Your e-mail is a document, not a letter

E-mail. It's the bane of our existence. But, if you structure an e-mail well, you can get your point across quickly, easily, and effectively. To do so, stop thinking of your e-mail as an online letter or memo, and start thinking about it as a document.

For instance, let's say you're writing your manager an e-mail message about how a specific group has done an outstanding job supporting your initiative. As a letter or a memo, it might look like this.

Elaine,

I met with the support center team lead and manager this morning. The meeting went very well, and I wanted to pass along how well the support team is progressing. First, they are taking the time to deal with the users' issues without rushing them off the phone so they can take the next call. Second, even though call volume has been heavy because of the product launch (up 59%), they have closed 84% of the tickets that have been submitted. Third, they have followed up personally when they've escalated tickets to assure that the user was satisfied with the support they've received.

Also, we held the last training session Thursday and I was very impressed with their knowledge of the system and participation. They came prepared and asked appropriate questions, several of which I had to follow up outside the meeting and get back to them. Overall, I think we should bypass the remainder of the probationary period and retain their services permanently.

Larry

Although this message is generally well-written, it reader can't skim it to pick up the main points because they're buried in a mass of text. The e-mail message looks like a letter, but is not as successful as it might otherwise be.

Let's try it again. This time, we'll forget that we're writing a virtual letter and treat the e-mail like a document.

Elaine,

I met with the with the support center manager and team lead yesterday and was impressed with their progress.

Areas of Improvement

• They spend enough time with user issues to make sure the issue is resolved.
• Although call volume increased 59% because of the product launch, 84% of the tickets have been closed.
• When a ticket is escalated, they follow up after the ticket is closed to assure the user is satisfied.

Training

The last training session occurred Thursday.

• They participated fully in the class.
• Their questions were well-thought out; I had to research the answers to several of them.

Recommendation

We should bypass the remainder of the probationary period and retain their services permanently.

The second approach actually results in a longer e-mail message, but it's easier to read. It calls out the important points so the reader can grab them at a glance. The desired action is easy to find, with the supporting information presented in an easy-to-digest format.

The second e-mail is more likely to produce results than the first.