In my first blog about VA skills, I mentioned that since this job is virtual (hence the name), it is crucial that you have good communication skills. If you have not read that post yet and you're interested, you can check it out here.
Communication in virtual jobs involves emails, video and voice calls. At times, you may also be sending text messages. Today, we'll focus on writing business emails.
Obviously sending emails in business setting have a different tone than personal ones even if your workplace allows casual communication. Here are some guidelines that might be helpful if you're new to all of this:
Know your company's branding
This will be the most important thing to learn and will be the underlying theme of all of your communication. Each company has a different brand. Branding can be largely influenced by the Ps of marketing which are price, product, promotion and position. That subject alone is a lengthy discussion so for today's purposes, I will give a quick and hopefully comprehensive example.
In my case, for example, I work with executives. The products and services the business offers as well as the pricing are on the higher level which positions it to the larger businesses and decision makers. Considering all of that, it is consistent with the brand if my communication to prospects and clients are a little more formal. In contrast to this, another business with a different set of target market may have a more casual approach to their communication. Just observe how different companies "tweet" in different ways.
If the company has a branding bible, then you have the little black book that will guide you in wording your emails. If it does not have any or you're still confused, ask if you can have access to previous emails (if you don't have it yet) and study how people communicate with clients and internally. This can also be taught during training.
The issue with grammar
The good news is most companies, even the Western ones, don't mind much if you forgot the apostrophe or you used their instead of there. So, when does grammar come to play? Grammar is extremely crucial in making sure that your receiver's understanding is consistent of what you intend to communicate.
It does not have to be perfect, but it has to be accurate.
For example, if you are writing an email discussing timing of events then you have to make it a point that you are using the accurate tenses to make sure your receiver has a good understanding of the message. Otherwise, your boss will most likely allow your verb tense mishaps or may not even notice it at all.
The basics of grammar is important but if you are not very confident or you just don't have the time to learn all the basics in time, there are tons of grammar checkers online. I recommend Grammarly.
Use the default font in your email software. Avoid using multiple fonts and unneccessarily colorful texts. You should also be mindful not to add in to many images as this can flag servers and may drop your email to junk/spam folders.
Also make sure your email has attachments if you wanted to before sending them!
Revising templates
If you find yourself in the writer's block or you're just really too hungover to think, then templates are your friend. You can always search for how others write the messages you intended to send and revise accordingly. It is important that you make the conscious effort to revise because that's really the bare minimum and your receiver does not receive an email that is already found in Google. It's going to look bad if you get caught.
The main purpose of templates and other sample emails is to do the thinking so you'll know what to say, you just have to say it differently.
The most basic structure would be: greeting (good morning, I hope you're well), response to the previous email or your message, goodbye greeting (thank you for your time, looking forward, etc).
This is a cheat code, but be sure to play it right.
When in doubt, ask
If you still feel doubtful about the email you wrote, you can always have your supervisor or a colleague check before you send it. I used to do this all the time when I was new. Don't send it to people outside your organisation though because you don't want to overstep any non-disclosure agreements (NDA) and even without those NDAs, it's not the ethical thing to do.
Don't be afraid to ask for help if you are not confident with your writing style just yet. With time, you'll be clearing emails before lunch break.
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