Business professional correspondence: basics and rules. Business Email Rules

  • 11.10.2019

Business correspondence by e-mail is a convenient way of written communication between business entities. You have to write and receive a lot of letters, and the speed and correctness of communication is one of the components of the successful work of the company. Some rules business correspondence.

E-mail has firmly taken its place in business correspondence due to its advantages - availability around the clock, efficiency, and ease of use. In this article, we will look at some of the nuances of online business correspondence.

Receiving letters

  1. You should check your mailbox several times during the working day. Otherwise, you can delay the resolution of important issues and stall the work of other people.
  2. If you received a letter, then you need to read it, because someone sent it. Naturally, we are not talking about spam here.
  3. If you are a manager, then your working day should begin with checking your mail. For convenience, set your email client to automatically deliver or send mail every 10-20 minutes.
  4. In the event that you are busy and you receive an email, look at who it is from, what the subject of the email is, and quickly look at the title to gauge the importance of the email.
  5. Try to answer emails right away - this will help you avoid blockages in the mail.

Use the To, Cc, and Bcc fields correctly

  1. "To whom". If you send a question or ask for clarification, then you are waiting for an answer from the addressee, whose data is indicated in the "to" field. When you are the recipient, you need to answer the question. That is, this field contains the recipient's data.
  2. "Copy". The recipient whose data is indicated in this field are, as it were, “invited eyewitnesses”. The recipient in this case should not reply to the letter. In addition, if you need to send such a letter, it should begin with the lines “sorry to interfere,” out of courtesy.
  3. "Hidden copy". The fact that the letter was sent to the addressee whose data is indicated in the "blind copy" field is unknown to the main recipient. In addition, this field is used for mass mailing.

When replying, do not forget about the "reply all" button, this will help you not to miss a single recipient. You can delete unwanted recipients and add new ones at any time.

Subject field. This field must always be filled in. The person to whom the letter is addressed can receive a huge amount of mail per day, and by this field he will be able to assess the degree of importance of the letter. The subject of the letter should briefly and informatively reflect its content.

"The Importance of Writing". In the case when the letter contains important or urgent information that needs urgent consideration, indicate this, set the importance to "high". This will make your email stand out in your inbox. But don't overuse this feature.

How to reply to email

Below we will consider a small instruction on writing a response to a letter.

  1. You should always start with a greeting - a tribute to courtesy, nothing can be done.
  2. You need to communicate with a person in his language. And this applies not only to linguistics, but also to the form of communication. Informal communication can be regarded as disrespect, and even an attempt to offend the interlocutor.
  3. You should not use transliteration, except when sending a letter with mobile phone. In the case when your mail client does not have the Russian language, send the text of the letter in the application.
  4. A business letter should be restrained, precise and concise. Accuracy means clearly indicating the data you are referring to (date, place, time, etc.). Specificity - the recipient of your letter should understand from the very first lines what exactly is required of him. Conciseness. If you are a clear thinker, you are able to express your thoughts clearly. And your interlocutor will immediately see and appreciate it. Therefore, you should avoid "water" for several pages if you can state the essence of the matter in a few sentences.
  5. When a letter contains several questions, tasks or topics, they need to be structured and separated from each other. A continuous stream of thoughts is difficult to read, and even more difficult to extract important points from it.
  6. Requests made in letters should be answered in as much detail as possible. Answers like "To be done" are not acceptable.
  7. There should be no errors in the text of the letter. It's not scary if one or two minor typos creep in. But if you suffer from chronic illiteracy from letter to letter, then the interlocutor will not have the best impression of you.
  8. Always proofread your letters! Read the letter several times and make sure that you haven't missed anything, check it for errors, whether the recipient's details are correct, etc., etc.

An integral part of the work of many organizations is business correspondence, which has many rules and features. Not only secretaries, but also other employees should be able to write letters for contact with partners and other employees.

