that your recipient can click on to go directly to the website mentioned. The https:// is what triggers the blue underlined text of the link. Without it, your reader will need to copy and paste the URL into their browser. Remember, make it easy for the customer to act.
Watch the format of your e-mail carefully. Many of the newer e-mail programs let you send HTML e-mail. You are tempted to use this because your e-mail arrives looking like a web page. It’s very impressive. However, for the more than 50 percent of readers who do not have an HTML e-mail program, it looks like garbage, making the message almost impossible to decipher. If you know that everyone you are sending your message to has HTML e-mail, it is okay to use it. But if in doubt, use plain text e-mail.
2. Be concise
E-mail is a fast communication device. It is meant to be like a conversation—only in writing. Use short paragraphs for easy readability. It’s okay to have a one sentence paragraph—even if it would make your high school English teacher cringe.
In order to make your message more meaningful, copy and paste the original message, then type your replies under the appropriate part of the message. This will save having to repeat the question. Instead, you can use short replies directly under the question. No need to use complete sentences. This is a conversation.
Keep the total length of your message to two screens. Your customer should not have to hit the scroll bar more than once. If they do, it means your message should have been split into several messages. For example, don’t try to combine a ten-point “to do” list in a single e-mail. Instead, split it into ten e-mails so that each can be read, acted on, then replied to.
3. Be you
As with any type of communication, you want to reflect your personality. You can use emoticons such as ;-), or abbreviations such as
Remember that all e-mail is public. So never put anything into an e-mail message that you would not want posted on the bulletin board.
Create and use a signature file. Your signature file is your business card online. It serves as an automatic marketing message, as well as a convenience to your customer. The signature file goes at the bottom of every e-mail message and should contain the same information you have on your business card.
Restrict it to six lines, no more than 60 characters wide. There are a lot of creative ways to do a signature file, so you’ll want to experiment with yours. Send it to yourself and a friend to see how it looks. Ask for feedback from others.
Change your signature file often in order to keep customers informed about new information. For example, the bottom two lines may be an advertisement for a special discount or service you offer, along with the website URL where they can get more information.
Use the e-mail address at your company.com, rather than an AOL or other address. This reinforces your company brand by having it appear more often. It also shows you as the professional that you are, rather than a new member of the Internet community.
When sending e-mail to multiple people, use the “conversational” rules. If you’re talking to Bob, but others are “listening” via carbon copies, then start your e-mail with a salutation of “Bob”.
If you’re e-mailing a group where all of their names appear in the To: line, then your salutation may be “Hello” or “Ladies and Gentlemen”, depending on the level of formality required. If you’re replying to an e-mail from a group or from a discussion list, then no salutation is necessary. Just start talking.
Develop your own style. For example, I often start a sentence in the subject line, then finish it in the first line of the e-mail message. This involves my reader immediately. If you’re working with a group online, you may want to develop a code for identifying the important messages. For instance, three asterisks at the start of the subject may define this as a top priority message.
Just the beginning
E-mail is the communication tool of the new millennium. In coming years, audio mail will become more common, as will video mail. But for now, we’re in a text-based world. Make the most of it!
Jeanette S. Cates, PhD, is the CEO of TechTamers, a training and consulting firm based in Austin. She has helped launch successful technology programs for multinational corporations and solo entrepreneurs. You can contact Jeanette at Cates@TechTamers.com.
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