E-Mail for Claims Examiners - Part 2

Saturday, March 16, 2002 | 0

In the last article we reviewed some basic e-mail rules that have particular application to the claims department. This article follows up on those rules with some more general advise on using e-mail properly.

On of the most important things to remember is how your message will be viewed or read. The "tone" of your message is extremely important. As an example, use of all caps in your message is seen as "shouting". Proper punctuation and formatting of your text is important to your communication.

Don't send copies of messages to people who don't need to see the message. We all hate to get junk mail, and getting mail that isn't relevant to your business day is just as irritating. Think about your recipient list before you send that mail.

Blind cc's must be used carefully. A blind cc can imply that you may be going behind someone's back and this can breed distrust. Remember that an expert can always "read into", or crack, your mail.

Don't ask for verification of receipt. Not only does it imply that the recipient does not normally read and respond to their e-mails, but return receipt is voluntary anyhow so you may not get a receipt even if the mail is read.

Beware of "crying wolf" - use the Urgent Message notation sparingly or your messages could be ignored.

Finally, remember that e-mail messages are not private. Most companies have a policy that anything on a user's computer is the company's. Furthermore, unless you are sending encrypted mail (which has its own set of draw backs), mail can be intercepted and read by anyone on the Internet.

Remember that safe e-mailing is up to you, the user. When done properly it is one of the greatest communication devices ever invented. When done improperly it can be one of the most difficult faux pas to dig yourself out of!

Author Cyndi Koppany is Vice President in charge of Training for Cambridge International. She can be reached at ckcyndi_koppany@cisgi.com.