The concept of business correspondence

This term refers to the exchange of commercial and business information. There is a certain etiquette of business correspondence, which is even taught in special courses. The letter should be drawn up according to the rules, since it will create and maintain the reputation of the company, and also form a serious attitude towards the organization. From a technical point of view, a business letter is a tool aimed at improving communication between different companies or departments.

Types of business correspondence

There are several types of documents, and each of them contains its own rules for registration and submission. The basics of business correspondence are also used when communicating via e-mail. Specialists distinguish such types of business letters: thanksgiving, requests, demands, apologies, denials, congratulations and condolences. In addition, there are commercial letters, which include claims, refusals, reminders, guarantees, and so on.

How to conduct business correspondence?

When writing a letter, it is important to pay attention to all the details. When describing the rules of business correspondence, you should pay attention to the following aspects:

  1. If you are writing a letter in which you need to answer certain questions asked by the author, then it would be appropriate to quote each of them separately. To do this, use numbering and break the text into paragraphs.
  2. When composing a letter, you need to briefly comment on all the documents attached either by you or by the interlocutor. This is important so that the recipient immediately understands the essence of the letter.
  3. The letter must be signed by the head and a seal is required.

Business Correspondence Rules

Mistakes in writing business letters are unacceptable, so it is important to know the basic rules for writing them:

  1. Do not use words whose meaning is unknown, or check their interpretation using a dictionary.
  2. Conducting business correspondence excludes the use of specific terminology, since some words may be unknown to the addressee. If such terms are used, then please explain them.
  3. Express your thoughts in short sentences so that the main essence is not lost.
  4. If you do not know the Russian language thoroughly, then it is better to first type the text in an editor or in a document on a computer to check spelling.
  5. Business correspondence does not allow the use of colloquial words, literary turns, and so on. Before sending the letter, check it for errors and typos. It is better to re-check after a while.

Starting a letter in business correspondence

First, in the structure of the letter there is a “header”, which contains the position and full name of the addressee. Features of business correspondence include the standard appeal "Dear", which in most cases is written in the center of the sheet. If a person is unfamiliar, then the word “mister” is written before the surname. The first paragraph (preamble) includes the purpose and reason for the letter. After reading it, the addressee should understand the main meaning of the appeal.

Request in business correspondence

One of the most popular types of business correspondence is a letter of request. This may be a tactful request or a diplomatic demand on a current issue. Business writing skills are important for drafting requests, as they should encourage the addressee to take the actions necessary for the author. There are certain rules for writing a letter:

  1. The addressee should be addressed personally, observing the basics of business etiquette.
  2. To explain to the addressee the reason for the appeal, you can give him a compliment, note business or personal qualities and merits.
  3. Argument the request and interest the addressee in its implementation. The problem should be described as concisely and clearly as possible.
  4. Once the request has been made, it should be modified and repeated again, emphasizing the potential benefits.

How to remind yourself in business correspondence?

A reminder letter is used when you need to be reminded of the fulfillment of obligations, compliance with the law, the approach of an important event, and so on. In most cases, a verbal reminder is used before it. As a result, the letter serves as a kind of proof of the action taken. Reminder in business correspondence includes:

  1. Information about the sender and addressee. After that, the reason for the reminder is stated.
  2. References are made to laws and regulations relevant to the issue being recalled.
  3. Phrases of business correspondence should be clear, but not threatening. It would not be superfluous to recall that the problem can be solved peacefully.
  4. The letter has no standards, so it can be written in free form.

How to apologize in business correspondence?

One of the most difficult to write is an apology letter, thanks to which you need to apologize and save face of the company at the same time. In addition, it is aimed at restoring damaged relationships. Business correspondence indicates such features of an apology:

  1. The structure of the letter includes the indication of the recipient, the subject of the departure and the appeal.
  2. You can not specify the artist, since the management will sign everything.
  3. Apology phrases in business correspondence should not be explicit and the subject of the letter should be neutral or absent altogether.
  4. The effect to be achieved is a sincere apology and awareness of what happened, that is, an indication of the cause of an unpleasant situation.

Business Email Rules

All the rules mentioned earlier are also relevant for electronic correspondence, but there are still a number of features here:

  1. A work e-mail should be used exclusively for official correspondence, since all letters are stored on the server, and another person can read them.
  2. Business email requires a readable font and Arial or Times New Roman is the best choice. Letter size should be medium. There should be no Caps Lock, exclamation marks or special characters in the text. Italics or bold is acceptable for certain phrases, but only use this when absolutely necessary.
  3. For better readability, use subheadings, but keep in mind that their number should not be large, so the maximum is 3-4 pieces. One paragraph should not be longer than four lines.
  4. The ethics of business e-mail correspondence do not allow the subject field to be left blank. Write the gist of the letter here, which should be specific, informative, and concise.
  5. At the end, be sure to leave a signature and contact information, and this should not take more than six lines. Use the following structure: "Sincerely", last name and first name, company name, e-mail phone number and website address.
  6. In business correspondence, it is appropriate to use a corporate template in your corporate style. Thanks to this, it will be possible to stand out among others and at the same time comply with the rules of business correspondence. It is important not to forget that the letter can be read not only on the computer screen, but also on the phone, so the template must be optimized for the resolution of different screens.

Business writing books

To better understand all the intricacies of writing a business letter, you can read useful literature. The following works are considered good:

  1. « The art of business writing. Laws, tricks, tools» S. Karepina. The author explains what business style of correspondence is, how to leave different types letters and reports.
  2. « Business e-mail correspondence. Five Rules for Success". The author describes the forms of business correspondence and offers tools to help make communication more effective. Here you can find useful tips and tricks.

Communication by e-mail is an integral part of the work of any modern office worker. And accountants are no exception. How to conduct correspondence in such a way that business communication is productive, emotionally comfortable and extremely ethical? I offer readers some practical advice.

TIP 1. Do not neglect in your letters a personal appeal to the addressee

Thus, you will demonstrate your attention to the personality of a person. If the letter is written to a specific recipient, then the absence of a personal appeal in it looks incorrect and impolite.

When you write one of the first letters to the addressee, the question often arises: how best to address him - just by name or by name and patronymic? In this case, you need to look at what is written in the signature that ends the letter of this person to you. If the name is indicated there (without patronymic), for example "Svetlana Kotova" then feel free to call by name. And if the signature says "Svetlana Vasilievna Kotova, chief accountant of Trenzor LLC", then you need to address the addressee accordingly. In any case, the second option is extremely correct, and therefore win-win.

I do not recommend focusing on the information in the "From" field. Indeed, often it is initially filled not by the owner of the email address, but by the IT specialist of the company when setting up email.

By the way, when referring to a business partner or client, I strongly advise you not to use the short form of the name (“Sash” instead of “Sasha”, “An” instead of “Anya”), no matter how democratic the writing style is and no matter how long your correspondence. What sounds familiar in oral speech, in written language looks too plain.

TIP 2. Pay special attention to the shape of the greeting

Do not use the phrase "Good day!". Even if you are guided good intention correspond to the time zone of the addressee, this phrase sounds tasteless, I would even say vulgar. It is better to use neutral options: "Hello...", "Good day...". And of course, add the name of the addressee to the greeting, if you know it. For me personally, for example, it is much more pleasant instead of a faceless "Hello!" get personal "Hello, Tamara!".

Remember that in this way you greatly save the addressee's time. After all, he will be able to immediately assess the content of the received letter and quickly decide on its priority and importance.

The wording of the topic should be brief, but at the same time accurately reflect the subject of the correspondence. For instance, “Agreement, invoice, act from Alfa LLC” instead of Documents. As aspects of the issue under discussion change, add clarification to the topic. For instance, “Cooperation with Perm” → “Cooperation with Perm. Date of negotiations” → “Cooperation with Perm. Draft agreement".

