As a result, typos or grammar mistakes often go unnoticed. And this problem has seemingly become a daunting one in corporate communications—there’re even lists of commonly misspelled words. 

But the main question is: do typos in correspondence really affect your business?  

According to Linguix’s fresh research, the answer is: yes, they do. Read on to learn how exactly and what you can do to minimize the negative effects.

Methodology

We have conducted a survey among 50,000 subscribers of our email newsletter. The respondents mostly hold sales, marketing, IT, and management positions. 

In our survey, we asked a number of questions concerning people’s reactions to grammar mistakes and typos in the email subject line as well as in its main text, and whether they would like to continue doing business with a person who makes such mistakes.

Key takeaways

First, we wanted to figure out how mistakes or typos in the subject line affect the email open rate. It turned out that most respondents (75.4%) will still open such an email. However, a significant part (24.6%) consider an erroneous title a sound reason not to read the email. 

Then, we asked the respondents if they usually reply to emails containing grammar mistakes and/or typos. The majority (73.7%) said they do, but there was also a large portion of those who don’t (26.3%.) This means each time your employee sends a message with grammar mistakes, almost a quarter of potential leads are cut off straight away. Quite a bit!

Another important question we posed was whether our subscribers would even do business with a person who sends them emails with grammar mistakes. And while 46.6% of the respondents didn’t consider this to be a problem, the majority of 53.4% were negative about the possibility of further cooperation. 

Quick tips

As we can see, the issue of grammar mistakes in email correspondence is serious enough to hamper your business development. What can be done to improve the situation?

• Finding additional time for employees to review emails before sending them. In some cases, this will entail a reduced number of emails sent per day; however, in the long run, more qualitative messages might yield better results than the mere quantitative approach.
• Using email templates can help avoid mistakes in the subject line. But then, it’s crucial to make sure the template is 100% correct, otherwise, the mistake will be multiplied many times before it’s finally noticed. 
• Adopting a writing assistant solution like Linguix can help dramatically reduce the number of typos and grammar mistakes: it takes just a few moments for an employee to correct them based on suggestions. Besides, such assistants are also capable of eliminating the language barrier when it comes to internal communications. 
• Introducing a corporate style guide can both decrease the number of mistakes and help maintain the optimal tone of voice, which is another important factor in brand communication. 

Email communication is one of the primary sales and marketing channels for many companies, and given the high price of typos and grammar mistakes, this issue is really worth addressing! 

The post How Grammar Mistakes Affect Email Communication: a New Survey appeared first on Linguix Blog.

From establishing relationships to cementing existing ones, from effective marking to securing sales, the value of well-structured and timely emails cannot be ignored.

But you can’t just send an email, sit back and wait for the magic to happen. In fact, research has proven that, although the original email may receive one of the highest response rates, subsequent emails do continue to get those valuable responses. In fact, one such study saw the sixth email receiving an incredible 27% response rate. And yet 70% of salespeople give up after the first email. 

What you need is a carefully considered follow-up-email strategy. Do you have one?

You may feel that you don’t have it in you to send out such a multitude of follow-up emails, even if the evidence is there to suggest there is value in doing so.  You may not have the desire to type out yet another email. You may not have the time. 

The good news is that, with Linguix, valuable help is at hand.

Linguix is an AI-powered writing tool. But it also offers so much more, such as a fully stocked selection of email templates, including follow-up-email varieties, which can be used to create quick content for your electronic messages. Messages that have been proven to be successful.

Simply browse through the selection of templates available and select the one which best mirrors your purpose. Repopulate the necessary elements and you are ready to go.

And what is more, further time can be saved by taking advantage of the Linguix ‘snippets’ library, meaning you can save those often-repeated phrases, sentences, paragraphs or ‘snippets’, and then simply paste them into your email at the required point.

Once you have assigned your snippet a shortcode, you can easily enter the text at the simple click of a button – available both on Mac and Windows.

So, instead of repeatedly having to type a paragraph such as this…

“I’m just following up from my last email to see if you have had time to review our product, or to check if you had any questions – I would be delighted to answer them.”

…you can simply insert the snippet at the desired moment. Effective, and time saving. You can also achieve consistency in your emails and be sure that you have eradicated easy-to-make mistakes that perpetuate our writing when we have to do so much of it. Of course, you can use the Linguix writing tool to help you initially shape your content too, making sure it is free from errors and pitched to the right audience (Linguix facilitates all of this). 

Did you know that office workers spend 28% of their day managing emails? If you could halve this time, imagine the saving!

