What would Emily Post do?
In referencing some classic Emily Post etiquette books published in the mid 60’s, I read that one should never make a call during the week before 9 am. Or after 8 pm. Nor should we call someone on a weekend before 10 am. And never on a Sunday without invitation. All communications should start with “Dear” or “To Whom It May Concern,” and be in one’s very best cursive script. Remember – never abbreviate, never exclamate. (!)
So……
How about this iPhone that I have then, Emily? If I get an e-mail at 11 pm on a Friday, mid-martini, should I jump to call, text, e-mail, and resolve the query? Or does one wait till Saturday after 10 am? Alas – Saturday is not a typical work day – so would I therefore further delay my response to the next business day after 9 am?
Oh my!
Being an anxious Capricorn, there is a very good chance that my clients will get that immediate knee jerk reaction, while my friends continue the conversation without me. When my phone bleeps, my 6 year old comments – “Mum – you’ve got e-mail” (who needs AOL?).
Do we respond as honestly – and with as much thought – when we fly at an answer instantly? Do we give our clients (big spenders and small alike) a warm fuzzy feeling when there is no “by the way” or “thank you”? And what of the lack of capitalization and punctuation? Does one assume the user is uneducated? Or just too busy to backspace and correct it?
My challenge for the week is to locate the most current etiquette opinions on the matter from the SMB world. I will let you know what I find. Stand by – this should be pretty funny.
Yours, remotely, wirelessly, and conveniently connected in the palm of my hand.
Megan
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