If during the correspondence you see that the “Subject” field is filled in by your addressee arbitrarily or not filled in at all, take the initiative in your own hands and try one of two scenarios.

SCENARIO 1. When answering, fill in the "Subject" field yourself. If the addressee is attentive, perhaps this will already be enough to bring your correspondence into an adequate form.

SCENARIO 2. If the recipient continues to ignore filling in the "Subject" field, write him a letter with the following content: “Alla, I suggest that you immediately indicate the subject of the letter in the “Subject” field. I think this way we will significantly increase the effectiveness of our communication.”.

TIP 4. Pay attention to the "To" and "Cc" fields

You need to clearly understand the purpose of these fields generally accepted in the business environment:

  • <если>in the “To” field only you appear - this means that the sender of the letter is waiting for a response from you to his question or request;
  • <если>there are several recipients in the field - the sender is waiting for a response from each or from any of the recipients. In this case, when replying, save the list of recipients set by the sender using the "Reply to all" function (of course, provided that you intentionally do not want to reply only to the author of the letter, hiding the essence of your answer from the rest of the participants in the correspondence);
  • <если>your name appears in the "Copy" field - the sender wants you to be aware of the issue, while he does not expect an answer from you. So, you should not enter into correspondence on this issue. If you still decide to do this, then it will be a sign of good form to start writing one of the phrases: “If possible, I would like to join the discussion of this issue ...”, "Let me give you my opinion...".

As far as the BCC field is concerned, it is the most controversial e-mail tool from a business ethics point of view. Sometimes it is perceived as a tool of almost secret surveillance and information. After all, the recipients placed in the "Bcc" are not visible to other recipients. In some, usually large companies, especially scrupulous in matters of ethics, it is strictly forbidden to use this field in corporate correspondence, except for mass mailings. But in most companies they use it, observing the following rules:

  • sending a letter with the "Bcc" field filled in implies that the author of the letter has notified the hidden recipients (or is going to do so) about the reason and purpose of such a form of message;
  • the hidden addressee does not need to enter into correspondence.

At trainings, I am often asked the question: are there any generally accepted standards regarding the time during which it is necessary to respond to a letter from a client or colleague? But there is no universal answer to it.

If we talk about internal correspondence, everything here is determined by the speed and rhythm of the life of the company itself. There are firms in which a delay in responding for more than an hour and a half is considered bad manners. And somewhere the answer within a day is in the order of things.

By general rule The most acceptable response time to a letter is within 2-3 hours. This is the so-called comfortable waiting time, when the sender is waiting for an answer and does not experience internal discomfort from the silence of his addressee.

But what if, having received and read the letter, you understand that you cannot give a full answer to it within 24 hours? Then, according to the rules of good manners, notify the sender of your receipt of the letter and the approximate timing of the response to it. For instance: “Hello, Sergey Vasilievich! Your letter has been received. I will answer in the next couple of days” or “Andrey, I received the letter. Thanks! For an answer I need Additional Information. I'll try to answer as soon as possible....

TIP 6. Follow the basic rules for submitting information in a letter

There are not many of them:

  • when reading a letter, the most comfortable volume fits "on one screen", maximum - on an A4 page;
  • the size of the sent attachments should not exceed 3 MB. Larger files can lead to "hanging" mail at the addressee;
  • when "packing" attachments, use universal zip or rar encodings. Other extensions may be blocked or cut off in transit and create problems for the recipient;
  • never start a reply as a new email (without saving the history of the correspondence). Otherwise, the recipient will be forced to spend time looking for the original message;
  • write in a language that is most understandable to the addressee. Many people wonder if it is appropriate to use professional or corporate vocabulary, slang, abbreviations and anglicisms.

In each case, this must be decided separately.

So, intra-corporate correspondence in a company is almost always replete with slang and abbreviations: they are familiar and understandable to all participants and save time. But you need to be careful when using them in correspondence with counterparties.

