In business, there are many opportunities to send thank you emails.

However, it seems that there are many people who say that it is difficult to write a thank-you e-mail that conveys their feelings of gratitude compared to an e-mail that conveys a business .

In this article, we will summarize common etiquette for thank-you e-mails , how to write thank-you e-mails when you answer the phone , and phrases that you can use.

What are the benefits of sending thank you emails?

The reasons for choosing email as a means of thanking others are:

• You can check when it is convenient for the other party
• It leaves an impression when conveyed in words

Because there is an advantage.

When you make a phone call to say thank you, the other party has to stop working and take time to answer the phone, and if you can’t catch it because you’re away, you’ll get a call back from the other side . It can be distracting.

If it is an email, you can check it at any time, so it will not interfere with the work of the other party.

Also, there is an advantage that you will be more remembered later if you write down your gratitude in an e-mail rather than over the phone.

[Basics] Points for writing business thank-you emails

Before you start writing, let’s review basic thank-you email etiquette and writing tips.

Send as soon as possible

The sooner you thank them, the better your impression will be.

When thanking someone for doing something for you via email, it’s a good idea to send it as soon as possible.

Thank you for attending meetings and seminars on the same day. Send a thank-you email for a dinner party after the evening so that it reaches you by the morning of the next business day.

If you are likely to forget to send, you can also create an email and use the scheduled sending function.

Send during the other party’s business hours

It is customary to send business emails according to the other party’s working hours, except for urgent matters.

Recently, there are many cases where I receive company emails on my mobile phone or tablet, and I sometimes check the emails when they arrive after work . It’s not expensive.

As a rule of thumb, send emails about an hour before or after business hours, and avoid sending emails at extreme times such as late at night or early in the morning.

A subject line that indicates the content of the email

If the title of the thank-you email is ambiguous, such as “the other day’s matter,” the only way to find out what it is is to open the email.

I thought it was a business meeting, but when I opened it, it was just a thank you email … In this case, there’s no need to rush to check.

Among the large amount of emails that arrive every day, thank you emails are neither urgent nor absolutely necessary for business.

It would be nice if the other party could process other high-priority mail first and read it when he/she has time.

Use a concise subject line, such as “Thank you for the meeting” or “Thank you for the other day 〇〇 (your name)”, so that you can determine the content without opening the email.

clarify destination

In business emails, there is a tendency to put the relevant people in the CC anyway so that there is no omission of communication.

However, a thank you letter is a personal way of expressing your gratitude.

Be careful not to include unnecessary recipients in the CC , as the content will be completely irrelevant to anyone other than the person you are thanking .

For the recipient, it will be easier to leave an impression if they can tell that “This is a message written just for you.”

“Hurry” is an NG word

“Hurry”, which is used when you want to convey your business briefly in an e-mail, is NG in a thank-you e-mail .

“Toriki” means “hurry up for the time being” or “set aside anything”.

It is a word used in nuances such as “I’m not fully prepared, but I’m in a hurry, so I contacted you anyway.”

This is inappropriate for a thank-you email that should be sent politely and politely .

It is better to avoid “hurry” in emails addressed to outside the company, not just thank you.

If you really don’t have time, but you’re sending an email just to say thank you first, try rephrasing it with something like, “First of all, thank you for the email.”

Do not use fixed phrases

If you search online for how to write a thank you letter , you will find many articles with example sentences.

There are some phrases that can be used immediately, but instead of copying them, try to paraphrase them in your own words as much as possible .

Text that looks like a model picked up from somewhere gives a mechanical impression and makes it difficult to convey your feelings.

If you use polite language to express your sincere thanks, even the less succinct sentences will make for a compelling thank-you email .

Text structure

The composition of a thank-you email is the same as a typical business email, but remember that the main subject is the “thank you” part.

If you don’t cram extra sentences as much as possible and make it concise, the words of gratitude will stand out.

In this chapter, we will introduce the basic composition of thank-you emails and phrases that can be used.

Writing (greetings)

There is no problem with a fixed phrase for greetings in business emails.

