I’m amazed at how many emails I receive where people don’t sign off properly. It might be a client, a colleague, a friend but all people who are in business. I use a signature block all the time, and when I hit reply to an email it automatically appends. It also automatically shows when I create a new message. If someone wants my phone number, it’s there, same with my website to click on, or even my Facebook Page, LinkedIn profile and Twitter account. They don’t have to forage around, looking for that information.
So, it amazes me that many people in business don’t do the same. Personally, I think it’s a sign of professionalism and email is a regular form of contact for most of us these days. So, why aren’t people doing this? Is it because they don’t know how to set it up in their email program? Is it because they don’t think of it? Or maybe they think that since we know each other it’s not needed. Wrong.
I don’t know how many times I’ve had to go searching for a phone number, or a website (if they don’t use a domain email address) in order to check something, look for something, or simply to give them a call.
And if you’re using a phone to respond to an email, that is no excuse for no sign off. You can still put your name and hopefully other information.
Make it easy on everyone you email – and append your signature, even if it’s just your name, phone number and web address. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just useful.
One response came back very quickly with two very loud and bolded words telling me where to go. Not signed off but when I scrolled through past emails for that particular address I was soon able to determine who had sent it, where they lived and other information based on the form they had originally filled out only a month ago.
