1. Email Communication Presenters : Terri Yau Global Customer Service Date : February 2011

2. Ten Golden Rules on Email Communication Email is one of our major communication channels Tons of email flowing to our mailbox everyday We are sending numerous long and short emails to internal and external customers Sometimes, we write more than talk to our customers Then, how to perform the effective email communication and what is email etiquette?

3. 1. Address your message carefully Be sure to make proper use of the “To” and “Cc” fields The “To” field should include the person/people who will have to take action If you want to send the message to certain people only for their information, you should use the “Cc” field Be cautious when clicking “Reply to All” – Is it necessary?

4. 2. Meaningful Subject Write an appropriate and meaningful subject for your email It helps the reader determine when your email should be read (immediately or can it wait?) It will also help the reader to remember what your email said after it has been filed and it will be easily retrieved Make sure the subject line is as specific as possible while still being concise Avoid writing generic subject lines such as:  Re: problem  Re: report  Re: request

5. 3. Start with a salutation Your message should open by addressing the person you’re writing to Depending on the situation, you can use:  Dear Mr. Smith or Dear Ms. Chan – if you contact this person for the 1st time or if you write a very formal email.  If you cannot identify the receiver’s gender per his/her name, it is better to use only Dear + the name of the person  Unless you are certain that a woman prefers Miss or Mrs., it is advised to use the title Ms.  Dear Joe - if you have working relationship with the person or if this person has written to you using your first name  For informal email, it is ok to use “Hi Peter” or just the name followed by a comma (“Peter,”)

6. 4. Be concise Long messages might be necessary BUT it is important to get to the point as quickly as possible Including all necessary details and not leaving out important information If there was a long exchange of messages prior to you forwarding the email, it is a good idea to take a minute to summarize the main points Tips for Long message:  It is a good idea to write separate short paragraphs for each topic  Be clear on who has to take what action  Use bullet points for actions/main ideas

7. 5. Use capital letters appropriately Emails should follow the same rules of punctuation as other writing Capitals are often misused Don’t use all capital letters, (UPPERCASE), or oversized fonts or red color The reader will likely feel that they are shouted at, or even threatened If you must use UPPERCASE, you should use it very sparingly and only to emphasize a particular important point.

8. 6.Use correct spelling and proper grammar Your email message reflects you and the company So, traditional spelling and grammar rules applied To use the spelling and grammar check available on the email program

9. 7.Avoid abbreviations Internal: Abbreviations can be used in internal communication However, you must be sure that the abbreviation used is known/understood by the receiver(s) External: No abbreviation or jargon terms should be used in messages to customers If you need to quote an email containing a lot of abbreviations or technical terms, it is better to rephrase the message LRP?? FCN?? MRG?

10. 8.Remove internal communication When responding to a customer’s enquiry, it is better to remove the internal communication and discussion Only to keep the original enquiry and your feedback If it is necessary to quote the internal discussion, please make sure no sensitive and confidential content

11. 9. Feedback to the sender If you cannot respond to an email promptly, it is advised to email back confirming that the message has been well received and let the sender know when he/she can expect your response As per our company’s guidelines, feedback or acknowledgement has to be provided within 24 hours

12. 10. Sign your messages It is important that you use a signature that includes contact information to ensure that people know who you are Please refer to your internal policy and check whether there’s an existing signature template to be used If not, you should ensure that the signature includes your name, company name, mailing address and phone numbers