Professional Texting Etiquette Texting Rules & Guidelines
However, emojis can also increase text message engagement and response rates. They’re a valuable tool as part of a conversational messaging strategy. But this all comes down to context and the types of messages you’re sending. It’s been over 30 years since Neil Papworth sent the first-ever text message.
Don’t Bury Your Face In Your Phone When You’re Hanging Out With Someone
Everyone gets a notification when a new text gets added to the conversation. This is because the mechanics of a group text aren’t inherently professional. People (myself included) generally don’t like being stuck in a group chat.
But, in reality, there’s going to be an exception when someone skips the memo. You could, of course, create a new team for announcement purposes only. In this case, @ mentioning everyone is par for the course. Avoid workplace silos by ensuring every team is connected regardless of their choice of collaboration app. Your Google Chat users stay in Google Chat and Teams fans stay in Teams.
- And it’s not just how fast you reply that matters — it’s also about choosing the right time of day to send your message.
- Keep your face out of your phone when you are with other people.
- Proper etiquette in chat, text, and messaging is crucial to fostering effective communication.
- Keep communications only between those who absolutely need to be a part of it, and fill anyone else in separately.
You also don’t want to spam your customers or clients with non-relevant text blasts. Only send communications when it’s important and relevant. For professional messages, reply within a few hours. For social or family texts, replying the same day is polite. Texting etiquette refers to the unspoken rules and best practices for sending respectful, appropriate, and timely messages through SMS or text-based apps. Texting your boss or co-worker requires more thought than shooting a quick message to your friend.
“You’re gonna have to set up that lunch though.” If you and your sister are close, you might tell her in a phone call, “I love the videos, but it’s a little overwhelming to get so many in the day,” she says. In turn, “don’t feel ghosted if someone doesn’t respond immediately to you,” she says. But the efficiency of this communication process also depends on the respondent. These types of conversations require lengthier discussion and a more strategic approach.
Good business text etiquette strengthens communication without blurring the lines of professionalism. Whether you’re in a casual group or managing a family group text, good etiquette helps everyone stay on the same page without frustration. Group text etiquette is vital for keeping conversations manageable and respectful. These guidelines apply to everyday communication and help prevent misunderstandings, especially in professional and group settings. Unless the person knows you really well, sarcasm is best avoided via text.
This Teams etiquette is much like the Do Not Disturb mentality. If someone has typed a 17-line message, consider what the alternative could have been there. Maybe it could have been a video message or not everybody needed to see it and it was better placed in a chat message. Sure, it would be lovely if everyone stuck to what we’ve now deemed Microsoft Teams etiquette.
– Use Private Channels For Private Matters
Professional texting etiquette is also about being mindful of your word choice, tone, and manners when texting for business communication. A good texting etiquette follows guidelines to communicate respectfully through text messages. Good texting etiquette includes being concise and clear, avoiding excessive frequency or late-night texts, and respecting privacy and confidentiality.
Communicating bad news via SMS is not considered good business texting etiquette. Also, you may not communicate your tone and body language in an SMS, which may lead to misunderstandings. In professional communication, it is always a good idea to give prompt responses to your incoming messages. It shows that you value the sender’s time and efforts and also help build trust and rapport with your clients., colleagues, and employees. Also, it sets a culture of prompt responsiveness within your team.
That being said, SMS is incredibly valuable in helping to facilitate these meaningful conversations. You can quickly and easily send your employees a text to see if they can jump on a call, or a meeting link to speed up the process. If you’re not sure whether your message is clear enough before sending, ask a colleague to give it a read. And always make sure to preview your SMS messages before sending. One issue with SMS is that many have a tendency to overuse it. If you notice yourself sending dozens of employee text messages on a weekly basis, pause and take stock of your content.
Lastly, when requesting consent, be sure to maintain a polite and professional tone to foster respectful communication. If you’d feel weird getting a dancing hot dog sticker from your boss or a John Cena GIF from your mom, don’t send them one. If you’re not sure where the boundaries are, consider the perspective of the person you’re texting. If your message recipient responds in a light-hearted tone, then emojis may work. But if they’re approaching your conversation more seriously, you may want to leave the emojis out.
Prioritization — Using Your Time & Energy Effectively
Say you text a colleague to ask an after-hours work question. In this example, the breach of etiquette comes not from the lack of immediate response but from the seeming demand for one. An anxiety-inducing but widespread claim online is that the average text response time is 90 seconds—but there’s reason to be skeptical.
It is always good to use face-to-face conversations so that you Chatsterra can offer sympathy and right support when needed. Secure employee text messaging platforms like Udext for more follow-ups or any additional information related to the news. While messaging is a convenient way to communicate, not every topic is suited for text. Sensitive or complex discussions are often better handled in person, over a phone call, or through video conferencing.