EMail writing A toolbox of useful phrases Contents

E-Mail writing A toolbox of useful phrases

Contents • Writing an effective subject line • Examples of different types of e-mails • Formal and informal e-mails • Expressions for various business situations • Polite e-mails. The Hamburger Approach • Abbreviations in e-mails

Key words • • • Subject line The RAP model (Reference, Action, Polite close) Request, proposal Gratitude, grateful, appreciation Contact Evaluate, evaluation Confirm, confirmation Aplogize, apology Acknowledge, acknowledgement Recognize, recognition The Hamburger approach

Writing an effective subject line • The email subject line is the first thing that your reader sees, and plays a key part in whether they open the email immediately, later or not at all. • Write your subject line before you write your email (a blank subject line isn’t going to get the attention it deserves, may go unread and will certainly be difficult to find later on) • Keep your subject line simple, clear and honest This helps your reader prioritize the email’s importance without having to open it • Keep your subject line short, with key words at the beginning (20 -30 characters) • Don’t cry wolf too often using URGENT, NEED HELP, PRIORITY etc. • Make sure you reread the subject line before you click send.

Let people know why you’re writing less formal situations • I’m writing to let you know about order number…. • I have some information for you about… • I wanted to update you about… • We’re writing regarding…. • We’re contacting you regarding your order number … more formal, stronger phrases • The purpose of this email is to update you on the status of…. • This is to inform you about the delivery of… • Following is the status of order… • Please find attached a summary of … • This is to inform you that the delivery of ______ has been scheduled

Give good or bad news as simply as possible Good news is easy: • I am pleased to inform you that…. • I have some good news about your delivery of… • I have spoken with the forwarder and am happy to say that… Bad news is tricky. Acknowledge the problem and offer some alternative or solution, if possible • Unfortunately, the material you ordered is no longer available. • I/We regret to inform you that…” • I am afraid we are not able to provide the room you requested. However, we can offer the other one, which is comparable. • Please accept my/our apologies for this misunderstanding/delay/inconvenience. • We’re deeply sorry that … • Due to the airline employees’ strike, the flight has been delayed. We apologise for this inconvenience. We hope the strike will be resolved by Friday and that the flights will return to normal by the following Monday. • It has come to our attention that the deadline that was agreed to cannot be met.

Request emails The RAP model: • Reference – Introduce why you are writing. • Action – Write what you need them to do. • Polite close – Thank them and say goodbye. Dear Mr. Brenson, I am writing to you about our meeting on Thursday. (Reference). Please could you send me the latest version of the agenda before the end of the day? (Action) Thanks in advance for your help. (Polite Close) Best regards Susan

Request emails 1. Something nice (something short and polite that doesn’t require an answer) • I hope … you’re having a nice Friday. / you had a nice weekend. / you’re doing well. / this email finds you well. 2. what you need (simply state what it is we want. • Can you send me the agenda for our annual meeting? • As you might remember from my email dated Oct 1, I need the price spreadsheet for Z company. • As you may recall from our previous contact, I need the ABC document for my report. 3. why you need it (give a reason for the request: it helps explain why your colleague should take time to help you, and it can link the request to your organization as a whole. • I need the price spreadsheet so I can put together a proposal for the client next year. • It is important that I have the spreadsheet so I can complete the analysis. • If I don’t have the final sales numbers, I won’t be able to get the report finished. 4. something nice (‘thank you’ accompanied by the following short phrases: • Have a nice day. / Have a nice weekend. / Have a good afternoon. Write a polite request that will help you get what you want and includes all the necessary information in just four short sentences.

An example of a request email using this structure Hi Sandra, I hope you’re having a good Thursday. Could you please send me the payment details for the payment made by XYZ Company on Jan 22, 2018 in the amount of € 5, 000? As you know, month-end closing is coming soon and I need to clear that payment to balance our accounts. Thank you. Have a nice day. Best regards, Jeff

‘Thank you’ e-mail Phrases for saying thank you (ordered according to the level of formality or the importance of what they did. Add a sentence or two to personalize the message. • I would like to express my sincere gratitude for… • I am very grateful for … • I really appreciate …… • Thank you so much! • Thanks for your … (time, contribution, effort, etc. ) • Thanks. An example ‘thank you’ e-mail: Hi Karen, Thanks so much for helping me out this week with the mini-staffing crisis. You really helped the team and I particularly appreciated your flexibility and eagerness to try out something new. Thanks again,

