The average office worker receives 121 emails per day, with an open rate of just 30.6%, according to 2016 statistics. That means lots of emails get sent straight to the trash, or stay in their inbox forever, slowly increasing their unread email number until all entries are highlighted and the ‘mark as read’ selection means they’ll never be opened.

Any law office should take extra care to ensure that all emails are written with clear direction, and in a way that ensures the recipient reads what is sent.

There are some simple ways to ensure that your clients receive your email and open it, and understand exactly what you’re telling them. Follow these simple rules and don’t risk your mail getting lost in your clients’ email trash can.

1. Include a Clear Subject

While it’s quicker to just send an email without a subject line, it’s important that everything you send has a clear subject line. For instance, if you are emailing a client about developments in their case, a subject line that reads ‘Important Case Developments’ explains what the email is about, and that it’s important for the recipient to open it.

The subject line is the deciding factor for a recipient to open their email. Make sure it’s absolutely clear.

2. Use a Professional Address

Your clients expect professionalism at all times, and sending your client emails from your personal account isn’t acceptable. All correspondence with clients should be sent from an email address connected with your firm’s website. If possible use an email address that contains your firm’s name in the URL.

3. Proofread Every Time

Something as simple as typos made in an email can change the way your clients see you. It’s important that every single client sees your firm as professional and accurate – and proofreading can ensure that.

As well as proofreading manually, many email clients have a spell check function, which will show you all words that you may have incorrectly spelled. 

4. Add the Email Address Last

This is a really neat trick that ensures you don’t accidentally send your message before you have completed it. On some occasions, you may accidentally press ‘Enter’ or the ‘Send’ button before you’ve completed your message – and if you have added the email address, then it will certainly send.

By adding the email address last, even if you accidentally press ‘Send’ before you’re complete, there will be no email address for it to be sent to. It’s smart, and it saves you from sending half complete messages to clients.

5. Beware the ‘Reply All’ Error

One of the worst errors you can make with your email is pressing ‘Reply All’ when you intend only to reply to the person who contacted you. It can be easy to assume that an email sent to you was only sent to you, but this is often not the case.

Check every email before you reply, and ensure that you aren’t pressing ‘Reply All’ instead of ‘Reply’. That way, you avoid sharing information and data that is only meant for the eyes of one recipient.