Tamara Thomas
BUSI 472
27, November 2011

Top Ten Blunders in Business Etiquette

There are numerous mistakes in business etiquette which have become second hand in today’s society. As Christians in business we must strive to do as Christ would have us to do. We should have a higher standard when it comes to having proper etiquette in business; in my research I will attempt to convey the top ten blunders of business etiquette. People may ask well what blunders are. Blunders are simply mistakes or things that should not be done. All businesses have a set of ethical codes of business; no matter how large or small the business, proper etiquette counts as well as manners. As a Christian in customer service it is my job to make sure that I deliver outstanding service to our clients, by exceeding their expectations. I have been on both sides as the consumer as well as the representative of the business and I have had all these common blunders occur in my work as well me being the customer. The first common blunder is No multitasking while talking; this is a very big issue in a business where you have to have face to face contact with a potential client; emailing, texting, or answer unimportant calls while doing business with someone face to face. Texting and emailing unless it its business related should not be done at all while working, this type of disasters can cause serious miss communication between both client and business. How often do you see a person harm themselves as well others while texting someone; now with the new capabilities of today we can even email via phone that is even more of a distraction. The second common blunder is related to blunder 1 multitasking; however this common error would be public and private distractions, such as headphones, dark tinted shades, cell phones, video games, etc. The types of things can cause disturbances in the halls ways of your business which can cause the employees assisting the clients to lose focus and make the company look bad. Have you ever had a client sitting in front of you and you are trying to close a deal with them and your cell phone goes off, not only does it startle’s you but it embarrasses you and your company. The third common blunder of business etiquette is avoiding being to causal. Being to causal with someone whether it is a client or a co-worker can lead to disaster in the work place. Yes, we are living in a far more casual work environment than a decade ago, but casual is not the same as sloppy. Your team needs to know what is and is not appropriate dress. What does ‘business casual’ mean at your workplace? (Open forum.com). Additionally, casual dress can lead to a casual attitude. That can be good, but make sure your employees remember that they are at work, not home. What you do in your home is your business; leave it there if at all possible. The fourth common blunder in business etiquette is invading peoples space; DON’T DO IT or IT SHOULD NOT BE DONE!!! People like to have their own space both client and co-workers. Having their own space allows the client a sense of security and it will make your co-workers get along better with you; which makes a better office environment all around. The fifth common blunder in business etiquette is answering the phones respectfully; this typically begins with your receptionist or switchboard depending on the type of business you have. As the old adage goes” you don’t get a second chance to make a first great impression” this goes without saying. When you pick up the telephone be kind, warm, receptive, and patient; treat that person on the end of the phone as you would like to be treated. According to scripture; whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them (Matthew 7:12). As Christians in business we should strive to do our best to make sure we are using proper etiquette, we should ask God for guidance before we even enter our place of business and thank Him in advance; having faith that it is done through Christ Jesus it shall be done the right way, which brings me to the sixth common blunder in business etiquette. The sixth common blunder of business etiquette is two magic words that are rarely used anymore in aspect of life and those are “please” and “thank you”. These words go along way, by saying please you are showing not only that you have respect for self, clients, and co-workers; but you also have respect for your place of business. By saying thank you, you are showing that you have good manners; which are taught in some type of capacity in your life, it’s usually instilled in your younger years. In business when a client calls they should not have to thank us, we should be thanking them; not only does this build rapport with the clients but it shows that as a company we strive for excellence. The seventh common blunder in business etiquette to institute email rules. We are now a generation of the internet and emailing is a very big part of the business world today. Lately emailing has been something that has caused more harm than good in business, due to simple fact that the internet being the super information highway, you can literally find anything on the internet good and bad. This is why in a business the email etiquette should be used at all times. Proper email etiquette consists of 16 main rules on how to send and receive emails. 1. Be to the Point- People won’t read your entire email in detail if you are too long winded. In addition, people may even get discouraged reading your email at all when they see how long it is! Seems silly? Maybe, but it’s a fact of life. 2. Don’t Change To a Different Subject- You are better off sending a separate email about different subjects. The reader may just scan through the email, or read the top paragraph. Important information may be missed if you have several different messages in your email. 3. Make Action Items Standout- If you are asking someone to complete an action in your email, be clear about it! Make a separate paragraph which you begin in bold. 4. Use Proper Spelling and Punctuation- Not only does it make it more difficult for people to understand your message, but you also look extremely unprofessional by not using proper punctuation and spelling. Most email programs help you correct your mistakes. Use these features! If you have a difficult time with this, read your email back to yourself before you hit that send button. If it does not sound right, it does not read right. 5. Do Not Use You Large Email Signature for Replies- Email conversations can go on with many replies. Create a second email signature if your email client allows you to, and make it short. Just a greeting with your name should suffice! Only use your signature with your contact info etc. for the initial email. 6. Do Not Attach Large Files-Some email servers do not handle large email attachments? Keep your attachments to a maximum of 2MB. If you need to send larger files, use an online service. 7. Do Not Write In Capitals-READING A MESSAGE IN CAPITALS IS HARDER TO READ. In addition, it may seem you are yelling to the reader of the email, and people can take this the wrong way. 8. Start a New Email If You Change the Subject- Do not change the subject in an email without changing the subject field, or even better start a brand new email. This makes it easier to identify what your email is about for the reader, and is especially handy when you are searching for emails about the new subject some time down the road! 9. Do Not Overuse Reply to All- It is good to keep everyone informed. But sometimes too many people may be involved in the email. Especially in business people often receive too many emails. Keep this in mind. When you want to thank someone in an email, you can do that by just replying to that person. 