Email is THE medium of communication for business transactions. Unfortunately, people don't treat email with the same care as face to face interactions. It's almost as if we're so complacent with the speed of email that our ability to use it in an effective manner diminishes with every message.

But even with technology, you must maintain approachability. In other words, you must be capable of being reached. So, email is not unlike any other form of communication in that requires consideration for the message, the sender and the receiver. Here are four critical keys for email effectiveness.

Consistency
Do you check your phone messages every day? Or do you let that blinking red light pulsate out of the corner of your eye for a week before you listen to the recording and call someone back?

Of course you get your phone messages every day! Why wouldn't you? Besides, there's bound to be some important calls on there you'd like to return immediately.

Okay, so let me ask you this: When you're at work, do you look at new papers in your box consistently? Or do you let that bundle of folders, papers and flyers spew out of edge onto the floor?

Of course you check your mail often! You don't want to miss any important dates or notes.

And yet, some people don't check their email every day. Why not?! How is email any less important as a form of communication? There's no reason you should check email with less frequency than any other medium. Even if you don't consider yourself "an email person."

Handle the Overload
Have you ever received an email that bombarded you with seven or eight questions, one after another? Letters like these can be tough to reply to, unless you organize your response. The best way to handle the overload is through the following reply process:

1.Start a blank email, either a reply or a new message.
2.Offer an introductory paragraph that thanks the person for his questions and tells him his answers are listed below.
3.Then go through the body text of the original email and locate each of the questions.
4.Cut, copy and paste each question in the blank space of the new letter as a subheading for your response. (It helps to italicize or bold the original question)
5.Under each question, give your response.
6.Offer a closing paragraph and your signature.

Signature
Whatever program you use for email - Outlook, Eudora, Yahoo, Hotmail - find out how to customize your signature. There's nothing more frustrating than receiving an email from someone who wants to talk further, get together or have you send them something that doesn't have any personal information in the email. So at the end of every email you send, always cross reference the following information: