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Letters or E-mail: Which, When, and How

Author: Richardson

The responsiveness and ease of communication made possible with e-mail is changing and continues to change how and when we communicate with clients. There are times to use letters, times to use e-mail, and times to speak in person. But e-mail is tremendous and it is becoming appropriate in more and more situations.

I was astounded to hear a sophisticated, savvy client compliment a salesperson on the handwritten letter he had sent to the client. I thought to myself, "business letters should be typed" (unless the correspondence was a personal note, for example a congratulations on a promotion, a personal congratulation, or a personal note on a document…).

But I later learned that the letter hadn't been handwritten at all - it was a typed, mailed letter! The client was so unaccustomed to getting follow-up letters, that he perceived a typed letter as "handwritten" vs. electronic. The paper document was that unique to him. He said that he read it immediately because he felt that it must be important.

Certainly letters vs. e-mail are a personal preference, but there are factors to consider as you decide which to use. Consider:

The client him/herself: high-tech clients probably prefer e-mail for day-to-day contact.
The subject: if the subject is important, sensitive, confidential, if the appearance of the document matters (paper, color, multiple copies, packaging), if you want the document to be part of the client's file, if you have attachments that cannot be e-mailed, or if you want to stand out, use a letter vs. e-mail.
Timing: if it has to get there today, e-mail. If necessary, follow with hard copy.
The formality of the client.
How the client communicates with you.
The complexity or length of the document: if the document is complicated or very long, use the post vs. e-mail.

While e-mail offers tremendous opportunity to demonstrate responsiveness, don't make the mistake one eager salesperson made when he visited a client. He sent a thank you e-mail which the client opened before the client got out of the elevator of the building. The client felt that the speed of the response did not indicate a sense of caring or thoughtfulness.

The more e-mails take the place of letters, the greater the opportunity to use concise, customized letters as a differentiator, and the greater the need to compose clear, concise, persuasive, personalized e-mails.

In addition to the issue of whether you should use handwritten letters or e-mail when corresponding with clients, there are several guidelines to keep in mind for creating effective e-mails and avoiding traps.

When you do use e-mail here are some guidelines to help you leverage the full power and avoid the traps:

Proofread and edit to create clear, compelling, concise e-mails.
Don't let opening your e-mail become a can of worms. Everything from etiquette, to grammar, to privacy issues between employer and employee, to judgment and values can be scrutinized.

Etiquette
While you want to be concise, don't forget to include the rapport of a friendly greeting and a thank you to wrap up. Compare these:
"Daryl - I've asked you two times for the list. - Monique" vs.
"Hi Daryl, Thanks for following up. So that I can complete task X, I would greatly appreciate having the list by 11/22. Thank you, Monique."

Grammar
• Avoid writing in a free flow style in your business correspondence. Capitalization, periods, and correct spelling are the bare essentials to help your e-mails make sense and allow you to create a good impression. In e-mail correspondence use clear, simple sentences.
• For most e-mails, unlike a business letter in which a colon (:) is correct, use a comma (,) in the salutation instead. Sign off as you feel comfortable - Sincerely, Sincerely yours, Best wishes, Thank you (remember only the first word gets capitalized).
• Read your e-mail thoroughly for content, tone, and use the spell check function on your computer. Make sure to reread and edit.
• Without being too relaxed, use a more casual style of e-mail with clients when possible. As one of my college roommates, an English teacher, said in apologizing for not having transitions in her paragraphs, "Even English teachers can relax and be a bit more lax in e-mails."

Privacy
While the who's and what's of privacy issues are being argued in the courts - protect yourself. Remember what you e-mail to someone at work will generally be treated as fair game by anyone who can access it. Love notes, jokes, offensive language, gossip, or anything questionable can only set you up for criticism and trouble. Simply put - don't e-mail anything you wouldn't want attributed to you at your corporate dinner.

Style
E-mails are more like phone calls than letters, so keep the language as conversational and simple as possible. Be clear. Be client-focused.

E-litter
• Make sure what you are sending is wanted by the receiver. Unless it is specifically appropriate and warranted, don't mass e-mail and clutter the e-universe. More is definitely less.
• Be concise.

Take Advantage of the Casual Nature
Add an appropriate personal touch such as humor with a client you know well. Personalize as appropriate.

E-mail How-to's
• An e-mail is so easy to delete, so to avoid getting deleted before you get your message is read:
• Keep it short, short, short!
• Make the subject line captivating - think of the benefit for the reader, especially if it is to someone important or to someone whose attention you need to grab.
• Be credible. Don't let it sound like a high pressure, low credibility ad: Avoid things like, "Do you want to save money?"
• Check and recheck that you always put a benefit in the first line.
• Clearly indicate the topic and an action step in the first paragraph.
• For special situations, consider sending a handwritten note to differentiate yourself!

Remember - nothing takes the place of human contact so don't forget to leverage the telephone if you can't meet with the client in person.