Email Etiquette for Small Business Owners

As a freelance writer, all of my business is done online and through email. If someone asks a question then I have an obligation to answer that question and not ignore the email. Small businesses and internet run businesses need to take a look at how they are handling their email questions and transactions so that the owners do not irritate their customers.

Email Etiquette: Quick Response

This is the single most important email etiquette rule. You must respond to questions, complaints, and inquiries within two days, even if it is an "I'll get back to you by (such and such) day". This is common courtesy and lets the email originator know that you are not ignoring him and that you received his email.

I once tried to get in touch with a website owner through email. After two weeks with no response I tried to contact him through his website. Another two weeks went by and I still did not hear anything. Since I did not want to continue to pester him, I let it drop and never returned. By not responding to either email or website contact he lost a customer and all it managed to do was get me agitated.

Email Etiquette: Automated Responses

The only exception to the 'quick response' rule is if you are not available for a period of time and have an automated "Out of the Office" response set up. Even an automated response is better than no reply to an email. Be sure to include your expected date of return in your automated response email and then follow up within a couple of days of your return.

Email Etiquette: Answer Your Customer's Question

Read the emails carefully and answer your customers' questions. Do not just reply to the first one and then hit send. I know when I send an email I include everything I need to discuss with that person all at one time. This way I'm not cluttering up someone's email box with my address.

I tried to get in touch with the pediatrics department of our local hospital concerning a vaccination for my son. I got an automated response that they received my email but I did not get an official response until six weeks later. By that time it was too late for my question. Also, the email did not answer my question at all. The email pointed to links by both the hospital and the CDC even after I specifically said in my email that I had already investigated that information on my own.

Email Etiquette: But What if I don't want to Answer that Question?

We all have our reasons for not wanting to answer an email. Your email box may be flooded and you just don't feel like sifting through it, you may not like the person, you may be sick of answering the same question yet again, or you may not know the answer.

The easiest of these to solve is if you don't know the answer. If you don't know, then find out. But while you are finding the answer then send an email back to your customer explaining that you are looking into the problem.

If you are afraid that you will forget to get back to the person then respond to their email by saying, "If I don't get back to by (date), then please contact me again regarding this issue." This way your customer will have a time frame and will not be left waiting for an answer.

If you don't answer your email then your customer may take it personally and just assume that you are avoiding them or their question. If it is, and you don't care, then by all means ignore them. If you really feel the need to tell them that they are bugging the snot out of you and you don't care about their problems, then go ahead and let them know. Again, it's at least a response.

But if it isn't a personal problem, then why put your customer through that? Of course, your customer may just draw his own conclusions about you and I bet those won't be very nice conclusions.

If you follow these simple rules for email etiquette then you will easily keep your customers happy. As a small business owner you are the one who knows the answers to your customers' questions. Avoid making them upset by not answering their questions in a timely manner.