Essential Email Etiquette
"Develop responsive and effective customer communications using email"
Overall Aim:
The aim of the workshop is to help staff develop a greater understanding of the importance of communicating effectively with customers using electronic mail at all times. Participants will learn the rules of essential etiquette required to communicate with customers in a professional and competent manner in order to portray a professional image and ensure customer satisfaction.
Who Should Attend:
A practical and interactive half-day programme, the course is designed for staff, who would like to apply appropriate business etiquette with customers daily using electronic mail – includes general staff in customer service, administration, reception, sales, accounts, order processing amongst others.
Objectives:
After completing the workshop, each participant will be able to:
- Manage email as an effective communications tool to ensure customer satisfaction
- Identify the strengths and limitations for using email to communicate with customers
- Use various features of email effectively to portray a professional image
- Build confidence with customers by generating personalised and professional emails
- Create relevant, correctly formatted emails using the appropriate language, content and style
- Send emails to the right people, using copy and blind copy functions
- Show confidentially and discretion when sending attachments or forwarding emails
- Keep emails easy to follow using relevant subjects, email threads, quotes and trimming
- Reply to recipients courteously using the right approach, tone and level of urgency
- Keep customers informed using detailed signatures, notifications and out of office replies
- Apply proper business etiquette in the use of abbreviations and emoticons
- Follow company email policies, avoid legal and copyright issues, viruses and spam emails
- Keep in touch with customers through permission-based e-zines and news updates
Workshop Content:
- Managing email as an effective communications tool to ensure satisfaction
- The advantages and disadvantages of email as a communications tool
- Know your audience, understand their needs, pre-empt questions and meet expectations
- Keep customers interested using personalised emails without information overload
- The importance of writing concise emails with essential business English -grammar, punctuation, spell check
- Send, copy and receive emails with relevant subject headings and acceptable formatting
- Impact of forwarding emails & sending attachments –copyright, confidentiality & permission
- Manage relevant and easy to follow replies using threads, quotes and trimming
- Good protocol for responding to emails, managing flames, anger and quick responses
- Managing email traffic using the efficient on-line filing system
- Keep customers informed using signatures, notifications & out of office replies
- The use of abbreviations, emoticons, textese and slang in business
- Manage and subscribe to e-zine’s and the significance of data protection
- Impact of chain letters, viruses and spam emails on business
- Legal implications for unwarranted email behaviour – libel, offensive and defamatory emails
Training method:
The training will take the form of a half-day workshop, with group discussions, case studies and feedback based on individual/group needs. Each participant will receive a workshop manual.