Writing an email is a fast, convenient, and free way of communicating. In addition, e-mail offers almost endless potential through file attachments, links, and other functions. No matter what you want to tell your recipient, you can do it with an email. In addition, every e-mail program offers you the option of expanding the circle of recipients as you wish via the “CC” and “BCC” functions. But beware: the devil is a squirrel! Companies and destinies have already been broken by the careless use of CC and BCC. Therefore, read in this article what the abbreviations are all about and how you can best use them to your advantage.
The potential of an email
E-mail means “electronic letter”. However, it is significantly more powerful than traditional paper correspondence.
In addition to the written word, you can convey much more with an e-mail:
- Images in HTML format
- file attachments
- Download-Links
- Links to further pages
To send images in HTML format, your e-mail program and that of the recipient must be set to this function. With this function, you can then embed images directly into the text and make them immediately visible to the recipient. File attachments such as images or PDFs are simply attached to your email with the paper clip icon.
Tip
When sending larger file attachments, always enable the “return receipt” feature. This will give you a small return email when your recipient has received and opened the email. If you don’t get an answer, you can then ask. Your attachment may have been too large and was rejected by your recipient’s email service.
Download links are useful when sending very large files. You simply upload your file to the provider you trust and forward the link to your recipient. The user can then download the file with one click. But choose your upload provider carefully, especially when it comes to sensitive data.
In the business world, links to further pages are often internal pages that are not visible from the outside. You can use it to give a customer exclusive insight into the company and make sensitive information accessible to them.
As diverse as your options with e-mail are, one thing should be clear: how you address your recipient or recipients becomes more and more important with the sensitivity of the forwarded data and sources!
E-mail: Private, discreet, and secure – just the way you want it
In addition to prompt transmission and the wide range of options, the special charm of e-mail communication lies in its discretion. As long as you leave the CC and BCC fields blank, the conversation is limited to you and your contact.
In this discreet environment, you can communicate a little differently than when addressing a larger group. But beware – an email is quickly forwarded and unfortunate wording can have a boomerang effect. Therefore always remain – especially in the business environment – as professional as possible.
What you say in the coffee kitchen is difficult to prove in the event of a dispute. But with one careless word in an email, you lost control. Emotional outbursts via email never end well. Of course, this is especially true if you want to address a larger group of participants.
Tip
If you do want to get rid of the frustration, then don’t send the e-mail, but read it again the next morning. Most of the time the world looks very different again after you’ve slept on it for a night.
What does CC abbreviation mean?
CC means “Carbon Copy”. This ancient term dates back to the time of typed letters. If a secretary put two sheets of paper in the typewriter and put a layer of carbon paper between them, she could write two identical letters at once. In German, this was the “Kohledurchschlag” or just the “Ausschlag”. The carbon copy was intended for one’s archive, which one could refer to in case of doubt.
In e-mail traffic, however, “CC” stands for other recipients of an e-mail. The special thing about CC is that each recipient can see who else has received the e-mail.
What do you need CC abbreviation for?
Every e-mail program allows you to write as many recipients as you want in the first address line. Why do you need the CC function then? The e-mail etiquette applies here again. The first address line should only be used for people who should be addressed directly. Follow the guidelines given to you by the company. If you’re not sure, follow the hierarchy:
- head of the department
- group leader
- team leader
- team members
If you now receive important information from the management that you should forward to the company, then proceed as follows:
Address the department heads directly in the e-mail and put them in the top address line. The group leaders and team leaders come into CC. Depending on the explosiveness of the information, you let the members of the teams out. It is then up to the individual leaders to pass the information on to their teams.
However, if the task was to distribute the information to “everyone in the company”, then of course you also CC each team member. In the e-mail, however, you also ask the leaders to pass on the information. So you have fulfilled your task and secured twice.
Many companies also tell you how to communicate with them. For example, if a service provider has a specific question, the following procedure is common:
- First address line: Direct contact person
- CC: His supervisor, deputy, and assistant
Only the direct contact person is addressed in the e-mail. The people in CC only receive the email for follow-up purposes. If the question needs to be clarified within the company, the contact person can always refer to the already-known e-mail from you.
As a rule, the contact person forwards your request to a specialist. If you then eventually get an answer, it is not uncommon for the entire discussion between the specialist departments to be attached to the e-mail. You can find some interesting information there. In any case, you can see how much effort was put into processing your request.
Never change the subject and always let the whole discussion stand!
As long as you’re discussing something with another person, the subject remains as it is. You can delete the whole RE: WG: etc. again and again. But as long as the topic is still current, keep both the subject line and all of the resulting communication in every email you send and receive. In this way, the discussion remains comprehensible for every participant.
