What Is the Role of Email in Business Communication?

There is no denying the fact that email plays an essential role in business communication mainly due to the fact that it is one of the more important channels for various businesses to connect with both internal and external entities related to the business. Email is used by businesses to communicate with their employees and other members of the organization. It is also used as a means for communicating with customers, suppliers and other people essential to the operations of the business.

An inclusion in the role of email in business communication is the fact that it can be used for basic communication within the business. Management can inform employees about any type of company-related information that they wish to convey. For instance, if there is to be a company meeting in week, the company will send emails to the concerned employees informing them of the time, place and purpose for the meeting. In the past, such information would be relayed through letters, bulletins and other less-popular means of communication, but the email has replaced these channels as the preferred method for communication. One of the attractions of this method includes the fact that it is instantaneous, making it easy to reach the largest number of employees within the shortest space of time, and also the fact that is inexpensive and reduces paper clutter.

Another role of email in business communication is its use as a means for marketing and promotion of services and products by the company. Most companies send targeted emails to their customers regarding any new product, changes to existing products, and other types of marketing drives they are working on. The effect of this role of email in business communication is also centered on its value as an inexpensive means for reaching the largest number of customers and consumers in the quickest fashion.

Sharing of files and other forms of data is a role of email in business communication that is also important. Companies can send huge volumes of information through email in a manner that might not be so easy with regular mail. For instance, a business can send pictures and other data to customers who call to inquire about the company’s services. Assuming a customer calls an insurance company asking about its products, the agent on the phone might ask for the customer’s email in order to send information packets that the customer can access instantaneously. Sending such a packet through the regular mail might take several days within which time the prospective customer might change her or his mind or look for another company.