Sending effective and timely follow-up emails has never been so easy thanks to the Linguix content and snippets libraries. 

The post Creating and Sending Effective Follow-Up Emails to Improve Efficiency, and Your Bottom-Line appeared first on Linguix Blog.

Doing this, in English, is relatively simple as long as you are familiar with the common expressions that are used. The other thing to remember is that there are various forms of formality available in the English language, so it is always important to select the language that is most appropriate for the situation.

Here are the various steps, and associated language, required to make an appointment in English. Always think about the suitable formality required in the message. That formality can be generally categorized as follows:

• Formal
• Neutral
• Informal

If you are unsure what level of formality to go for, then a neutral approach is always best. Sometimes the neutral language is similar, if not the same, as the formal language, and sometimes even the informal language.

Starting the email

Formal – Dear Mr. / Ms. / Mrs. surname or Dear Sir or Madam

Neutral – Dear first name

Informal – Hi first name

Breaking the ice

Formal – No ice breaker, just straight to business

Neutral – I hope this email finds you well

Informal – How’s life?

Requesting an appointment

Formal – May I ask permission to meet with you in person?

Neutral – Would it be possible for us to meet?

Informal – Could we meet to discuss it?

Suggesting a time

Formal – I would like to propose a meeting at 2pm on March 7^th. 

Neutral – I’d like to suggest a meeting at 2pm on March 7^th. 

Informal – How about meeting up at 2pm on March 7^th?

Accepting an appointment

Formal – Thank you for the invitation to discuss ____. I gladly accept your proposed meeting time.

Neutral – That time and date is suitable, thank you.

Informal – Sounds great, see you then.

Apologising and rejecting an appointment

Formal – I regret to inform you that I will be unavailable to attend at that time/date.

Neutral – Apologies, but I will be unavailable at that time/date.

Informal – No, can do I’m afraid!

Requesting a change in appointment

Formal – Due to unforeseen circumstances I must request a change of date/time for our appointment.

Neutral – Unfortunately I need to change the date/time of our appointment.

Informal – Something’s come up, is there another date/time that you can do?

Finishing the email

Formal – I look forward to our meeting. Yours sincerely

Neutral – I look forward to seeing you soon. Warm / Kind / Best regards.

Informal – See you soon / cheers

Other things to remember when writing emails

Here are some other important points to remember:

• Emojis are always informal. They can be nice to use in business emails on occasion, but only when you have already established a relationship with that person.
• In English, first names are generally used (and not last names). However, it is always best to follow the lead of the person you are communicating with in this regard.
• Being very direct in English can often seem aggressive and a little impolite. However, if someone is writing in a language that is not their native tongue, then it is always good to consider that your interpretation may not be what was intended.
• It is always possible that some feeling or emotion can be lost in writing. If you feel that the communication has not been received as you would have intended it, then pick up the phone. Sometimes things can be lost in written text.

The post How to Write an Effective and Polite Appointment Email appeared first on Linguix Blog.

Good news: starting today many of our templates for emails, resume, essay and much more are available for free! Previously, this was a Premium-only feature.

Find the best template to solve your task, and customize it in our lightweight editor. Bonus: Linguix for browser will instantly check your final piece for thousands of grammar errors and 9 million typos.

Also, we’ve expanded our library and added dozens of professional templates for business writing, including case studies, eBooks, product marketing materials.

Go Premium to access all our beautiful templates!

The post Meet Our Brand-New Content Templates Library appeared first on Linguix Blog.

So, whether you are a new, junior office worker, or the head of the business, here are some practical tips to follow for writing good emails:

Start with the right salutation

Always bear in mind who you are writing your email to, who is your audience? Generally speaking, there are formal emails, and informal or casual emails, so select the right way to begin based on the type of email you are sending.

In a more formal email, ‘Dear’ is the classic start, whereas in something more casual you may choose to begin with ‘Hi’. Either way, make sure you start with the right tone, and that also goes for whether you choose to use first names or surnames.

In the vast majority of English-speaking countries, using first names, even in business, is common practice, so if you do choose to begin with a Mr. or Mrs., really make sure that it is appropriate.

Start with a clear, friendly, and polite opening line

It would be very unusual, even in more formal business emails, to get straight down to business, so your opening line should be something a little more personable, just to break the ice, as they say.

‘I hope this email finds you well.’

This is a classic and trusted opening sentence. And once again, it follows the golden rule of simplicity.

The main body

Now you get to your point, but in doing so, remember that English is a very indirect language, so launching immediately into the problem – if there is one – may be interpreted as being a little dramatic and aggressive.

Explain the point clearly, being careful to avoid overlong sentences (which breaks the rule of simplicity). Include all necessary information, but do not over-egg the pudding as is said in English (you do not need to repeat the point several times: once is sufficient).

The call to action

Here is the part of your email that makes it abundantly clear what you want the receiver to do with this information.

‘Please can you check the order and get back to me as soon as possible.’

This example is a clear indication of what you want the other person to do. You could even include the call to action before the main body of the text in which you explain the reasons for doing this. At all times just make sure that the flow of the email is logical.

Closing line

Now you prepare the person receiving the email for your sign-off. Try to be polite, succinct, and relevant to what you have asked the person to do in the call to action.

‘Your assistance in this matter is most appreciated.’

This example is clear, appreciative, and polite. Once again, keeping it simple is the best practice here.

The ending salutation

In the opening salutation we considered the formality of the email, so make sure that your sign-off matches that formality. As always, the classic, traditional sign-offs are best, for example:

‘Kind regards’

‘Warm regards’

‘With thanks’

There is very little reason to deviate from these tried-and-tested endings, unless you are really looking to make a particular impact, or emphasize your individuality. That’s something to think about.

And last, of all, think carefully if you are going to include your surname. Generally speaking, if you are sending the email externally, it would be the right approach to include your first and surname, but without any unnecessary titles such as ‘Mr.’ or ‘Mrs.’.

Important checks to make before you send your email

Of course, an email littered with spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes is not going to leave a good impression, even if it follows the structure as already laid out. Here are some of the classic mistakes to avoid.

Don’t make your email too long, or too short

Don’t write an essay as an email. Certainly don’t include long paragraphs that people don’t want to read. Avoid repeating yourself, and create short, concise sentences that are polite in nature.

At the same time, being too short can seem a little needlessly impolite, so strike the right balance here. Consider the person who is opening the email: does the length and presentation of that email leave them wanting to read it?

Proofread your email before you send it

This is basic advice, but it is incredible how many people hit that ‘send’ button before giving their email a second readthrough. Basic spell-check software can only help you so much, so it is advisable to use something a little more sophisticated, such as Linguix’s AI-powered writing assistant, that can help you identify grammatical mistakes and stylistic errors.

But at the same time. Re-read it before you send it. If it is a particularly important email, ask a colleague to read it first too, as sometimes a clean pair of eyes can make a difference.

And that’s it. It’s not rocket science, but it does need a clear strategy, a clean structure, and accuracy. Linguix offers a number of useful templates that you can utilize for your email writing, so come find out what is on offer.

The post How to Write Good Emails appeared first on Linguix Blog.

“Send me the report by 5pm.”

Now, the problem with this sentence is that, by anyone’s standards in English, it’s impolite, if not plain rude. No ‘please’, no indirect way of asking for something. No. Something like this would be much better:

“Would it be possible for you to send me the report by 5pm if it is not too inconvenient for you. Many thanks in advance.”

Now, this one is a little extreme. It’s typically English, or perhaps even typically British, as the Brits like to go the long way around to saying what they really want, but the point is still valid.

How do we write something brief, in a work context, that does not sound impolite, but instead is impactful, but maintains harmony? It’s a challenge. Fortunately, there are some easy tips which can help you master this art.

Don’t forget the all-important magic words

It is generally accepted that there are five ‘magic’ words in English: ‘please’, ‘thank you’, ‘excuse me’, ‘pardon me’ and ‘sorry’. It is also generally accepted that any request should involve at least one of these ‘magic’ words. And adding one of these words is hardly going to turn your short email into an epic novel.

“Please send me the report by 5pm.”

Much better, but it may need more…

Be indirect

Now, this is an important thing to do, and will add words, but not many. How about this…

“Can you send me the report by 5pm, please?”

Note how there is now a question mark at the end of this sentence. Why? Because you have now made it an indirect question, which is about 100 times more polite that what came before, which was a demand. The true answer to this question is “Yes I can”, which of course is no confirmation that indeed you ‘will’, but that is how indirect questions work. Here are a few more examples:

“Could you send me the report by 5pm, please?”

“Would you be able to send me the report by 5pm, please?”

“Would it be possible to send me the report by 5pm, please?”

“Do you mind sending me the report by 5pm, please?”

Your email is starting to look a little longer now, of course, but infinitely more polite too.

