By Email:
These online etiquette rules (also known as Netiquette) offer a few suggestions for using e-mail. You should try to adhere to these rules not only when writing business e-mail, but also when corresponding through personal e-mail. Even if you have a friendly or casual relationship with colleagues, you should remember that on-the-job correspondence means that an e-email is a business letter, in which salutations and greetings should not be forgotten. However, if you are just quickly corresponding back and forth with somebody per e-mail, it has become more acceptable to leave the salutation off. You should also carefully consider if an e-mail is appropriate for invitations to formal appointments and gatherings. A more effective and tactful form of invitation is still to send a letter per normal mail. And finally, typing mistakes do not give the impression that you are busy, rather, they are simply impolite. Before you send an e-mail, be sure to read through it again or to have your spell-check look over it. This will help you to avoid sending any unnecessary and embarrassing mistakes.

By Telephone:

• When calling, be sure to state your name, company name, and have a short greeting.
• A message left on an answering machine at a professional place of business should always include a few essential details: the name of the business, your name and the telephone number being called, and a greeting. A greeting is a polite gesture, regardless of whether it comes before or after you state your name.