10. Do Not Overuse Abbreviations and Emotions- Not everyone knows what it means when your write “btw” (By The Way), “lol” (Laugh Out Loud) or “ttyl” (Talk to You Later). Keep this to a minimum, or don’t use it at all in business emails. And let’s be honest, all the funny emoticon smiley faces are just a bit too cheesy, but maybe fun from time to time to some friends. 11. Do not Forward Chain Emails- Let’s face it? All these chain emails with big promises are just empty promises. We know this, and yet we can’t resist forwarding them to our entire address list. Stop today, especially in your business! 12. Do Not Email Confidential Information- Like it or not, email is not a confidential way of exchanging information. Even if you send the email to someone you trust, it can be hacked and read by anyone. If this is an issue for you, look into getting a secure server for your business where you can use secure collaboration. 13. Use a Meaningful Subject- Always fill in the subject line. Not only does it attract the attention of the reader better, it will also make it easier later to find that email if it is important. 14. Do Not Forward Emails without Consent- We can be quick to forward emails to others. Be sure that this is acceptable by the originator of the email. They may have confided in you with that information. Don’t break that relationship of trust! 15. Write an Email Policy for Your Business- People may not understand what is acceptable for your business, and what is not. Having an email policy is a good thing. 16. Turn off New Email Notifications- You schedule your own time; don’t let new emails distract your productivity! Disable all new email notifications and pop-ups, schedule time in your day to read your emails. You will be able to focus without being interrupted on your task! By implementing these simple techniques in email etiquette this will minimize company disputes and build a better moral. The eighth common blunder in business etiquette is treating the clients or customers like clients and customers, they are here for a reason and should be treated as such; typically consumers seek out a company due to their service, prices, and how can they benefit from what a company has to actually offer, so if a client/customer walks into your establishment treat them as if they are the most important person in the world because they are the ones that actually will determine your success in business, besides God. Blunder number eight ties in with blunder number five and six. As a Christian in business one should know what it takes and how to treat their clients/customers on more than just a business level. Christians in business should show their clients/customers respect, courtesy, and a winning attitude, a sense of spiritual awareness, and most all wisdom and knowledge in what they are capable of offering them through their company. The ninth common blunder in business etiquette which coincides with blunder number four (invading ones space); do not eat others food. Their food is their food. And while you are at it, clean up after yourself, don’t leave spoiled food in the office fridge or exposed openly on your desk for awhile. I know this may seem a little crazy, but if you owe a fellow co-worker money, even if it’s fifty cents give it to them, don’t go around thinking it’s alright to invade someone else’s space and take what doesn’t belong to you, even if you are very good friends outside the work place, leave your personal relationship outside come in ready for business. While it’s the Christian thing to do as well give to those as God has given unto you. Personally if you owe someone something give it to them, so you can continue to have peace and a common ground in the work place as well as outside the work place. There are three parts to the last blunder of business etiquette that all people really abuse and that is punctuality or time. The tenth common blunder of business etiquette is respecting punctuality. In majority of businesses today this is one of the biggest things, punctuality. What is punctuality; many truly do not know and for those of us who do we really don’t utilize it properly. The word punctuality has four different meanings: 1. Arriving or taking place at an arranged time; prompt. 2. (Of a person) having the characteristics always keeping arranging times, as for appointments, meetings, etc. 3. Obsolete precise; exact; apposite. 4. in math consisting of or confirmed to a point in space. When all meaning is applied in the physical sense for punctuality it’s truly saying time. A person’s that is ethical in business and cares about his or company will definitely be punctual. Because that is the type of good character a Christian businessman exudes. No one should have to wait not even for a minute due to some one’s tardiness, depending on the circumstances of course; in most cases not being punctual is something that someone who is lazy and irresponsible does. In order to make sure you are punctual in business make sure you get a good night sleep, make sure you have what you are going to wear laid out and ready to go; always dress to impress in business no matter what type of business, proper etiquette isn’t just what I stated above it is also how you dress and groom yourself. What you have inside reflects what you will give outside. So if you are feeling like a mess inside then you will certainly look a mess outside; hence why you should have everything in place the day before so you will be ready to look your best for your company as well as the people you are representing. In closing it is not hard to turn these etiquette blunders into etiquette wonders of business. We need to make sure we are following all companies’ policies and procedures. Companies need to make sure they are upholding the code of ethics in business and make sure they are relaying this to their employees effectively and efficiently. There is no room for any more errors in business the lively hood of the actual company; the people that work for the company are at stake when proper business etiquette is not enforced. Not only will you see a lack of money by not following and adhering to proper business etiquette which makes up the codes of business ethics. One may lose its business, reputation and not to mention its loyal customers. In very few cases this hurts the business and the stockholders and the employees of this business, but who truly pays the price is the actual consumers and taxpayers. I pray my research will help someone gain a better understanding on the common mistakes of business etiquette, how to correct the mistakes that are being made and how not to make the same mistakes.

REFERENCES
Punctuality retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com /browse/punctuality.htm
Top Ten Blunders in Business Etiquette retrieved from http://www.openforum.com/idea-hub.htm
Holy Bible (Nelson King James Version, Matthew 7:12, page 415)
Hosmer, Ethics of Management (Multidisciplinary Approach) pp. VIII-X: Preface
Email Etiquette in Business retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/how_know.htm

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