Workplace Basics: Client Email Communication
Here are six things to keep in mind when emailing the client
If your role entails direct communication with the client via email, here are some key things to keep in mind, particularly across 6 categories:
Title of an email
Body of the email
Who the email is going to/distribution
Tidiness/appearance of an email
Email etiquette
Email follow-up
Email Title Checklist
Date of meeting notes included?
example: SHOW CODE - [Client Name] x [Your Studio]: E109 Animation Dailies - 2022-04-28
Relevant department mentioned?
Episode/Shot/Asset name clearly indicated?
If your show or studio has specific email title format practices, make sure you are following those!
For the email itself or body of the email, be sure to reiterate what you are referring to, including episode, shot or sequence, assets, etc.
When emailing the client, we want it to be as convenient and clear for them as possible, they shouldn’t have to guess or do any legwork on their end in just reading your email.
Ensure the path of action is clear for your client, for example, is this a delivery for which you expect feedback? If so, specify a deadline in full. Don’t just say “this Thursday”, write out Thursday, September 19th.
If you don’t expect feedback, specify the purpose of your email - for example, are you attaching reference for a call or launch.
Include any attachments, reference, links, etc, as necessary, and do so via the method preferred by your client. For example, a lot of studios don’t like to send screenshots via email for security reasons, preferring instead to use another delivery portal.
Email Content Checklist
Is it clear which episode, shots, and assets you are referring to?
Have you attached the reference/drawover/example?
Specify when feedback is due, or if there is no need to provide feedback
If there is no deadline, are the next steps clear (ex, "Confirming we'll be prepared to discuss Shot ABC_123 live in our 4/28 call")
Clearly identify what you want feedback on so there are no distractions
Is the asset/shot/episode name consistent with what the Client uses?
I.e. we often name assets and shots differently in Shotgrid than what the client is used to
Add caveats/DNRs as appropriate
Ex, "I'm including a screen shot of the book prop in question for shot ABC_123. Please disregard Jane and Joe, their designs are WIP. Please also note this is not the final BG colour. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the book cover"
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: break up emails into new paragraphs OR add bullet points
Makes emails more readable
Get straight to the key points with your busy clients
Never send a wall of text to clients (it's not great internally either...structure an email in a way that makes YOU want to read it)
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Answer client queries in complete sentences, this ensures absolute clarity on the matter at hand
Distribution on an email is important to pay attention to as we have internal and external emails to deal with all day, and we also need to be cautious, per our NDAs, who we are sharing information with.
Oftentimes, email groups or aliases may contain a lot of people, potentially even a combination of client or executives at your own studio. Be sure you are clear on who your emails are going to when you type in an email alias. Also ensure you are addressing the right person or persons when you start to write an email. f you’re unsure, check with your fellow production team members. If you are doing a delivery email, it is okay to say “Hi everyone,” or “Hi [Client studio name]”.
Email Distribution Checklist
Are the key internal parties on the CC?
Are the key external parties on the To?
Are you addressing the correct person?
If this is a smaller email, add individual emails rather than group aliases
You want to make sure your email looks professional and tidy–It is going to the client, after all. Unless your studio or client has specified otherwise, your emails should be sent in black text, with uniform font and font size.
Also remember to check when you are sending an email, as some studios are strict about client communication hours, and your client may be in another time zone - your email may be disturbing them!
Another thing to keep in mind is that we often get help from our superiors in crafting an email to a client. Your PM or Producer might even help you write a sentence or two.
If you are able to copy and paste your boss’s edits, ensure you are pasting as plain text, otherwise when you send it, it will appear in that dark purple colour that suggests the text was obviously copied, which doesn’t look tidy.
Email Tidiness Checklist
If you are pasting in info - paste as plain text (right click, "Paste as plain text" or Ctrl +Shift+ V)
This removes any old formatting, and will ensure the text is not the obviously-copied dark purple colour
Time check - is this email being sent within hours deemed appropriate for your workplace?
Ex, some studios are strict about emails being sent between 9:00 AM-6:00 PM
Remember to consider your Client's time zone!
If applicable, remember to use your email program's schedule email option
Is the main body of the email in black text?
This is more accessible for folks who are colour blind (and a lot of folks are!) or who may have visual accessibility needs
Some studios ask that certain departments or groups be marked in different colours, follow that guideline if so
This is usually for internal emails
Ex, “Thanks for the feedback, Animation team! Shot Finaling, you're up next!”
For email etiquette, a lot has to do with timing. Generally, studios prefer you to respond to a client email quickly, even if it's a simple, “we are looking into this” or “received, will get back to you ASAP!”
We want our clients to understand that their communication has been received and that we in the service studio are prioritizing whatever their query, request, or concern is.
When it comes to email etiquette, remember that you can absolutely ask your superior, be it your PM, Associate Producer, or Line Producer, to double check your work if you are unsure about tone or priorities.
Ensure that if you are asking your boss to proofread an email that you have all your facts in place (deadline, significance of a given shot or asset, what your email is in response to); your boss needs context to help their review of your email be efficient and effective.
Email Etiquette Checklist
No "NO" words
Usually, studios never want to say NO to client, or say that something is impossible/can't do (unless you have specific instruction from your PM or Producer)
As directed, suggest instead to follow up in a meeting/call
OR do some wordsmithing like 'Ideally we would want,' or 'Keeping in the deadline in mind we can do X'
If you are feeling unsure, your PM or Producer can help edit or wordsmith an email!
If an email needs investigation on your side, it's okay to say so!
Don't leave a client hanging wondering if you got their email
Confirm receipt of an email with something like, "Thanks Jane, confirming are looking into this and will get back you Friday morning when John is back in office"
Always address someone at the start of an email, never just "Hello," or "Hi,"
If you are unsure you can say Hi all, Hi team, Hi everyone, etc
The last thing with client emails is the follow up, or close the loop on a given email to confirm an action. This is both a practical move and a classic Production cover-your-butt move.
Email follow up can be very simple and often the most you need to do is relay, in a full sentence, what the conclusion of a given discussion was. For example, “Hi everyone, to close this thread we can confirm that as discussed in our call today, Monday, September 16th, we will submit a second version of X test shot by the end of this week.”
Email Follow Up Checklist
Wait until near EOD on due date to nudge something
Ensure client reference that comes via email is saved to the network, as well as put on Shotgrid (if applicable)
Forward any relevant info to a supervisor if applicable
Supervisors often want to advise on action items or client notes before they hit the floor for artists to address
Confirm internally if you are on it or addressing something (ex, message the Prod chat, tell them you see Jane's email and you are working on a response)
Remember if you have Gsuite, you can add an email to your Google My Task list as a way to keep it on your radar
Remember, in Production, we always need to cover our butts and ensure that the path ahead is clear for anyone who may be reading the email at any point in time. Additionally, our inboxes should never be the final storage spot for an action item or review; ensure that information is also appropriately tracked into Shotgrid/Flow, and the network and/or shared drive.
FURTHER LEARNING AND RESOURCES
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Work Basics: Client Email Communication
