E-mail Communication in a Virtual world

Virtual Office or Traditional Office - good e-mail communication is vital

The global and instantaneous nature of e-mail produces a new type of communication problem. Your communication to a colleague in the next office can be instantaneously, unexpectedly forwarded to any number of recipients in any number of places worldwide.  When that happens. it’s amazing how much your e-mail depends on what your colleague already knows about you, and how much can (and will) be misinterpreted by everyone else.

The real task here is to make the e-mail clear and unambiguous. In addition, as e-mail becomes the main business communication method, the original “quick and dirty” approach that earmarked early personal e-mails is no longer appropriate.

Here are our suggestions for good e-mail communication.

E-mail accounts

• Have only one business e-mail account (e.g. mary@yourcoy.com) for e-mail directed at you rather than your current role, whether you’re a big shot or a little shot.

• Use additional e-mail accounts for various roles if appropriate.  For example, having “Mary” also pick up e-mail to customer.service@yourcoy.com rather than have it all addressed to mary@yourcoy.com will make it easier when Mary changes her role in the company.

E-mail format

• Use correct punctuation, proper capitalization and full sentences.

• Re-read the e-mail before you send and spell-check every e-mail (by the way…I’ve given up my long fight against the Microsoft English dictionary.  If it’s good enough for Microsoft, it’s good enough for me.  Feel free to continue the fight if you wish)

E-mail content

Most important of all...don’t antagonize (accidentally).  Be careful in the way you express criticism; YOU know that you’re typing it with a “soft voice and a smile on your face”, but the words can often be read as “shouted by someone who’s angry”.  If you’re prepared to sacrifice the formality, adding an emoticon such as a smiley J can soften the words.

When writing a letter, there’s an implied limit to speed and extent of any distribution.  With e-mail there’s no such safety factor.  In 10 minutes your communication could have a much greater and wider audience than you ever thought possible…sometimes accidentally.

Writing unambiguously, assuming the reader does not know who you are or where you’re from, and assuming your communication will have a global distribution will at least ensure that your communication is correctly understood, wherever it happens to turn up.

• Dates and Times

  • Don't use seasonal events and timings; use the full calendar date.  Mother's Day, Easter, Spring, Autumn will all be interpreted differently around the world.

  • Use unambiguous dates such as 7-May-2003 19:00 EST.

    • a three-character month

    • the 24-hour clock

    • the time zone

    • This might be a bit of a chore but compare that with the confusion caused by  7:00 07/05/03.

  • Use universal dates and days of the week if possible.  Saying Wednesday 9th June will prompt more "I can't make Wednesdays" than just saying 9th June.

• Phone numbers

  • Use full international phone numbers in correct format.

  • +61 (3) 9662 2755 tells everyone worldwide how to phone Atac.

• Currency amounts

  • Use the three-digit currency id rather than the currency symbol, and use minor currency elements.  Remember that different countries use different currency separators.

  • AUD1500.00 is recognizable anywhere.

  • $1500.00 is ambiguous.

  • Some fonts use the same symbol for the local currency.  So your $1500.00 might actually display as ₤1500.00 when read in another country.

• Signature

  • Think about your e-mail signature.  Include your name, title, all the ways you want to be contacted and an appropriate confidentiality message.

  • Scan through your inbox and imagine contacting the sender based on nothing but their e-mail...you'll soon see which ones work and which don't.

  • Any reasonable e-mail client will also allow you to attach your contact information electronically.  Think about doing this the first time you e-mail a new recipient.

Have different ideas or something to add?  Click here to tell us about it. _________________________________________________

Today Europe, Tomorrow...

The European Flexible Working Directive...not quite Virtual Office, but....

The European Flexible Working Directive allows employees with children under six to apply for flexible working arrangements, including telework.  The law merely gives employees the right to apply for flexible arrangements -- it does not give them an automatic right to receive such arrangements.

Requests may be turned down for a number of reasons, including potential harm to the quality of work, or the burden of additional costs.  But the law prohibits companies from ignoring requests or having a blanket ban on flexible working.  The U.K. legislation went into effect on April 6th.

Any interesting rules / laws / regulations you know about?   Click here to tell us about them.

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In just 19 pages, you'll learn: Why the "Traditional Office" is working against you What Virtual Office models are available How to implement a Virtual Office How to avoid the "fragmentation" problem

"Going Virtual" simplifies the way you do business  

... this booklet will get you started.

Click here to request one by e-mail    Click here to request one via our website

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Useful Links - sources of information on Virtual Office

On our website at  www.atac.com.au/vo.htm you'll find copies of previous newsletters and links to other Virtual Office resources.

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We are always interested in your feedback.  If you already work in a Virtual Office then we'd like to hear (and maybe publish) your story.  We also publish and credit the best comments / suggestions / ideas we receive.

To provide feedback of any type: click here  To subscribe: click here  To unsubscribe: click here ___________________________________________________

About Atac

You can find out more about Atac Pty Ltd, Virtual Office, and what else we do at www.atac.com.au

We've worked in our own Virtual Office – every day – for nearly four years.  We've found it more productive, more rewarding, less stressful, and we’re working better as a team than ever before.

That's why we are such passionate advocates for Virtual Office and why we've become the leading Virtual Office consultants in our region.  We publish this newsletter as a general information service to any company looking to implement their own Virtual Office.

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