3 Ways To Be Professional While Using Mobile Apps
I’ve started to notice an interesting trend with mobile apps/devices. Since its a device thats in your palm you don’t really think about it being an outward expression of your business or yourself. We all just tend to not treat a mobile email app or text as if you were sitting at your desk. Instead its something we pound out superfast. Here are a few tips to make yourself (and business) look more professional.
1. Take Your Time
Thats Right. I said it. I can’t count how many times I have seen/sent emails, texts or tweets that have spelling errors or have left words out of sentences. Just because you are on a mobile platform doesn’t mean you have this shroud to hide behind when it comes to errors in your documents. You are still representing yourself and your business or both and need to continue to do so in a productive manner. This means to just slow down and take an extra five seconds while typing out a text, tweet or email.
2. Double Check Your Work
After you have taken your five extra seconds with writing your piece of communication read it over! Does it have errors? Does it make sense? Did you leave a word out? All of these are CRUCIAL when it comes to your professional appearance. The last thing you want is a client or potential client thinking you are a few crayons short of the entire box. So double check your work and just like Step 1. This takes an extra five seconds.
3. Remove Your Mobile Email Signature
Personally this is big one for me. The reason I say this is a big one is because I see the “Sent from my iPhone” or “Sent from my Windows Mobile Phone” as me bragging of what tech I have. Your clients and professional contacts don’t care what kind of sweet new gadgets you have as long as you produce what they are paying you for. The second reason I don’t like this is because it looks like your off doing something else. Now that’s not a bad thing that your not in the office but if you repeatedly send emails from your mobile device with that tag your client is going to begin to wonder if you are actually doing work on their project. Also wouldn’t it be more professional to have a business signature with your name and contact info? This way it appears like you are writing from your computer and and your appearance is everything.
Do you have more mobile tips? These are three common and crucial steps that we all are going to have to use as we have more and more technology in our palms and have the capacity to be able to conduct business from everywhere.
(I had a debate yesterday on twitter trying to see if Mac owners could turn of the Blackberry signature so if you know how please pass it along.)
Chad Engle is the Editor of Fuel Your Apps. He is a fulltime designer, who lives, breathes, listens , eats, tweets , connects & consumes all that is creative & app related. He is a caffeine addict and likes long walks on the beach. Follow him on twitter at@chadengle and @fuelyourapps
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Such a good point. Often I get smiley faces and IM abbreviations in emails, never realizing that they were sent from a phone.
Great tips! With so many time-saving technologies available it seems people are getting lazy with critical elements of business, like grammar, punctuation, etc. It really does make a difference when a person takes the time to get it right.
I’d also have to add to the list: #4. Don’t use acronyms that are not common place in business. Examples: AAMOI I’m ABT2 leave, ADBB (defined: As a matter of fact I’m about to leave, all done bye-bye).
all these make a lot of sense.
Also, another pet peeve with grammar / spelling is you’re vs. your. If you don’t know which one is which, better spell you’re as ‘you are’ and leave it at that. ;)
Chad – great article. Its interesting that so much of our professsional time and responsibilities
are spent on tech and devices we do not even have common best practices for.
Sometimes I’ll see someone do something and think “where has this person been hiding” but the reality is in a lot of ways many just stick with what works, until something bad happens.
I think tip #3 has some other angles to consider. I choose to leave me “sent via iPhone” + sig. Two reasons: clients care way more about your communication with them than being jealous you own XX and they don’t. Responding to your client while on the road, after hours, etc (via mobile) shows your dedication and consistent support.
And you as the expert SHOULD be rocking the latest and the greatest. This indicates you are up on the industry. It’s like “comm arts” on your coffee table. Thx Chad.
Lisa,
I think those are valid points to think about. I think showing continued support to clients after hours or while you are on the road is a great point.
@Lisa: I agree with that completely. I think that it can be important to show that you’re serving the client as quickly as possibly by being available through your phone at all times.
If you’re that worried about the bragging factor of labeling the device, perhaps you can change the signature to simply ‘Sent from my Mobile Device’. It gets the same message across without specifically mentioning the hardware.
Josh,
I agree. I was trying to get more at the fact that if they see “from my mobile device” they may start to wonder if your actually doing work for them at all. I do like the fact that you and Lisa mentioned that it shows that you are working outside of what is considered normal and putting the client in front of whatever else your are doing at the time.
I also think that this is something that is changing as mobile devices become closer to the norm. I would guess that where some people may consider it the way Lisa and I mentioned, others may still consider a mobile response as a low priority response. That in particular is something that I worry about as I shift my communications to be centered around my mobile device.
I want to feel that my client considers all communication I have with them on the same level because, to me, it is.
Agreed! I know in the future with the more prevalent mobile becomes it will not be an issue. However in the interim there may be a weird dynamic between the client and yourself. I don’t know if telling them would change anything ebcause then it may appear that you are trying to cover up always being a mobile device. Its an interesting situation that I tried to avoid by just making my mobile signature as close to my computer signature as possible. I think that you however have raised key points and questions about what is to come and what is correct on the mobile platform.
A buddy encoraged me to check out this post, nice post, interesting read… keep up the cool work!