But as soon as a new topic comes up, it starts all over again at “zero”. This means: Don’t just click on “Answer” if you want to know something new. It’s better if you start a whole new email. This way you can be sure that no fragments from old discussions are left behind.
The blind copy or the BCC abbreviation
The BCC is the so-called “blind copy”. The addresses you enter in this line will not be seen by the recipients in the top and CC lines. So you don’t know if and to whom you sent the e-mail. Conversely, the BCC recipient can see to who the e-mail was originally addressed.
The BCC function is therefore a bit “tricky”. You should only use them with caution. There are relatively few applications for the BCC:
- Direct request from supervisor
- Large distribution lists where the members do not know each other
- Mass mail where the recipients should not know each other
There can always be situations where the supervisor wants to read along in an e-mail discussion without disturbing the familiar atmosphere. The BCC function is useful for this. However, this can seriously backfire if team members find out.
It is much more common for a large number of recipients to be addressed whose individual members do not know each other. This is where the BCC function comes in handy and makes the incoming e-mail much clearer.
The BCC function, on the other hand, is worth its weight in gold when it comes to soliciting offers. You can use it to send the same request to many service providers and suppliers. As long as you’re meticulous about only setting the recipients in the BCC, they won’t know who else you’ve written to.
But if you mix up BCC and CC here, don’t be surprised if the prices for the requested delivery are strangely the same: the recipients then recognized each other and agreed on the price with each other. With the BCC function, however, you avoid this danger.
How does email work?
Email is one of the most impersonal forms of communication there. However, since emotion is part of communication, every reader instinctively tries to read a mood from your message. Objectivity, courtesy, and professionalism are therefore the top priorities when communicating by email.
Let’s say the boss asks you to invite a team for an interview. You now have several ways to communicate this:
Here you can see how easy it is to misunderstand the use of BCC.
The following way would be better:
1. You write directly to the team leader and take all team members in CC.
2. You frame the boss’ request as a request.
3. You defuse the request by proposing three dates. The team should agree on a date and let you know.
4. You write what it should be about and formulate it as positive and friendly as possible.
If every team member sees that it wasn’t meant in a personal way, then there’s no need to worry. If the boss also signals flexibility when making appointments, everyone feels respected. After all, it may be that an important activity needs to be completed first before you want to talk to the boss. This conversation should only be about project coordination. The meeting can thus become a success.
How much tolerance is there in email communication?
An e-mail is quickly sent away and it is just as easy to make a typo. While “write and get out” is as convenient as it is enticing, don’t let that tempt you. You should always pay attention to the following things:
- Spelling and grammar correct
- punctuation is correct
- Short, factual formulation
- Clean address lines
- Names of each contact spelled correctly
- Signature OK
Consistently correctly worded correspondence via email will earn you respect. Respect is the cornerstone of trust and partnership grows on trust. Sloppiness and negligence counteract this. That’s why only send e-mails whose quality you have convinced yourself of – before you click on “Send”.
What else can you achieve with the e-mail function?
The e-mail functions are very similar across programs. Regardless of whether you use Outlook or a web browser, you will always find the most important features:
- priority
- business card
- The choice between plain text and HTML
- acknowledgment of receipt
- Term (in Outlook)
The “Priority” function allows you to mark an email as “particularly important”. A red exclamation mark will appear next to your message for the recipient. If he moves the mouse over it, the message “Priority High” opens. GMX also gives you the option to choose a “low priority”. But we would like to advise you against this – this message will certainly be ignored.
A business card is a small file that stores your contact information. If the recipient clicks on it, he can easily enter your data into his address file.
With plain text emails, there is no risk of “hanging”. However, you have little opportunity for creative design here. The logos of your company will not be forwarded either.
As described above, the confirmation of receipt is a return email from the recipient. However, the latter can also refuse to send the read receipt. In this case, only polite telephone inquiries will help.
The appointment function is very convenient, especially in Outlook. If you send an appointment file (similar to the business card), this is automatically entered in the recipient’s Outlook calendar.
A powerful tool with many possibilities
As you can see, e-mail is much more than a free, lightning-fast alternative to a written letter. With this medium, you have a whole range of possibilities that go far beyond the correct use of CC and BCC. It is therefore worthwhile to deal intensively with the functions of the e-mail program and to use it correctly. In this way, you convey professionalism, on which nothing else but respect and trust grows. With your reputation as a communication professional, you will quickly become irreplaceable for superiors and employees.