The tone of formal or informal e-mails Email phrases formal business situations Email phrases for informal business situations Talking about the last contact: I am writing in reference to your last email about… Giving the reason for writing: I am writing concerning… Giving good news: I am pleased to inform you that… Giving bad news: I’m afraid that… Asking for something: Could you please… Sending an attachment: Please find attached… Offering help at the end of an email: If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Talking about the next contact: I look forward to seeing you next week. Talking about the last contact: Thanks for your email. Giving the reason for writing: I’m just emailing to… Giving good news: I am pleased to say that… Giving bad news: Sorry, but… Asking for something: Can you just… Sending an attachment: I’ve attached… Offering help at the end of an email: If you’ve got any questions, feel free to ask. Talking about the next contact: See you next week.

Formal vs informal e-mails • The 1 st person “I” is a personal statement and is used in less formal situations I have some information for you about… • Using the 3 rd person “we” implies you are writing as a company, but are open and friendly We’re contacting you regarding your order number … Avoid terms like “We hereby inform you” – this feels very legalistic.

Expressions with a future focus • I look forward to hearing from you soon / meeting you next Tuesday. • I look forward to seeing you soon. • I’m looking forward to your reply. • We hope that we may continue to rely on your valued custom. • We look forward to a successful working relationship in the future. • I would appreciate your immediate attention to this matter.

Expressions for showing people you want to help If I can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. If you require any further information, feel free to contact me. If you require any further information, let me know. Please feel free to contact me if you need any further information. Please let me know if you have any questions. I hope the above is useful to you. Should you need any further information, please do not hesitate to contact me. • Please contact me if there any problems. • Let me know if you need anything else • Drop me a line if I can do anything else for you. • •

Phrases for evaluating an idea 1. You think it’s a great idea • That sounds great! • What an amazing idea! • That’s a really good idea. 2. You don’t think it’s such a great idea • I can’t help wondering how / if / whether /what…. • It’s certainly worth considering. • What concerns me is… 3. You want more time or information before reacting • I’d appreciate more information on / about… • I would really need to know. . • Perhaps you could let me know. . ?

An email evaluating an idea Hello Melinda, Thank you so much for putting your idea to me. It‘s certainly worth considering. I can’t help wondering though, how this might affect the administrative staff. Before getting back to you, I would really need to know how much would actually be saved by implementing this change. Perhaps you could get back to me on that? Best regards, Andrea

E-mail confirmation A quick follow-up email to confirm the agreement is a key to avoiding confusion and saving time Reference (What was the subject of the discussion? ) • We spoke about … • Following our phone call this morning … • I am just writing to confirm our agreement … Action (What points did we agree? ) • You mentioned that you would … • We agreed that I would … • As agreed, we will be… Polite Close • Please let me know if there any issues … • If this was not correct, please let me know.

Example of email confirmations Situation: You have just finished speaking to a supplier on the phone. You both think the results of your discussion are clear. But are you both of the same opinion? Is there a potential for misunderstandings? Dear James We spoke about rescheduling the delivery this morning. You mentioned that you would like to make the delivery on Saturday. I have arranged to have someone available in the office to receive the order. Thanks again for giving me plenty of notice for this change to the delivery date. Best regards Harry

Email phrases for praising performance • The work you did on the project was outstanding. You are an asset to both our team and our organization • Your performance this past year has been exceptional. The quality of your work is routinely excellent. • Your professional attitude is much appreciated. I have been very pleased with your efforts. • Your extra effort has made this project a success. I must commend you for your dedication to our team. • You have made a great contribution to the project and earned my respect with your inspiring performance. • You have been an invaluable addition to our team and your consistent professionalism has ensured the success of this project. • Thank you very much for taking the initiative to find a solution to the problem. You can take pride in the work you have put into this project. • The success of this project is a direct result of your efforts. Your enthusiasm and passion are exemplary. • Your disciplined approach to problem solving led directly to this project’s success.

