Email: Is it an official means of communication?

Sept. 8, 2011 - PRLog -- A few years ago, it was inconceivable that email could be used as an official means of communication, and held a status closer to that of SMSing or instant messaging today.

However, emails are now considered perfectly appropriate in a business context, and even in some legal contexts.

Email can now be treated much as letter writing. As long as specific conventions of format and language use are stuck to, there is no reason that an email should not be considered official.

Some of the things that are possible via email, that weren’t a decade ago:
•   Singing a lease
•   Handing in your resignation
•   Informing stakeholders about your progress with a job
•   Putting in formal requests
•   Everyday business communication
•   Communication with a client

These are just a few of the things that you can do. With social media like Twitter and Facebook and things like BBMing coming to the foreground, email is being pushed further and further into the realm of formal communication. Thus, email is suitable for most corporate communication, and has even become applicable to such things as the signing of contracts.

It is possible to sign certain forms or documents over email. The signature will need to be scanned in and sent, but it is considerably more efficient (in terms of cost and time) than being mailed physical forms to sign and then posting them back. However, in some cases this will not be allowed. For instance, in a legal situation where a witness signature is also required, the process will still have to take place in the presence of a lawyer.

Important things to remember when sending a business email
Just as when sending a letter, there are certain rules that need to be stuck to when composing a business email. First of all, you need to ensure the subject field is filled in with a clear and concise subject. This is the first thing people will see when confronted with your email, so make sure it leaves a good impression and tells the reader exactly what the message is about.

Secondly, you need to ensure you are using the correct forms of salutation. This will depend on who you are writing to, but at all times, be polite and maintain a formal approach.

In the body of the message, it is always advisable to mimic the tone of the sender, if you are replying to an email, but make sure that this does not mean that you sacrifice the formality of the medium entirely. Emails for business purposes should always maintain at least a modicum of formality, even if you know the respondent fairly well. At all times, make sure your spelling and grammar is correct according to official standards.

You should definitely feel at liberty to use email freely in a business context, but ensure that you stick to the conventions and remain polite and professional. If you do that, there is no reason that email should be considered an inappropriate medium for business communication.

The part-time University of Cape Town Business Writing and Legal Documents short course is presented online throughout South Africa and starts on 19 September 2011. Visit www.GetSmarter.co.za for more information.

# # #

GetSmarter is a high-touch online education company that works together with top universities and industry experts to present courses throughout South Africa.