February 4, 2015
EMAIL GUIDELINES
The KentuckyOne email system is a business tool and your emails should be treated as
professional correspondence, similar to sending a letter on KentuckyOne letterhead.
Think of it as enclosing your business card.
As on business cards, individualized taglines, quotes, verses or slogans are not
appropriate. Our new email guidelines do allow you the option to add a banner with an
approved branded marketing message below your signature.
Personal emails sent from the office are regarded as official company communications
regardless of content. Do not assume your email will remain private; it can easily be
distributed broadly intentionally or in error.
Send a message with clear, concise content
1. Observe common courtesies. Include a greeting and closing. Use “please” and
“thank you.”
2. Use proper grammar, punctuation, spelling and complete sentences, even when
sending a message on your phone. Proof before you send.
3. Indicate early and clearly in your message if you want the recipient to reply or take
another action.
4. Get to the point quickly and be brief. Most emails should not exceed 75 words.
5. Include all relevant details or information to limit confusion and unnecessary backand-forths.
6. Check for missing information, attachments and recipients.
7. Never send personal health or financial information by email.
8. Address your contact with the appropriate level of formality and professionalism.
9. Informal language is acceptable for recipients you know.
10. Limit the use of emoticon such as smiley faces, emphatic punctuation, such as !!!
and ???, and all caps.
Including a complete signature is a courtesy
11. Always include your professional email signature as a courtesy to the recipient.
12. Use the official KentuckyOne email signature formatted according to the guidelines
posted on InsideKentuckyOneHealth.org/Resources.
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13. Do not include a handwritten signature.
14. Use a current logo in your signature. Download the current horizontal KentuckyOne
master brand logo on KentuckyOneBrandCenter.org.
15. Do not end your signature with a tagline, slogan, quote or verse.
16. When using a device or program that isn’t compatible with the signature graphics,
use plain text. Include your name, address and other elements as shown in the
signature guidelines.
A simple format conveys professionalism
17. The standard font for KentuckyOne email is Arial, 11 point.
18. Do not rely on bold and color type to convey meaning; formatting may not be visible
on the device the recipient uses to read your message.
19. Do not use a clipart or background image or color.
20. If your email message is long, create headings for each major section.
Respect other email users
21. Check your KentuckyOne email a minimum of once every two business days and
more often if required for your job function.
22. Respond to emails within the same time span you would a phone call.
23. If you cannot respond to an email promptly, email back confirming your receipt and
when the sender can expect your response.
24. Include addresses in the To: field for those from whom you would like a response.
25. Include addresses in the Cc: field only when it is important for the recipients to know
about the contents of the email.
26. Protect your contacts’ email addresses when sending a mass email. Use the Bcc:
field rather than the To: field.
27. Remove contacts from the To:, Cc: and Bcc: fields who don't need to see your reply.
28. Limit use of the Bcc: field consistent with our value of integrity.
29. Limit the use of the Reply All feature to reduce unnecessary email traffic.
30. If you are unsure of the intent or meaning of an email, ask; do not assume.
31. Include the message thread to help the reader understand the context of the reply.
32. Set an “out of office” message for “inside my organization” if you will be unavailable
for more than a full work day. Include who to contact if the sender has an urgent
need and when you will check your email.
33. For security reasons, do not send out of office messages outside of KentuckyOne or CHI.
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Meaningful subject lines earn attention
34. Always include a relevant subject line that is meaningful to the recipient.
35. Do not tag your message as “High Importance” unless it is truly urgent.
36. When changing the subject, start a new message with a new subject line.
Other tips for effective email correspondence
37. When sending large attachments, "zip" or compress them. Or post and link to them.
38. Do not open an attachment sent to you unless it is from a trusted source.
39. Check your Trash periodically to assure you have not missed an important message.
40. If you have not received a response, follow up; emails sometime never reach the
addressee’s email box.
CUT-AND-PASTE INSTRUCTIONS FOR SETTING UP YOUR
EMAIL SIGNATURE
Please see the Our Email Signature Infographic located on
InsideKentuckyOneHealth.org/Resources for additional information about formatting.
Note: When using a device or program that isn’t compatible with the signature graphics,
use plain text. Include your name, address and other elements as shown in the signature
guidelines.
1.
Customize the signature below with your information
Your Name
Job Title
Hospital or Division
1 Saint Joseph Drive, Lexington, KY 40504
P 000.000.0000 │C 000.000.0000
email@kentuckyonehealth.org
KentuckyOneHealth.org
2.
Select everything including the text and logo, right click and select Copy
3.
Open Outlook
4.
Compose a new message
5.
Go to the Insert tab
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6.
Click Signature, then click Signatures
7.
Select the signature name you wish to edit or click New
8.
Paste signature from this document into the box
9.
Add an approved signature banner, if you wish
a. Open the approved signature banner Word document from
InsideKentuckyOneHealth.org/Resources
b. Right click on the desired banner and select Copy
c. Paste banner in the signature setup box, below the signature you created in
step 8, above
10. Proof your signature
11. To save, click OK
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