I encountered what I will admit is a pet peeve today, so I’m writing this article.  I needed to contact someone whom I correspond with regularly, but I have no reason to call or be called by them.  So, after checking my phone, I went to their email, thinking this would be a fast and easy way to gather the contact information.  Well, not true.  I eventually gathered the information and contacted the person, but what a waste of time, which is time they are being billed for one way or another.

Example Signature Block

Ewing A. BusinessProfessional Senior, Technical GeneralistFavinger Enterprises, Inc.100 Spacious Sky, Ice Flats, AZ 85001Phone: (800) 900-1000 | http://www.favingerentprises.com

Which email should have a signature block?

• The signature block should be on every email (both initiated by you and replied to by you), this was true even before the days of remote work, but for remote workers, contingent works, and works who travel frequently it can be a productive enhancer.
• Plus, it is simply the professional thing to do, saving everyone time and frustration. Not having one also makes you look unprofessional. Do you really want to damage your personal brand?
• As if that were not enough, including your signature block is free advertising for you and the company you represent.
• Additionally, most email accounts let you build one or more signature block, which can be embedded in your email.

Where to place your signature block?

• The signature block should go at the bottom of your email. I still use the five lines below the last line of the body of the email to provide white space before the closing, as I learned when writing business letters decades ago.

What should be in a signature block?

• The signature block should be compact and informative and at a minimum should include:

The Closing

• The closing is simply a polite way of saying I’m ending my message now. I usually go with the tried and true ‘Sincerely’, but others go with ‘Thank you’, ‘Best Regards’, or ‘Best Wishes,’. The main points, it should be short, polite, and professional.
• This section should be followed by two lines

Your Name

• This line is your professional name (First Name, Middle Initial, and Last name) and designations (Ph.D.…etc.)
• This is your chance to say who you are and brand yourself to the reader, in a way which your email address cannot. Especially, when you consider that many of us don’t control what work email address is assigned to us.

Your Business Title

• Including your business title provides some insight into your role and professional expertise.

Your Company Name

• Much like your title, providing the Company Name and Address lets the reader know who you represent and, perhaps, more importantly, it is free advertising for the company.

Your Phone Numbers

• Including your phone numbers, both office and cell (if different) enable people to quickly reach out to you if they need or want to. Not everybody keeps all their infrequent business contacts in the phone directory.
• Putting your phone numbers on your signature block, also, enable the potential caller to verify that the numbers which they may have are still correct.

There are other items are sometimes included, such as:

• A company logo to enhance the appearance and quality of a signature block
• The Company’s website to help customer find out more about the company and to direct business to the company
• The senders email to reinforce the email address in the header of the email.

However, the guidance provided above will make you look a lot more professional in a hurry if you have not been including a signature block in your emails.