Question: “After meeting with a customer or supplier, my boss often asks me to send a follow-up e-mail. I always debate whether or not to copy him in my e-mail. I want him to know how and what I said to the person, but I’m not sure how it makes him look. What is the appropriate thing to do? Should I copy him on the e-mail? Should I forward the e-mail to him later? Do I need to copy him since he asked me to handle it?” — E.J.
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{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
I agee with those who suggested that you ask your boss, if, he/she wants a copy of the email. The confidence that your boss has in you and your work makes the difference.
I, for one, have an aversion to “BCC”s, I believe if you are sending me an e-mail I am entitled to see all who were copied on that e-mail. It gives a sense of trust and professionalism in your communication. BCCing seems under handed.
The downside though with BCC is that your manager will not know who you sent the message to, unless the content of the message is clear, concise and obviously specific to that client/issue. It would be appropriate to ensure that the subject matter contained sufficient content to provide the differentiator with other messages that are BCC’d.
Excellent responses team! Wow! I agree 110% with everyone.
I would add one more little thing, you may want to keep the e-mails in date order in a separate file and “roll them up” to your boss, monthly, quarterly, etc. ???
I had one employee that felt he needed to COPY me on EVERYTHING! Gosh! It was a real mess! I wished that this gentleman would have asked me “do you want to be copied on this or that” and I would have politely told him “no”.
Thank you.
Dr. StillStanding
Thank you all for your interesting (and very practical) answers! The bcc option is the best one but I also like the other suggestions.
When it is determined if your boss wants to be included in emails to your customers, to prevent him/her from being inundated with emails from customers I would suggest using bcc.
Since you indicated that your boss often asks for the follow-up email, why not cc him in your correspondence to your customer/supplier? If you don’t feel comfortable with his showing on the email, you can always “BCC” your boss. The bottom line is, since he’s expressed his interest in seeing the follow up correspondence, you should provide that information to him.
That is exactly what I would have said. Thanks DeeCee.
Patty
Have you asked the boss whether he wants to be copied on the follow up emails? If yes, you can blind copy (BCC) your boss. But there’s a good chance your boss trusts you to handle it and doesn’t need the extra emails in his inbox either.
I agree with the BCC and let the boss tell you that you don’t need to copy him/her. As a boss, I like to see all communication with customers because the customer may call me and if you aren’t around, out on a call or something else, I know exactly where the account stands and what issues he/she may have. Just don’t tailor the email so it sounds like you are writing to the boss rather than the customer. Don’t be afraid to say what you need to say to the customer.
My comment on this week’s question as to whether copy the boss in on a follow-up email is “no.” I would not copy my boss in on it but either forward the email to him after the fact or verbally tell him. The other option which I sometimes do is blind copy my boss in on follow up emails so that way she knows it has been taken care of but the client doesn’t know.
I would ask my boss if he would like copied when I reply to such things. If he wishes to be copied then I would use the “BCC” feature that is available in most email programs. If he choses not to receive a copy, I would then create a separate folder within the email program to save these replies in, so that should an issue ever arrive that he asks, “How did you respond to that email”, you could easily retrieve your response.
Ask him his preference. My boss is innundated with e-mails and doesn’t read half of them. I ask to be cc’d on anything to him since I have to follow up when anyone calls telling me they e-mailed him but haven’t gotten a reply.
I agree with DeeCee. My staff do copy me when they send a follow-up e-mail. the client knows that you are the one sending the e-mail and with the copy know that your boss is aware of what you are stating. A client feels better knowing that the boss is aware of what is going on. but you should folow what your boss wants.
I have to agree with Sarah. I always bcc my boss; if nothing else he’s in the loop, he knows I followed up and can field any calls or questions if I’m out.
I would ask him what he wants. On one hand, he might not want CC’s or BCC’s clogging up his e-mail. But on the other hand, he might want them as verification that you are sending them to the customer or supplier. The best way is not to assume anything and find out directly from him.
Ask him what you just asked here. It’s best not to guess. Just ask what he wants you to do.
If you would like to copy your boss, why not do a BCC instead? That way the client doesn’t know you copied your boss on the follow up e-mail and the boss knows what was said and that the follow up was made.