Phrases to help avoid emotional emails Intro sentences: • “Thank you very much for taking the time to write me today. ” • “I hope my email finds you well. ” • “I have just read your email concerning…” Addressing the issue: • “I understand your concern about…” • “With reference to your inquiry about…” • “Thank you for bringing … to my attention. ” Closing sentences: • “I appreciate your continued professionalism and patience as we resolve this issue. ” • “Working together, I believe we can find a reasonable solution to this issue. ” • “Your email has helped bring attention to this important issue. ”

An apology via email It might be appropriate when: • Time is of the essence • You want everyone to get the same apology at the same time • You have a lot to say • Your apology is formal • You want or expect very little to nothing in return

The perfect apology contains the following: • give a detailed account of the situation • acknowledge the hurt or damage done • take responsibility • recognize your/the company’s role in the situation • include a statement of regret • ask forgiveness • promise that it won’t happen again • provide a form of restitution (if possible)

Apologize • • • Please accept my apologies. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. . (I’m) sorry. I didn’t realize the impact of… Please accept our deepest apologies for… Please accept my sincere apologies for… Please accept this as my formal apology for… Please allow me to apologize for… I would like to express my deep regrets for… I would like to apologize on behalf of our company. Please accept my apology for… I apologize for my failure to… I’m particularly sorry for…

Acknowledge/recognize • We appreciate that this caused you inconvenience… • I understand that our actions meant… • I can imagine that you felt like… • We see that our actions impacted you unnecessarily… • As a result of our decision, our relationship was affected…

Explain • In our efforts to optimize our distribution process, we overlooked… • The defect/problem was caused by… • The error was due to… • Our internal communication failed. As a result… The SPASS model is perfect for email apologies. SPASS = Situation – Problem – Action – Say Sorry

Promise • We’re convinced that the changes we’ve implemented will prevent this from happening again. • In the future, our focus will be on…, so that this situation won’t repeat itself. • We’ll be increasing our efforts when it comes to…, so that in the future… • We’ve increased our efforts to ensure that… • I can promise you that the highest quality standards will be met going forward.

The Hamburger Approach for polite emails 1. Polite introduction (top bun) • I hope all is well today. • Thanks for your email Tim. (when replying to an email) • I hope you had a good holiday/weekend/business trip. 2. Information/Request/Update (meat) • Regarding the management meeting on Tuesday… • That proposal sounds good. Let’s meet… • I am writing about the changes to our… 3. Polite close (bottom bun) • Thanks for your time and have a good day. • Feel free to contact me with any further questions. • I am looking forward to seeing you next week at the meeting.

An example of a polite email using the Hamburger Approach Ben, I hope all is well today and you had a good weekend. I am writing about the change in the meeting agenda for our conference next week. Could you please inform the others about the new schedule before the end of the week? This is important to make sure everyone is prepared. Thanks for your help. I’m looking forward to seeing you next week in Boston. Rita

Phrases for saying goodbye 1. Congratulate them (when appropriate) • Congratulations on… • Well done…. • I hear congratulations are in order. 2. Tell them you’ve enjoyed working with them / that you’re going to miss them • It’s been great / nice / a pleasure working with you. • We’re going to miss you around here. • The place won’t be the same without you. 3. Say you hope it goes well for them • I’d like to wish you all the best for… • Good luck with… • I hope everything goes well with… 4. Ask them to remain in contact • Keep /stay in touch. • You know where I am if you need anything. • Don’t be a stranger.

Examples of saying goodbye in business situations • Promotion I just heard you got the Senior Analyst job in France. Congratulations on the new position. We’re going to miss you around here. I’ve really enjoyed working with you and wish you all the best for this new challenge. Keep in touch. • Moving to another department I just heard you’re moving over to marketing. Well done. That sounds like an interesting move. Good luck and don’t be a stranger. • Leaving the company (not by their own choice) I was really sorry to hear that you’ll be leaving us. It’s been great working with you and I’m certainly going to miss having you around. All the best for the future. Take care, • Going on parental leave It can’t be long now! I hope everything goes well for you. Send us a photo and see you when you’re back. We’re going to miss you. Enjoy your last few nights of quiet! Lots of luck,

Email abbreviations • asap as soon as possible • @ at • cfm confirm • attn for the attention of • pls please • re regarding • rgds regards • a. m. morning • p. m. afternoon/evening • BTW by the way • FYI for your information • thx thanks • WRT with regard to • AFAIK as far as I know • IMO in my opinion • GTG got to go

Final Checklist for Emails • Does your subject line explain what’s in the email? • Does your email start with a salutation? • Have you explained why you’re writing in the first sentence? • Have you written short paragraphs that are spaced apart and easy to read? • Have you mentioned your attachments? • Are any requests you made clear? • Does your email end with a simple closing?

Building lasting relationships is key in business, and how you write your emails can help.