Blunt on Business

Nov

How NOT to drive people f*ing insane with email

culture, customer service, general, resourcefulness, tips

I wrote the following tips for my current batch of entrepreneurs, but thought they might have more general application here. Email is like a hammer: it’s a great tool when used effectively, and f*ing painful when it isn’t. Enjoy!

Email. We use it every day. But are we using it as effectively as we can? Probably not, if we’re not doing the following:

Use Reply All: Before I came to Bizdom, I hated Reply All. I thought all it did was clutter up my inbox. Now? I realize it’s the reason my inbox isn’t cluttered – it’s informative. If I’m cc’ed on an email, I want to know how the conversation is going and whether the issue’s been resolved. When I cc someone on an email, I want them to be part of the conversation. Maniacal use of ‘Reply All’ helps this immensely. Do it as a matter of common practice.
Informative Subject Lines: There’s a reason newspapers, blogs, and various other forms of media use headlines – it lets the intended recipient know what the communication is about. It allows them to skim the headline and prioritize. When you recycle an old email for convenience sake, you’ve made the subject line useless. And ultimately put your own convenience over that of the recipient, which leads me to my next point:
Put yourself in the shoes of the recipient: You want something from them, make it easy for them to give it to you. You want them to read the email? Make sure the subject matches the content. You want them to do something after they read the email? Ask. An email with a document attached could mean “I need you to review this immediately” or “I just wanted you to have a copy of this” or “Hey look at me! I can use attachments!” Without a direct call to action, you’re making it difficult to get the recipient to take any action, much less the action you want them to take.
Use a signature block: If someone wants to follow up on your email, make it easy for them to contact you. Give them your email address, phone number, address, HAM radio call sign, whatever it takes. Signature blocks automatically added to your email achieve this in a no muss, no fuss manner.

When I was improvising, one of the big moments of self discovery I had was when I realized that everything we do onstage looks like a choice, so we should be conscious of that choice and make it a choice. When it comes to something as mundane as sending an email, this same principle applies. Ask yourself – what result am I trying to obtain with this action, and have I done everything to make that result obtainable. Have I given it 100%?

Some of you do this consistently and regularly, and clearly get what I’m talking about. To you, I offer nothing but praise and encouragement. Your efforts matter and you will be effective.

Some of you will think I’m an email maniac who’s obsessing about some minor points. To you, I ask – faced with the choice of communicating effectively and communicating ineffectively, what would possibly justify choosing the ineffective route? Effective people take effective action – that’s what makes them effective.

In the comments, please share your email pet peeves or opportunities for excellence.

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Email. We use it every day. But are we using it as effectively as we can? Probably not, if we’re not doing the following:

1. Use Reply All: Before I came to Bizdom, I hated Reply All. I thought all it did was clutter up my inbox. Now? I realize it’s the reason my inbox isn’t cluttered – it’s informative. If I’m cc’ed on an email, I want to know how the conversation is going and whether the issue’s been resolved. When I cc someone on an email, I want them to be part of the conversation. Maniacal use of ‘Reply All’ helps this immensely. Do it as a matter of common practice.

2. Informative Subject Lines: There’s a reason newspapers, blogs, and various other forms of media use headlines – it lets the intended recipient know what the communication is about. It allows them to skim the headline and prioritize. When you recycle an old email for convenience sake, you’ve made the subject line useless. And ultimately put your own convenience over that of the recipient, which leads me to my next point:

3. Put yourself in the shoes of the recipient: You want something from them, make it easy for them to give it to you. You want them to read the email? Make sure the subject matches the content. You want them to do something after they read the email? Ask. An email with a document attached could mean “I need you to review this immediately” or “I just wanted you to have a copy of this” or “Hey look at me! I can use attachments!” Without a direct call to action, you’re making it difficult to get the recipient to take any action, much less the action you want them to take.

4. Use a signature block: If someone wants to follow up on your email, make it easy for them to contact you. Give them your email address, phone number, address, HAM radio call sign, whatever it takes. Signature blocks automatically added to your email achieve this in a no muss, no fuss manner.

Some of you do this consistently and regularly, and clearly get what I’m talking about. To you, I offer nothing but praise and encouragement. Your efforts matter and you will be effective.