If it is addressed to outside the company , it is common to say, “Thank you for your help.”

Also, if you were talking to someone earlier, or if there was an exchange of emails just before, there is no problem starting with thanking you.

• “Thank you for calling me earlier.”
• “Thank you for your prompt reply.”

Text (thank you)

For the thank you part, write down specifically what you are thanking for.

• “Thank you for taking the time to speak with us.”
• “Thank you for your valuable opinion.”
• “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for your visit to our company the other day.”
• “Thank you for your kind response to my earlier call.”

In addition, it is more effective to sincerely express in your own words, “What kind of benefits did the other person give you?” and “How did you feel?”

additional message

If there is anything else you would like to convey, please write it briefly after thanking you.

Remember that gratitude is the main thing.

knot

Since we are sending a thank you email to express our gratitude, avoid phrases that expect a reply from the other party, and conclude with a greeting requesting the continuation of a good business relationship in the future .

• “Thank you for your continued support.”
• “I ask for your continued kindness in the future.”

[By case] Example of a thank-you email for phone calls

There is no problem with writing a thank-you email for a phone call , as long as you follow the writing etiquette introduced earlier.

In this chapter, we will introduce examples of thank-you emails for phone calls for both external and internal cases.

[Outside] When you respond to a request over the phone

This is a thank you email when you request a quote over the phone and have it reissued because you need it urgently .

-Sample sentence-

〇〇
Yamamoto Co., Ltd.

We become indebted to.
This is takada from △△ co ltd.

Thank you for reissuing the quotation earlier.
Thank you very much for your prompt response to our urgent request over the phone.

We will send you the order form this week.
Thank you for your continued support.

<<Signature>>

[Inside the company] When you receive a phone call to yourself or act as an agent

This is a thank you email to a colleague who picked up the phone while I was away .

It depends on how close you are to the other party, but if it’s an internal email, you don’t have to be so formal.

-Sample sentence-

Mr. Kobayashi

Thank you for answering the phone call from 〇〇 today.
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to respond, and that you have already sent the materials.
When I called Mr. 〇〇 a little while ago, he responded quickly and said that he was very helpful.

I have plans to go out tomorrow, so I apologize, but if you receive a call addressed to me, please respond.

<<Signature>>

If you don’t need a thank-you email for phone calls,

At companies, when the phone rings, it is often necessary to stop working and answer the phone , which inevitably puts a strain on the in-house staff to handle the phone calls addressed to staff who are not at home.

Of course, it is important to express gratitude to the person who answered the call.

However, if you are answering phone calls as part of your business , it is not uncommon to deal with dozens of calls in a day, and if you receive a thank-you e-mail every time you answer a phone call , just reading the e-mail can become a burden. may be stored away.

If the other person is your boss, there may be pressure to “reply”.

If you’re working with people in your company, it’s okay to say thank you when you see them instead of sending a thank-you email every time.

You can also express your gratitude by giving gifts and souvenirs.

Send regular thank-yous via chat, or send an email when you want to thank someone in particular.

Call forwarding service “Canario” to improve the efficiency of telephone correspondence

Companies receive a large number of incoming calls every day, which can be a burden for staff to answer the phone and cause remote work to not take root .

In addition, it is not uncommon for customers who make calls to feel stress, such as “the person in charge is always absent” or “they can’t get through to the other party smoothly.”

We recommend NEC Networks & System Integration’s call forwarding service “Canario”.

In “Canario”, AI takes over the entire primary response of the phone.

Recognize the name of the person in charge from the voice of the phone and forward it to the mobile phone, so you will never miss a call from an important customer wherever you are.

Messages when you are away are also converted into text and delivered to the person in charge.

Article Summary

Here are some tips on how to write thank you emails for business .

The point of a thank-you email is to express your sincere feelings rather than writing perfect sentences according to the manual.

This article also introduces example sentences, but by replacing them with appropriate words according to the person and the scene, you should be able to create an email that conveys your feelings to the other person.