62 Business Email Phrases to Start Using Right Now

Establishing and maintaining good relationships in business is essential. And since most people in the corporate world make their connections through emails, it’s necessary to have some communication skills. That’s when planned email phrases can be helpful. Mainly to avoid misunderstandings that can harm your contacts.

We have developed a list of the most practical email phrases you can use in your business emails for better conversations with your peers, leads, clients, partners, and other recipients. We divided them into ten categories that you may need to use to form an entire body email, from making a proper introduction to saying your goodbyes.

Also, you will find both formal and informal phrases because writing emails depends a lot on the tone of voice you give to your brand and with whom you are exchanging emails.

But first, how do you start an email properly?

Your email salutation matters a lot more than you may think. People appreciate it when you call them by their names because it shows that you are talking directly to them. When you just use a salutation + name, they may have the impression that you are sending the same email to another 100 people  — which may be accurate, but you have resources to sort this out nowadays. Here are some common ways of starting an email:

Dear [name]: It’s more appropriate for formal emails. Use it when you address a person in a position of respect.

Hi [name]: It’s simple, friendly, and direct, but also informal. Use it carefully.

Greetings: Use it when you don’t know the name of the recipient.

Hi (everyone/ guys): This one is when you are emailing a group of people informally.

Now that you know how to salute correctly let’s move on to your email’s next parts.

1. “I hope you…”

Email content starting with good wishes are always a great way of being social and friendly. Remember that socializing is vital in the business world, and you don’t need to be so formal all the time. However, always be respectful and think twice before bringing to the table things that can sound offensive. These are some common examples that you can use:

I hope you are well/all is well: It shows you care about that person. It’s respectful and a safe phrase to initiate a friendly approach.

I hope you had a great weekend/week/day: It depends on which time or day of the week you are reaching out. This phrase is one of the most common in business emails.

I hope you enjoyed your vacation: It works when you have the information that the person was in their vacation period and when you want to continue a conversation that had to stop because of that.

I hope you feel better soon: When you know the person is recovering from surgery or illness and therefore wasn’t available at work. Please pay attention to its variations, so you don’t sound like you are rushing them to do something. It may repel them instead of looking like a pleasant wish.

I hope you enjoyed the (name of the event): When you are reaching out after a corporate event that you have organized, using this phrase makes a great first impression, mainly if you ask for something in the email.

2. “I am writing to you about…”

When you are emailing first, you need to introduce yourself and talk about the email’s purpose. Sometimes you need to remind that person of who you are if you have been in contact before.

You can be impersonal or do your homework and research about the recipient. Because when you personalize your message to show you are familiar with their work or doings, you increase the chances of receiving a reply. Here are some examples of general email phrases for introductions and some inspirations for personalizing them.

General email phrases

It’s [your name] from [your company]: Start by introducing yourself with your name and the company you work for. If you want to omit the company’s name at the beginning, that’s fine, but be sure that this information will be placed somewhere in the email body.

I am writing to you about… Here you can insert anything related to a previous conversation or meeting you had with the recipient. Also, you can use this introduction to talk about future events.

I am writing to ask/enquire/let you know/confirm/invite you to/to update you on/ask for…”: Use this when you want to ask for information, a positioning, or make an invitation without further ado. It’s a way to be direct and keep the email short.

Might I take a moment of your time to…: If you want and/or need to be very formal, this is the best choice.

I am reaching out because…: It’s an informal way to introduce the reason for your contact.

Personalized email phrases

3. “Thanks for…”

Showing gratitude is an excellent way of keeping your recipient’s attention and overcoming problems that come to you in customer service. Mainly because you need to focus on solving these issues as smoothly as possible.  And sometimes, the customer asks a simple question and doesn’t even know it was a mistake, and you end up exposing and highlighting it. Let’s see some email phrases that will help in both cases:

Thanks for letting me know: This shows you acknowledge what the person has informed you and shows appreciation for that.

Thank you for your understanding/patience: This kind of message compliments the customer while you still acknowledge the problem they are having, without apologizing for mistakes unnecessarily.

Thank you for your email about…: This helps to remind the person about the matter you are talking about and opens up a more friendly conversation, depending on the content of previous emails.

Thanks for sending/asking about/attending: It shows people that you acknowledge their actions and appreciate them.

Thank you for reaching out (to me): This is a more informal way to appreciate someone’s contact.

Thanks for your feedback on/your suggestion: It welcomes feedback and suggestions, making the person feel secure to continue giving them to you.

 

Extra tip: If you need to apologize for a major failure, use something simple like “Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience caused.” But don’t spend your whole email apologizing. Instead, offer solutions for what has happened. Avoid using “Sorry for the inconvenience” because it sounds vague, informal, and insincere.