There was such a case in my practice. A colleague was preparing materials for a publishing house and in the last letter she wrote: “Masha, please send all your asap materials”. Masha decided that this was a designation of a format unknown to her, into which the text needed to be translated. She killed a lot of time, by hook or by crook, figuring out how to satisfy the publisher's request. Imagine Machine's annoyance when, 2 days later, she learns that the cryptic "asap" is an abbreviation of the widely used in the English-speaking environment "as soon as possible" ("as soon as possible"). But Masha could send materials within half an hour from the moment she received the request!

TIP 7. End each letter with a block of your signature and your contacts

Regardless of how closely you know the addressee and how long your correspondence has been going on, each of your letters should contain a block consisting of a signature and contact information. It is an essential element of culture business communication.

The block must contain:

  • your first and last name. There is no need to use abbreviations. Instead of “T.L. Vorotyntsev" in my signature I indicate "Tamara Leonidovna Vorotyntseva" or "Tamara Vorotyntseva" so that the addressee understands how to contact me in a response letter;
  • your position. This gives the recipient the opportunity to understand the boundaries of your authority and professional competence when resolving issues;
  • contact details (phone, email, company name, website). So you will provide the addressee with the possibility of additional operational communication if necessary.

I would like to add to all that has been said: your e-mails are the very clothes by which they are greeted. In other words, observing the etiquette of business correspondence, you will make the most pleasant impression on your addressee in absentia.

A business letter is a kind of psychological portrait of the sender, his calling card, as well as part of the image and reputation of the company. How to guard yourself against the prospect of putting a bold cross on all this - in our article.

Tatyana Nikolaeva,

Leading Business Etiquette Expert at the Negotiation Training Center, Moscow

Email Rules for business people, it is a kind of tool that allows you to "keep the face" of the company and reflect its image in communication with partners. What are the key rules of business e-mail correspondence that merchants need to consider? Let's take a closer look, because it really plays a huge role.

Rule 1: Include the subject of the email

It is by this criterion that a busy person decides which letter to open first. In addition, this e-mail rule allows the interlocutor to find the desired letter among the flow of correspondence. For example, it is convenient to receive emails with subject lines that reflect different organizational aspects of the same process.

For example: “Participant’s package of documents”, “Invoice for participation in the exhibition”, “Memo to the participant of the exhibition”, “Layout of exhibition pavilions”, etc. If all correspondence was conducted with the subject “Participation in the exhibition”, find the desired letter in extensive correspondence it would be much more difficult.

Rule 2. Do not forget about the address and greeting

This is where the letter should begin. It is better to do this in this form: "Good afternoon, name (patronymic) of the addressee." The cumbersome construction of "Good day!" better not to use. It is also incorrect to indicate the following wording: "Hello, Mr. Ivanov." In a business environment, they don't talk about health. If the letter is addressed to a group of people, you can use the collective word: "Dear Sirs!" or "Colleagues!". You can do without contact only in the case of intensive correspondence in the "question-answer" mode, as when communicating on Skype.

Phrases that can not be used in correspondence

If email is an important lead generation channel for your organization, here is 11 phrases, from which the editors of the magazine "Commercial Director" recommends urgently get rid of.

Rule 3. Remember that brevity is the sister of talent

If the subject of the letter requires explanation and details, specify the necessary parameters. However, do not pour "water" at the same time, write specifically. The ideal option there will be a small letter in which you will agree with the addressee about telephone conversation or a meeting where you can discuss all the details.

Rule 4. Writing style - business, tone - neutral

Unlike face-to-face communication and a telephone conversation, where you have a script, your addressee not only does not see you, but also does not hear you. You cannot supplement your words with facial expressions, intonation, or other non-verbal cues. Therefore, strictly adhere to this rule of business e-mail. For example, in a conversation, the phrase “what else do you need from me?”, uttered with a certain intonation, will express a desire to know the entire list of duties or actions. And in writing it can also be read like this: “How much can I load? Have a conscience!

Therefore, if you are ready for further action, it is best to always use this e-mail correspondence rule. Write like this: “what else can I be useful / useful for?”. If you have no desire to participate in the further process, you must correctly say so. For example, like this: “Colleagues, in view of my high workload on another project, I would be grateful if you ...” and then describe your wishes: “free me from further work on this project”, “describe to me the full scope of my duties so that I can plan my work.” At the same time, it is important to take into account the subordination: if you correspond with the manager, check with him the priority of this work.

Rule 5. Dose the number of emoticons in the text

This is a fundamental rule of electronic correspondence of business people. In some companies, the use of "smilies" is strictly prohibited. If your organization is not one of them, use these icons, but be very careful. After all, “emoticons” are symbols of emotions that need to be dosed in a business environment. One icon in the letter is enough to let the interlocutor understand your emotions. This e-mail correspondence rule also applies to business communication on Skype and ICQ.

Rule 6. Do not forget about the electronic signature

At the end of any (not only the first) letter, there must be a signature containing the full name and position of the sender, his work contacts, and the company logo. This is a good tone and an indicator of the presence of a corporate culture.

Rule 7. Re-read the letter before sending. Correct errors and typos

negligence is not the best quality for a business person.

Rule 8. Respond to correspondence within 24 hours

If you need more time, you should write about it within a day. It will not be superfluous to contact the recipient of the letter after sending and make sure that he received it and when to expect a response from him.

Rule 9: Acknowledge emails with attachments

Check if they open correctly. Please note that company executives should not send any promotional offers or links leading to them (unless they are the subject of discussion).

It is better to send such letters on behalf of a sales manager with a corresponding notice in the body of the letter.

Rule 10. Correspondence ends with the one who started it

The last letter is sent by the initiator of the correspondence. Even if all the questions have already been discussed, write to the partner words of gratitude for effective cooperation and prompt responses. At the end you may wish Have a good mood and a productive week. However, only if you have a close and long-term relationship with the recipient. In all other cases, it is better to indicate: "Best wishes."

Business correspondence is an integral part of the image of a company and a business person. Establishing contact, maintaining relationships, discussing business issues in writing is sometimes preferable, and often simply necessary, so the image created in business correspondence must fully correspond to the external image that is formed by live communication. At the same time, in business correspondence, compliance with the rules and requirements is mandatory not only in general principles but also in the little things.

Principles and etiquette of business correspondence

The etiquette of business correspondence as a whole does not differ from general requirements business communication. Here are its main principles:

  • courtesy, respect,
  • clarity of purpose
  • result-oriented and approachable,
  • responsible attitude to other people's time and obligations,
  • logical consistency and accuracy,
  • factual specificity,
  • literacy,
  • neutrality of tone, strictness and formality of speech,
  • observance of subordination and traditions.

These requirements are not original, but their fulfillment guarantees constructive interaction with partners and customers.

Letterhead and language formulas

Letterhead letterhead is the face of the company, so its mandatory attributes are literacy, accuracy of details, external accuracy and modest originality of design.

Whether it is an angular or longitudinal version of the form, the full name of the organization, postal, actual and official address, telephone, fax, e-mail addresses and the address of the official e-page must be easy to read. The list of details is not strictly regulated, however, the completeness of the data always looks more advantageous.

For reference: Information about the registration of correspondence is also desirable - about the date, number in the list, about the specific contractor who prepared the document for sending. If this is a response letter, then a reference to the request letter is required.

In a business letter, an indication of the genre is also possible, which simplifies the design of correspondence: an information letter, an offer, a request, a petition, an apology, condolences, gratitude.

Letter on official organization letterhead

The first part of the letter is an appeal, the formula of which contains the name and patronymic of the addressee or a more official version - the word "mister":

  • Dear Fedor Fedorovich!
  • Dear Mr. Smirnov!
  • Dear Mr. Director!

