-By Maggie Bayless

When the Zingerman's Deli opened in 1982, personal computers were rare, and all of our business correspondence was done by typewriter and snail mail. At some point, we added a fax machine so that those typewritten letters could be transmitted more quickly, and eventually we got a computer. By the time ZingTrain started operations in 1994, not only did we have a computer, but it had a fax modem so that we could send and receive faxes without a separate machine -- very modern!

But even when we'd ditched the last of the typewriters, our correspondence still followed the "business letter" format that I'd learned in my high school typing class: inside address, salutation, etc., etc. When writing to co-workers, we tended to use a "memo" format (TO/FROM/DATE/RE). With the advent of the Internet and the now ubiquitous use of e-mail, those old letter and memo formats may be going the way of the dinosaur. Business communications have gotten more immediate and, in many cases, much less formal.

But wait! Do we really want our written communications with clients, customers and co-workers to look like the text messages my sons send to their friends -- complete with shorthand spellings and emoticons? (:->) Maybe. It depends on your business's look and feel -- and whom you communicate with. I don't think there are absolute rights and wrongs in this area, but I do believe that what is "obvious" to one person in terms of appropriate business e-mail is not obvious to others. Which means that it is important to document your organization's expectations vis-à-vis e-mail communications. If everyone is clear on what is expected, there is a much better chance that those expectations will be met.

We've recently been working on expectations for e-mail use around the Zingerman's Community of Businesses, and are continuing to refine them. These expectations are separate from our policy about appropriate use of the Internet and are focused on business-to-business or intra-Zingerman's correspondence. If you haven't documented your own, here are some ideas to give you a place to start.

Speaking of Subject Lines, Make Yours Meaningful
Your recipient is looking at a full inbox and trying to sort out what is most important -- not to mention what is just junk. A subject line that lets her know exactly what to expect is a huge plus.

Reply Promptly
It is absolutely true that the pace of communication has increased, and with the capability to respond more quickly, has come the expectation that we will always do so. At Zingerman's, we want to respond to an e-mail within 4-8 hours if it's received during business hours, and in any case, within 48 hours. All of the "contact us" e-mail addresses on the various Zingerman's Web sites are checked throughout each business day, with the expectation that any complaint will be answered by the end of the business day received.

Set the Right Tone
In some instances, a classic business letter is the right approach, and "Dear Mr. Jones" establishes that tone, and you'll want to end with "Yours truly" or "Sincerely." In other cases, "Hi Jim" or just "Jim" may reflect the nature of your relationship with the recipient. In which case, a more informal closing ("Best" or "Thanks!") is probably called for.

Skipping a greeting and/or closing altogether can come across as brusque and maybe even rude -- unless you're in the middle of a back-and-forth exchange, in which case, you're just continuing a correspondence that was started with a greeting (and probably had a proper closing) somewhat earlier.

As in all interactions, politeness is appreciated. And without the advantage of body language and tone of voice, it can be very easy to mistake the tone of an e-mail as more hostile than the writer intended. When in doubt, or when broaching a touchy subject, have someone else read over what you've written before you send it.

Grammar Counts
As do spelling, punctuation and capitalization. In a business setting, e-mail correspondence is a product that we're delivering to our customers or co-workers, and order-accuracy is important. Proofread before you send. If it's an especially important e-mail, have someone else proofread it. And use spell-check, please. It works.

USE CAPITAL LETTERS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS SPARINGLY!!!!!!
It is harder to express enthusiasm without the ability to use tone of voice, but all caps feels like being SHOUTED at. So does the "high priority" flag, so don't use it unless it's really needed.

To CC or Not to CC
Think about who else needs to know the information you are communicating. Don't thoughtlessly carbon copy everyone, but don't forget to include those who should be included. If you are sending to a long list of people, create an e-mail group. Not only is it annoying to get those e-mails where I have to scroll down forever to get to the message, I'm also uncomfortable seeing the e-mail addresses of all those people I don't know (and knowing they now have my address as well).

Reply vs. Reply All
Again, think who else needs to know before you hit the "reply all" button. Very often, the reply is appropriately directed just back to the sender.

Follow-up
If you want to make sure your e-mail has been received, ask "please let me know that you've received this." Spam filters sometimes capture legitimate e-mails, especially if there are attachments. And if you are the recipient of an e-mail that is asking you to do something that you can't get to right away, confirm that you've received the message and give an estimate for when you'll be back in touch. Out-of-office messages can help for those times you're away from e-mail for longer than usual.

Complete Contact Information
It's nice to include information on how to contact you other than just via return e-mail -- because sometimes e-mail doesn't work! Many people set up a standard "signature" format with name, organization, job title, phone number and street address that goes at the bottom of every e-mail.

Use Common Sense
Unfortunately, common sense isn't all that common, so it's always good to remind people not to forward chain letters or virus warnings. Even those that seem as if they "must be true" because they're coming from what seems like a legitimate source. It usually means that someone at the source forgot to exercise common sense. And be careful with attachments. They often flag spam filters, so consider sending a second e-mail with no attachment that asks for delivery confirmation -- especially if the attachment is large or if you are sending it to someone you haven't corresponded with before.

By the way, common sense also dictates that e-mail is not always the right mode of communication. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone or go in person instead of continuing an e-mail dialog that isn't going anywhere!

Have you documented e-mail standards for your organization? If so, I'd love to see them. Please e-mail me (zingtrain@zingermans.com with "Gourmet Retailer" in the subject line). Thanks!

I often hear people say, "You can't really teach someone how to be a great service provider; people are either born that way or they're not." Which makes me smile and shake my head. I certainly know that service didn't come naturally to me -- and, in fact, I cringe when I think about how badly I approached my first real customer service job as a waitress back in the early '70s. And yet I am regularly complimented on how I, and the people I work with, provide service today. So I guess you could say I'm a poster child for how service training CAN work.

Maggie Bayless is the managing partner of ZingTrain, which is the consulting arm of Zingerman's, the specialty food retailer in Ann Arbor, Mich. If you have specific topics you would like to see addressed, please send your suggestions to Maggie at mbayless@zingermans.com.