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Business Email Etiquette

February 8, 2022 by procourtesy

Business Email Etiquette

The number of emails we all receive every day can be overwhelming, but they are a fact of life. Keeping that in mind, try to observe some of the basic email etiquette rules for emailing within the business world. Your email message may be the first impression someone has of you. And you want that impression to be a good one. Here are some rules to follow:

Make sure your email address is professional and identifies you as the sender.
Fill in the subject line. Your e-mail will more likely be read if you alert the recipient as to what you’re going to say in the body of the email.
Use a professional and cordial salutation such as, “Good morning or Good afternoon Mr. Jones” or the long standing “Dear.” Avoid the often seen “Hey.”
When responding to someone’s e-mail leave their message in tact so both parties can refer to the entire message.
Do not use “reply all” unless all need the reply.
Use the “BCC” function when sending an email to a group of people. This protects other people’s privacy.
Let people know if you are copying or “CC” someone on your email.
Respond quickly when you receive an attachment or document so the sender knows you received it and that you can open it.
Remember that e-mail is not private. Once you hit send it’s out of your hands. So, if you wouldn’t want to read it in court, don’t put it in an email.
Do respond in a timely fashion. E-mails are the phone calls of today’s tech society we live in. Responding in one business day is ideal.
Use the auto reply when you are out of your office. If necessary, offer another contact person for urgent business.
Be attentive to grammar and punctuation just as you would in a written message.
Use emojis and exclamation marks sparingly or not at all in business communication.
Use a signature block containing your name and company, etc. And do add your own closing even with a signature block.
Observe your company guidelines for storing and saving emails.

16. Always reread your email message before hitting send.

How to Offer A Sincere Compliment

January 26, 2022 by procourtesy

How to Offer a Sincere Compliment

Any time someone pays someone else a compliment it’s like receiving a gift and should be acknowledged with a sincere “thank you.”

For those offering a compliment, delivery is important. You want to be careful not to negate the first part of the compliment with the last half.

Saying “you look great since you lost all of the weight,” does suggest you didn’t look good before, even if people don’t intend that.

Here are some ways to offer a compliment without making it sound back-handed:

Instead of saying you look great since you lost all of your weight, just say, “you look great.”

The same can be said when complimenting someone in a way that refers to their age. Instead of saying, “you look good for your age,” just say, “you look good.”

Don’t say, “you are so attractive, I don’t understand why you’re not married.” That suggests that you must be flawed if you can’t get someone to marry you. Say, “you are very attractive.”

Or, “you played that sport well, for a girl.” Just say, “you played well.ing”

Avoid certain words.

Also, avoid using the word “but” when offering a compliment. For instance, “I like your blouse, but I think it would look better in another color. Adding the “but” again, negates the intended compliment. If you want to add to the compliment use the word “and” instead…”I like your blouse in that color and it would look great in blue too.”

Keep to the basics.

When complimenting someone. Don’t add those qualifiers. A compliment should make someone feel better not worse or wondering if the compliment had some hidden message in it.

Do be generous with compliments.

If you are thinking something nice about someone, say it out loud. You may just make someone’s day.

Learning how to offer a sincere compliment is an important skill to develop.

Sending Thank You’s for Physician Gifts

December 27, 2021 by procourtesy

Sending Thank You’s for Physician Gifts

Gifting Physicians

Gifting physicians and their staff during the holidays isn’t unusual. Referring physician specialists often send a gift thanking other physicians for sending them patients. And patients will often gift a physician’s office with seasonal goodies or other items the physician and staff can share to express appreciation for their care. But regardless of who sent it or why, all gifts should be acknowledged with a note. (In this case, it’s not redundant to thank the giver for the thank you gift.)

Corporate Gift Giving

Many other business people send gifts to their clients at the holiday time to thank them for their business. These corporate gifts are optional and a generous gesture on the part of the giver. And again, should be acknowledged, especially if they are sent via mail or a delivery service. The sender needs to know the gift arrived.

Managing Holiday Gifts

In the physician’s office, keep a list of everything that comes in. If gifts are sent to the entire staff, designate one person or a few people, if the list is lengthy, to write the thank you notes. Take turns if this is a yearly thing. The notes don’t have to be long, but should identify the gift and let the giver know how much it is appreciated.

