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Underneath It All by Joan Burge
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Joan Burge's Administrative Blog

E-mail Blunders Cost Approx. $450,000 a Year

Posted by: Joan Burge on 10/15/2009

Are you in shock? I certainly was when I read my Training magazine September issue. It says, “A company with 100 employees can expect to lose approximately $450,000 a year, or more, because of e-mail blunders, inefficiencies, and misunderstandings, according to The Top 10 E-mail Blunders That Cost Companies Money, a free special report from Creative Communications & Training." (Maybe you want to get a copy.)

I’m sure you can relate to many of the ones they sited. I have included several of these in my workshops for admins on e-mail etiquette and protocol.

• Inaccurate or vague subject line.
• No specific action step.
• Incomplete information.
• Too much information.
• Harsh or demanding tone.
• Breaking privacy guidelines and crossing ethical boundaries.
• Conveying sensitive or confidential information.
• Errors and inaccuracies.
• Excessive volume. (Meaning unnecessary FYIs and CCs, etc.)

Normally, these are not intentional. A big problem is that we are in too much of a hurry and we don’t take time to think before we type and send e-mails. We work in a fast-paced world but that doesn’t mean we have to contribute to this massive loss of income for our organizations.

The good news is that you and I can do something about this. I would like to challenge all of you to be cognizant of the e-mails you send the next few weeks. It really only takes 30 seconds of your time per e-mail and you can save a great deal of time in the long run (and sometimes embarrassment). We also save other people time and get more of our needs met.

What are some tips you have for the readers of this blog regarding e-mail habits?
 

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7 Comments

    • Oct 15 2009, 10:15 AM Jill Nusbaum
    • One tip I have is to take the time to think through who really needs to see the message you are sending. I can't tell you how many times I've received a "company-wide" sent e-mail from someone telling me they are going on vacation and I don't even know what department they are from.
    • Oct 16 2009, 1:40 PM Jessica C
    • Here's a couple of my thougts based on email messages I have received. SUBJECT LINE: If there is a specific project number or name, make that the first part of the subject line, followed by the specific subject. I use the Outlook rules to pre-sort my email into specific folders and I think if your recipient does also, they will appreciate the fact that you thought about this ahead of time. SPELLING: Read the text backwards if necessary and always check the spelling of names. SIGNATURE LINE: Use the signature line tool to include alternate contact methods for all replies and forwards. In the past I have had a need for someone's phone number and/or mailing address only to find that it was not included in their email signature. Including this information will, at one point or another, save another person some time.
    • Oct 20 2009, 12:01 PM Admins Rock
    • Be careful what you put in the subject line. All too often I see "confidential" information in the subject line. Even though it may only be brief it can tell the whole story - or be misleading to wandering eyes. Although you might not have the note open, others can venture a "guess" based soley on the subject line! A potential disaster.
    • Oct 20 2009, 5:16 PM Alice Oerther
    • Always proof your e-mail before you press send. I always make sure that my e-mails are professional and that my boss will approve before I press send and if I do make a mistake such as forgetting to add an attachment I always send an apology and make sure the attachment is included.
    • Oct 21 2009, 2:04 PM Victoria Crespo
    • Before sending an e-mail, I always read through it and pretend that I am on the receiving end. This helps me to cut out the fluff and make messages more concise. If there is a very important e-mail, I usually request that my co-worker read through it once to catch any errors.
    • Oct 27 2009, 10:27 PM Joan Burge
    • Thank you everyone for your great tips and ideas. Email is such a part of our daily lives that we all need to do the best we can to reduce clutter and communicate effectively.
    • Oct 28 2009, 7:53 PM Michelle Charles
    • I saw this article tonight and felt compelled to share. It's not an email blunder but it is the mother of all blunders that we can learn from. An assistant who was busy preparing for a board meeting put aside a notice of complaint - a lawsuit was filed against PepsiCo. She forgot about it...and months later the judge entered a $1.26 billion default judgement. That's billion with a capital B. Never let it be said that we are JUST assistants or secretaries! Our work is important and it's important that we never become too busy to handle priorities. Here's the url for the story: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Price-to-PepsiCo-for-Not-law-3214509113.html?x=0&.v=1
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