Producing High Quality Emails Training Course
Duration
1 day
What is this course about?
Staff need to impress their clients so that each of them would not dream of choosing another provider. Business by e-mail has grown at an amazing rate and this rate is liable to increase further. The quality of electronic correspondence can be patchy and even when it is good improvements can be made.
The aim of this workshop is to develop the individual's writing skills so that electronic mail exchanges produce results; build business and enhance the image of the organisation. It is to establish a 'diamond' standard for the company.
Who would benefit?
Anyone who has to use email or written communication as part of their job.
Objectives
By the end of the day, those who have attended will:
- Focus clearly on the needs of their reader
- Save time in writing by using short cuts to formatting
- Write clearly
- Develop their individual style
- Be confident in their use of plain English
- Select words that are positive and give a good impression of themselves and the organisation
- Be sensitive to tone and what approach to take
- Be alive to 'selling on' rather than reacting minimally to enquiries
- Become their own editor when checking work before it is transmitted
Key topics covered
1. Electronic mail as a communication tool
- Differences in e-mail from other communication forms
- Advantages and disadvantages
- When to use it and when to avoid it
2. Strategy for success
- Identifying one's purpose in writing
- What readers are looking for
- Understanding the query and implications before responding
- Writing e-mails that resolve the query at one go
- Establishing sound principles for all e-mails
- Accuracy, brevity, clarity
- Being specific and positive wherever possible
3. Planning
- The questions to ask yourself before replying
- Thinking, organising and structuring - what to put in, what to leave out
- Developing formats for different situations - requests for information; orders; dealing with complaints; praise; giving bad news; saying no
- Standard replies - the pros and cons
- Developing a customer service attitude which is second nature
- Linking response to customer enquiry and pointing the way to action
- Establishing 'good order' and professionalism
4. Modern language usage
- Words, phrases, clauses, sentences, paragraphs
- Checking the basics of grammar
- Support available and references
- Punctuation options
- Length and variety of sentences and paragraphs
- Using bullet points
5. Developing writing style
- Your style and the organisation's style
- Guidelines to make your writing accurate and clear
- Tightening up your style
- Editing and checking for sense
6. Tone
- Understanding and avoiding misinterpreting the customer
- Responding appropriately - direct versus blunt approach
7. Impact, image and business building
- What impresses the reader
- Proof reading and checking
- Going the extra distance - generosity
- Selling on and cross-selling
- Persuasion