Be individualistic

Now, who says you cannot inject a little bit of character into your email writing? Formal English can be so predictable, and is totally without any sort of color. So, add a part of your personality to proceedings by saying something that is just ‘you’.

“Could you send me the report by 5pm? You’re a star, thanks.”

No, the one thing to be said for this is that you need to be consistent in adding these little individualistic flourishes. If you never do it, and then do it once, it will seem weird. So, build it in as a regular part of your emails. It hardly adds any words, does it?!

Use first names

When writing emails, it is perfectly acceptable to use first names in a business context. Obviously, you have to gage the person you are writing to, so this involves a little bit of common sense, but including a first name in a request sounds so much more personable, polite, and communicative.

“Could you send me the report by 5pm, please John?”

Use emojis

Really? In a work context? Yes!

Believe it or not, emojis are now becoming increasingly acceptable at work. However, think carefully about the ones you use. Often just a smiley face will do the job, so don’t try to be too clever, and certainly don’t include too many emojis as this can be irritating. One smiley face really makes a request so much friendlier.

“Could you send me the report by 5pm, please John? You’re a star.”

Conclusion

And now we can compare:

“Send me the report by 5pm.”

“Could you send me the report by 5pm, please John? You’re a star.”

Which seems better to you? And you haven’t gone and written something as long as Game of Thrones either!

The post How to Write Shorter Emails That Are Still Polite appeared first on Linguix Blog.

This becomes even more important when you look at statistics. On average, a modern worker will receive somewhere in the region of 120 emails per day, while it has been estimated that last year saw approximately 7 trillion emails sent. That’s a lot of emails.

Yet the fact remains that the vast majority of people do not know how to write suitable and impactful emails, and so how many of those aforementioned 7 trillion were truly effective? In the ever-changing modern workplace, the art of effective email writing is not widely practiced, yet at the same time can be easily achieved by following a few practical tips.

Let’s commence a look at how, in a few simple steps, you can begin writing emails that will be the envy of the office.

Keep the email as brief as possible, and be succinct

No one wants to open an email and immediately be faced with an essay! The first tip is to get straight to the point, but at the same time always being polite. What exactly are you requesting or offering? If there is a call to action, what is it? Don’t leave important information buried in the middle paragraphs of a long-winded email. Be concise, be polite, say what you want to say, and that’s it!

If you have separate requests, include them in sperate emails

Instead of listing unrelated actions, include every individual request or offer in a separate email with a clear heading. This not only helps in keeping emails concise, it also assists in making information much easier to find at a later stage. The alternative is having to browse through a number of stodgy, over-long emails, which is a waste of time.

Use clear headings

This point is relevant to not only the subject line of the email, which of course will make the all-important first impression on the receiver, but also the individual paragraphs in the email itself. This not only clearly states your intentions, but also makes things a lot easier to reference and find at a later stage, both for the sender and the receiver. Once again, this can save a lot of time.

Make clear references

If your email refers to previous correspondence, be sure to include it, or at least reference it by clearly using the date and subject line. There is nothing worse than an email that alludes to an earlier message, yet is unclear what that communication was. If it is part of a chain, clearly keep it so, and do not change the heading. If you are starting afresh, then adapt the heading to show that.

Do not use abbreviations, slang, or over-familiar language

Know your audience. Emails leave an impression, and that impression will be of you. So, do not leave the wrong opinion by sending an email as you would a text message to a friend, and be careful not to come across as over-presumptuous or over-friendly, at least until a clear relationship has been established. And make sure you are polite too – it is not uncommon for people to interpret brevity as rudeness, so although it is important to be concise, do not forget the all-important ‘pleases’, ‘thank yous’ and so on.

Include timeframes if possible, and respond within adequate time

Have you ever heard someone complain that their email wasn’t responded to? Have you ever made that exact compliant yourself? Then do not delay. If you require more time to respond, then send a simple message stating this. If you cannot assist, also make this point clear quickly. If you require action within a certain period of time, then also politely state this. Nobody enjoys being ignored or left hanging!

Always proofread your email before you send it

This may seem an obvious point, but it is incredible how many people don’t read through their writing before hitting that all important ‘send’ button. From that point on, what you have written becomes a permanent record, so why litter it with spelling mistakes, poor punctuation or anything else that may reflect badly upon you? Use Linguix to avoid such problems!

Not to mention the old mistake of sending it to the wrong person!

By following these simple tips, effective email writing is within your grasp.

The post How To Write Effective Emails: 7 Practical Tips appeared first on Linguix Blog.