Do you and your employees demonstrate good business etiquette at your pharmacy?
Although you probably didn’t learn about business etiquette in pharmacy school, communicating well is vital to running a successful business and maintaining a positive image.
Business etiquette is how you represent yourself. Good business etiquette allows you to build professional relationships with others through better communication.
As an independent community pharmacy owner or manager, one aspect of business etiquette you probably don’t think about is email communication.
We’ve put together a list of email etiquette tips to help you improve your email communication skills and practice better business etiquette.
1. Use professional salutations
When you first establish a relationship with someone, greet him or her professionally in your emails.
For example, instead of saying “Hey Matt,” try saying “Hi Matthew.” Using the greeting “Hey” implies the email is casual and can sound unprofessional.
Additionally, don’t abbreviate someone’s name until that person has asked you to do so.
2. Limit emotional expressions
You’ve probably received an email or two where someone went overboard with exclamation marks or emoticons.
You can use those symbols once in a while, but if your email sounds overly friendly it can give the recipient the wrong impression.
Think about how you’d write an email to a friend. If it sounds eerily similar to your business emails, you’ll know to make some changes.
3. Include a relevant subject line
Always include a subject line in your email. That way the recipient doesn’t mistake the email for spam or ignore it altogether.
Don’t ever use a generic subject line, like “Hello.” Make the subject line relevant to the topic you’re discussing to ensure the recipient opens the email.
4. Double check the recipient
What’s more unprofessional—and embarrassing—than sending your email to the wrong recipient?
Before hitting “send,” always double check that you’ve chosen the correct recipient and that you’ve spelled his or her name correctly in your salutation.
5. Use correct grammar
Grammar may not be your strong suit. After all, grammar wasn’t a hot topic in pharmacy school.
But people perceive emails with errors as unprofessional and unintelligent.
Use spell check to ensure your email is error-free. It’s also helpful to have a colleague read important emails before you send them to catch mistakes you may have overlooked.
6. Limit abbreviations
Abbreviations are useful in some situations, but use them sparingly.
Not all abbreviations are universal. An abbreviation you’re used to using may not make sense to someone else.
Additionally, avoid unprofessional abbreviations. For example, “thx,” “pls,” or “w/o.”
Practice these email etiquette tips to make a good impression on your colleagues and customers.
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