4. “Just a quick/friendly reminder that…”

You can use this kind of email phrases to provide information or address reminders to your recipients. It’s also useful when you want to call their attention to another thing in your email, mainly if you are writing to talk about more than one matter.

Please note…: If you want to call the recipient’s attention to a specific matter, use this.

Quick reminder…: This is an informal way to introduce something that you want to highlight, such as near-expiration dates or incoming meetings.

I wanted to update you: Use this phrase to tell your customers about troubleshooting that hasn’t been solved yet. Instead of openly addressing it as “an issue that hasn’t been fixed,” use “update” as a form of saying that you’re working to solve it.

I’d like to inform you that…:  A formal way to introduce a special announcement or give back a critical answer.

Just a quick heads up: An informal email phrase is often used to notify somebody of something, like a warning or a piece of helpful advice.

I hope you find this helpful: When you give them any information, advice, or even a solution for an issue they are having.

5. “I’m sending you…”

When it’s necessary to send attachments or even additional information that requires special attention from the recipient, these are some examples of how to approach this:

I’m sending you [file’s name] as a pdf file: Make sure to clarify the name of the file and its format, so the person feels more secure about opening it.

I’ve attached [file’s name] for your review: Again, remember to specify the file’s name and its objectives. Is it for the person to review, check or edit?

Could you please sign the attached document and send it back by [date]?: Use this one when you need the recipient sends you back a signed copy, and you have a due date for that.

Please see the information below for more details about…: If you want to highlight information, such as addresses or essential quotes.

Here’s the document you asked for/we discussed: This calls the recipient’s attention to something they have asked before.

More information is available at [website]: If you want to share links, introduce what the person will find there.

Tools to help with email phrases

If you use Gmail, there are native and third party applications that can help you save the most common email phrases as templates, so you don’t need to type them over and over again.

Gmail email templates

Gmail itself has a great built-in tool to help with useful email phrases and add continuity to your business communication. These are email templates, and pre-written responses you can set up to maintain consistency and tone. Here’s how to do it:

• Open your Gmail inbox
• Click on Compose and a pop-up window will open
• Start writing an email template baes on the suggestions above
• Then, click on the three dots in the bottom-right corner
• Select Template and then Save draft as template
• Choose the option Save as new template
• Give the template a name based on the scenario in which you’ll use it. Such as “Customer complaint response”
• Save!

When you receive an email that requires the use of this message, all you’ll have to do is open the same menu and select the template you’ve previously saved. You’ll be able to edit and personalize the message before sending your reply.

Email phrases benefit a lot from constant monitoring and analyzing to check if they’re effective for business communication. You can use AI in customer service tools to boost your email productivity.

These AI tools can generate reports on customer interactions to check for common questions and inquiries, the volume of incoming messages, the professional email response times and analyze how productive these emails are. With that in mind, you can set up better email phrases and strategies to optimize your time.

DragApp email templates and sequences

If you want to go beyond using common email phrases to optimize your professional communication, you can benefit from resources such as email sequences. Email sequences are automated based on specific triggers, with auto-replies and filters.

Our tool, DragApp, is a business shared inbox Gmail extension that changes your email game. One of the resources included is scheduled email sequences that benefit from customization and email phrases. Here’s how it works:

• Open the templates menu: that’s where you compose new messages and set up auto-reply triggers
• Add custom fields for an email sequence: each compose box has a menu with a series of custom fields that can be inserted into email templates. Select the fields you want, such as “First Name” or “Company Name”
  
• Add follow-up messages to the sequence: that’s when Drag offers more than other tools. Besides the initial auto-reply with the needed email phrases, you can add extra messages. Click on the “+” button on the left side and it’ll open another compose box
  
  
• Time the follow-up messages: at this step, you’ll be able to define the interval between emails in a sequence. Select how many days/weeks/months later your automated follow-up should be sent and the time.

That way, you’ll be able to go even further with email phrases. For example, say you’ve defined a template for when a potential new customer emails you about product quotes. You can set up a quick auto reply with email phrases such as Thank you for inquiring and we’ll be happy to assist you at first.

Then, after a set amount of days, you can use email sequences to send another message such as Do you have any further questions about our product? or Here’s what our customers have said about their experience to incentivize them to close the deal.

Wrapping up

Knowing how to write an email properly makes a total difference in receiving or not an answer. Using the right phrases makes sure that you won’t offend or cause a wrong impression on the recipient.

When writing a business email, you need to know before in which context your recipient is. Do you need to be formal or informal? In the end, you must be respectful in your words to avoid miscommunication. Now it’s time to apply these email phrases, open your inbox, and start giving your best at replying to your emails.