The main part of the letter - informative - contains a short, understandable and capacious message and clear tasks: to provide information, clarify information, resolve the issue with supplies, and more. If the letter contains a refusal, then it is correct to start the first half with a clear and evidence-based justification. Language formulas can be different, depending on the chosen tone:

  • The company asks to consider...
  • The President and the Board of Directors are asked to be informed about ...
  • Please consider the possibility...
  • Please reply as soon as possible...

The final part of the letter is gratitude, apologies, assurances of a speedy resolution of the issue, hope for further cooperation.

Business letters require compliance with the official order: if the letter requires the signature of the head, then it must be signed by the head (in extreme cases, his deputy).

Networking business etiquette and business emails

E-mails, like paper letters, consist of several important elements, requiring competent filling not at all because of speculative rules, but precisely because these elements can be informative and very convenient from a utilitarian and practical point of view. A correct letter guarantees a correct and prompt response, as well as constructive solution question.

For reference: Companies often have their own mail servers and programs, as well as develop a corporate style for the design of e-mail and internal rules correspondence, which usually do not contradict the standard ones, but supplement them.

  1. Addressee: it is customary to specify one address in the addressee line.

This indicates not only a respectful attitude towards the interlocutor, but also saves himemailfrom spam, junk mail and prying eyes.

  1. A copy of the addressee's letter is filled out for a specific purpose.

By sending a letter to the main addressee and indicating another in the “copy” section, the addressee informs the second interlocutor about what is happening, but does not require him to answer and directly participate in the correspondence.

  1. Subject of the letter: concreteness and uniqueness.

The ultimate specificity of the topic should help both the addressee and the addressee navigate the topic of the discussion and distinguish many problems and tasks: not just “Report from Katya”, but “Report for May 2015. Draft version”. Please note: the name in this case is useless, since the addressee is already clear to the addressee from the name of the e-mail box.


Emails are equally easy to read on a desktop monitor and on a tablet
  1. The body of the letter should contain 3 key elements.

First, a greeting (if this is the first letter of the day, for example) and an address (in each letter). Secondly, the presentation of the question: a presentation of oneself (if the letter is the first), a reminder of the tasks to be solved, a description of the problem or its solution. Thirdly, a request or a call to action.

  1. The email read notification feature requires delicacy.

It should be used if the letter is really important, but there is no way to ask about receiving it by phone, for example. This function usually imposes vague, vaguely formulated psychological obligations on the addressee, so it should not be abused. A correct and not so categorical option is a polite request at the end of the letter to report reading.

  1. The signature requires conciseness and at the same time capacity.

The wording may contain the standard formula "Sincerely yours" or be limited to the last name and first name. The signature, including the name, position, name of the organization and contact details, should not exceed 7 lines. It is advisable to indicate alternative contact details, in addition to mailbox: telephone,Skype, ICQ, other popular messengers.

  1. Attachments: the main thing is to warn and correctly name files.

Network etiquette requires reporting about the document in the file attached to the letter: about the format, its volume and content. Attachment should not be more than 3-5Mb. Its title, like the subject of the letter, should be extremely brief, specific and unique.


The usual form of an email

The reaction time of a letter in netiquette is different from the time inoffline. Two to three hours is a comfortable waiting time for a response to an urgent email. In response to emails that are urgent or marked important, it is sometimes sufficient to warn thatemailreceived and taken into account. If the problem requires a long consideration, then the addresser needs to inform his interlocutor about the time it will take to answer the question.

For reference: One day is a comfortable time for responding to emails. If there is no answer within 3 days, the rules of etiquette allow you to send a second letter or contact the addressee using alternative source communications - telephone,Skype, ICQ. Silence for 5-7 days or in response to a second request can be regarded as unwillingness to continue business correspondence.

The reputation of a business person and a company is made up not only of the efficiency and effectiveness of the business, but also of the little things and nuances of any stage of doing business. business negotiations. Compliance with the principles of business correspondence is required from each representative of the company: from an insignificant clerk to a public relations specialist and the head of the company.

Video: How to write business letters clearly, clearly and understandably

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