WRITING A BUSINESS E-MAIL

As a general rule, e-mail correspondence should follow the same principles as any other form of business
correspondence.

Here are some basic tips about style:

- In general, e-mail messages follow the style and conventions used in letters and faxes. You can use
salutations such as Dear Mr Pinto or Dear Tom and complimentary closes such as Yours sincerely or
Best wishes. However, if you know the recipient well, or if you are exchanging a series of messages with
one person, you may not use them.
- Use a formal, business-like and polite tone in business e-mails. Don’t be too informal or familiar.
- If you are writing to someone you don’t know, start by saying who you are and why you are writing.
- Keep your message short and to the point.
- Use short, clear sentences.
- Use a new paragraph for a new subject. Leave a space between each paragraph.
- Make sure your spelling and grammar are correct, as you would in any other form of correspondence.
- Don’t write in CAPITAL LETTERS- this is like shouting and gives a bad impression. If you want to
stress a word, put asterisks on each side of it, e.g. *urgent*.
- Don’t use abbreviations unless you are sure your reader will understand them.
- Don’t use emoticons.
- Use bullets (·) or numbers to show separate points.
- Check your e-mail message for mistakes before you send it, just as you would check a letter of a fax
message.
- Make sure you have attached any attachments you want to send.
- It is always extremely useful to write a subject line (“Asunto”) at the beginning of your e-mail. This
should be short and give some specific information about the contents of your message.

Signature

This is like the signature block in a letter, although it usually includes more details, e.g. the sender’s
company and company address, and telephone and fax numbers.

Janet Brown
Director
CPQ Consulting Ltd.
39 Preston Road
Herts AL5 9ET

Tel:01727 563596
Fax:01727 563219
Mob:07753 165032

In more formal correspondence you should always sign with your name and surname. If you are sending an
e-mail to a well-known colleague, just sign with your first name.
E-mail abbreviations

In order to keep e-mail messages short, people sometimes use abbreviations for common expressions. These
are known as TLAs (three-letter acronyms), although some of them are more than three letters long.
Here is a list of some of the most commonly used:

AFAIK as far as I know

BFN bye for now
BTW by the way
FYI for your information
IOW in other words
NRN no reply necessary
OTOH on the other hand

Use TLAs with great care, and only when you have established a friendly, informal relationship with your
correspondent. They should not be used in letters and faxes.

Still done by letter

• Sensitive correspondence: messages of congratulation, complaint...

• Confirmation of contracts
• Any correspondence that may be needed for legal or insurance purposes
• Any confidential information
• Applications for a job

Sample

Here is a sample of a formal business email.

 Logo

From: Julia Weber jweber@triangle.uk

To: Lorna Becker lornabecker@recol.com

Re: Order CD239 A

Dear Ms Becker

Thank you for your order of 24 April for 5,000 corporate pens.

I would appreciate it if you could check the logo size and colour on the attachment.

Please confirm by email if it is correct before we prepare your order.

Thank you for custom.

Yours sincerely

Julia Weber
Sales Manager
Triangle Ltd.
35 Bakery Road
London SW16 7DN
Tel.:020 8327 1651
Fax: 020 8327 1935
Website: www.triangle.uk