For Physicians Only

If the gift is for the physician only, it’s the physician’s job to write the note, not one of the staff members. For gifts going to the physician’s home that will be enjoyed by the family, a spouse could write the note as well.

In Person Thanks

You can say thank you in person if the opportunity presents itself, but if gifts are sent via mail or a delivery service a note letting the sender know you received their gift.

Phone or E-mail Thanks

A phone call would be another option or an email thank you. Email isn’t as personal, but it’s better than nothing.

Remember to be a gracious recipient this year by sending thank you’s for physician gifts.

Correct Holiday Greetings

December 16, 2021 by procourtesy

Correct holiday greetings.

A lot of discussion.

There seems to be a lot of discussion these days about the correct holiday greetings. Saying “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” to people versus “Merry Christmas” bothers some people and they are offended about being pressured to say one greeting over another for the sake of being politically correct. And I appreciate their view. However, it seems we are becoming overly sensitive and getting offended by everything these days.

Historically.

Historically, the term “Happy Holidays” stems from the Old English meaning “holy day” and was used as a regular religious greeting in centuries past. And the list of our presidents who have used the phrase “Seasons Greeting” or “Happy Holidays” on their official White House Christmas cards includes, Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, Reagan, Clinton and Obama. They did this so they would be inclusive of everyone’s religious beliefs.

A sign of respect.

I too, consider it more about being respectful of other people’s beliefs than being politically correct. If all of your friends celebrate Christmas, then do wish them “Merry Christmas,” but if you have friends and clients who do not celebrate Christmas, wish them “Happy Holidays,” “Seasons Greetings” or a specific greeting for their beliefs. In doing that you’ll have all of the bases covered.

In the business world

In the business world I would defer to a “Happy Holidays” greeting or “Season’s Greetings” on the holiday cards you’re sending out. It’s about being more inclusive…not politically correct.

The reason for the season.

Be mindful that the season is about counting our blessings and wishing each other good will. So, focus on being sincere instead of the “Correct Holiday Greetings” words. With that mindset, we’ll all be better off. Be kind and respectful of all faiths and traditions.

To all the people who read this blog, I wish you all a warm and peaceful season.

Loss and the Holidays

December 13, 2021 by procourtesy

Loss and the holidays

There’s no good time

to have a loved one ill or pass away, but the holiday time does seem to raise the emotional level for those dealing with a tough situation. And because of that, I think it’s important to treat those friends and family members with care.

Acknowledging the situation,

with a note or a card is the least invasive way to respond. It lets your friends know you are thinking of them, but doesn’t require a response from them. Just a note as simple as, “thinking of you at this difficult time” is adequate.

When you see the people in person,

let them lead the conversation. They may not wish to discuss their situation with lots of people or it may just be too emotional to talk about it…respect that and don’t ask a lot of questions. It’s okay to let them know you know about their loved one with again, something as simple as, “ I am thinking of you.” If they want to talk more they will do so. To not mention it can make you seem insensitive or not caring.

Offer help in specific ways. Ask if they could use some food or if you could run some errands for them instead of saying, “call if you need something.” Most people won’t call you and they don’t want another thing to do. If you are taking food, ask what they prefer. Sending a lot of desserts to people who don’t eat sweets isn’t very helpful. Making food that can be popped into the freezer can also be a huge help.

Be mindful of the “firsts.”

The first Christmas, the first birthday or the first anniversary without a loved one can be very difficult. And the yearly anniversary of losing someone is often an emotional day. Remembering these days with something as simple as a text message saying, “you’re remembering their loved one and them,” will mean a great deal. Consider making a note in your phone contacts with the special dates behind your friends name. It will then remind you when getting close to those days.

If you are sending out holiday cards,

your usual cheery letter about how great your year has been may not be what they want to hear. Consider sending something special and specific for them with a short note in it.

Do include the friends

who are grieving in invitations, but don’t push or be critical if they back out at the last minute. Grief is a day to day thing that can keep one off balance for some time. And if they do come, allow them to be sad or even teary. The last thing they need is people expecting them to be “cheery.” Remember, loss at the holidays is a very difficult time.

Business Email Etiquette

How to Offer A Sincere Compliment

Sending Thank You’s for Physician Gifts

Correct Holiday Greetings

Loss and the Holidays

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