Business Email Etiquette Rant

[ClusterFreak]

Are you sick and tired of emailing business contacts/friends, and they either take their sweet time getting back to you...or don't get back to you at all?

I am. Really sick of it.

I emailed a guy three days ago and after making some nice chit chat at the beginning of the message, I got down to business. It's not pressing business, but it's stuff I'd like for he and I to discuss in person at the next mutually convenient time. That's all. Doesn't require a phone call - either to discuss this business, or to inquire whether or not he got the email in the first place - and it doesn't require an immediate response. But it requires A response.

I don't think three days is an acceptable length of time to make someone (i.e. me!) wait for said response. I understand busy, I am busy, but in this day and age of hyper-connectedness (this guy has his iPhone attached to his hip, and therefore immediate access to his email) I don't see why it should take so long to get back to someone.

This person is a good person, and is someone with whom I am comfortable discussing business, but he - and my I say many I know like him - are one of those email/phone message screener types. "Who's this from? Oh, it's from so and so...no problem, I'll get back...whenever..."

No. No whenever.

How about 24 to 48 hours? How about we make that the rule. If it was really pressing business, I'd call you. I'd come to your place of business, I'd ask to meet you, etc.

Now I know what many of you will say. Why don't you tell him about your frustrations? I have. I do, to him and to others like him whom I've encountered in my sphere of business friends/contacts. But ya know what? I don't WANT to poke you in the ribs about it. Why should I? You're an adult, aren't you? Do unto others...it's in that vein.

Anyway...I feel better now. Well, a little.:P

Nothing is going to change I'm sure of it, but sometimes you just have to get it off yer chest!

:argh:

[struggle4progress]

1. Maybe you should put the business at the top of the email and the chitchat below

Perhaps your contact got part way thru your email on a busy day and decided it was low priority chit-chat that he could postpone until later

[davsand]

2. "Chit chat" in business emails? Nope. I can't say I ever do that.

Usually I put in the message header what the purpose of the email is, and then I say what needs saying. I don't usually put extra crap in my business emails.

If you get anything from me it is for a reason.

Does that make me abrupt? I dunno, but it does mean that most of the time I get a response fairly soon.

:shrug:



Laura

[hippywife]

3. I think he's had more than enough time to acknowledge

your message. I'm not a chit-chatter in business email, either, though. I like to just say what I need and be done with it, but some people around our very small, computer illiterate place of business seems to think there ought to be all these niceties about each and every message.

I like to say...Hey... do you have this or know this? and be done with it. But no! We have to try to remember to say hello or good morning and address the person by name and ask in a certain way. Luckily, our CFO feels the same and we can communicate with each other on the same basis without feelings being involved. Sheesh!

Our biggest problem really is getting people to learn to actually use the Reply All function when it's an actual group discussion via email. People consistently leave others out of the loop by responding only to the sender in these situations. Communication there can really suck sometimes.

[david13]

4. You control your email and when you make your responses. But

other people control their email, and when they make their responses. A little patience is always required.
You get to set the rules for you. But they get to set the rules for they.
It's the way of the world. I find some people who respond forthwith. Others in 1 day. Others 2 or more.
And many many many who never respond at all. It's like they disappear. But that's up to them.
dc

[WolverineDG]

5. I could always tell when a certain administrator in my office went on vacation

I would get her away messages, which would only be sent out if there were unread messages from you in her email. She never did answer any email from me (although she apparently was very very good about returning other peoples' emails & giving them the advice I was asking from her). She ignored all my phone calls too, then wondered why I responded "Yeah, right" when she said she was sorry I was leaving my job with that place. :eyes:

Not answering or acknowledging my business email/phone calls = automatic place on my "rude asshole, treat accordingly" list.

dg

[Turborama]

6. I can totally relate

I was called in for an unsolicited meeting by a friend who I'd previously worked for and had moved to another company. I went to the meeting and was offered a consulting job there and then. This was 6 weeks ago. I sent a soft copy of the proposal and timetable with a covering letter the evening of the meeting and waited for a response.

I waited 2 weeks and nothing.

I made a call and asked if they had come up with a date to start the consultancy and was told that the proposal had been forwarded to a colleague. I was a bit concerned that I'd put my hourly rate too high, a common problem for consultants sending in proposals, but was told that the figures were fine. This colleague of theirs was CC'd in the original email so I didn't see the point in him forwarding it but didn't say anything.

I waited another 2 weeks and made another follow up call to my friend to find out if there were any problems but he didn't answer the phone. So I called his colleague and was told that they had just had a meeting with the shareholders and they had given their agreement to the project. He said I just had to wait a few days and he'd call me back with a starting date (that was 2 weeks ago last Thursday). I sent another email to both of them on Thursday with a short note to ask if they had come up with a date yet. Still waiting for any kind of reply on that one.

Unfortunately, this isn't the only time this has happened and it is extremely frustrating.

As you say, do unto others... I would never treat anyone like this and I find it extremely rude when it happens to me.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to vent and showing that I'm not the only one who has to go through this kind of crap.

(edited to fix typo)

[ClusterFreak]

7. Thanks everybody for sharing your thoughts!

Some salient points made by all...including the need to dispense with anything beyond 'Hi, how are ya?' and get right down to it. And if that doesn't work, I guess I'll have to make a direct request and maybe come off a little impatient or even rude. You wanna work with me? Get on the trolley or get outta the way...lol!

Sadly, it never seems to matter to some folks whether or not they'd appreciate being shunted aside this way themselves. Is, was, ever shall be. Sigh.


:hi: