Do you mean written skills, or regulatory requirements? Broadly speaking, for linguistic conventions, the norm in the UK is to maintain the company's brand & culture values as for all customer communications, while recognising the fact that there is less formality in the usage of e-mail. If you are sending e-mails on behalf of a BPO client then ensure they own the communication branding as they would with other written (& verbal) outputs. Avoid text language...
e-ml = ltr nt txt! . Other 'rules' (conventions) include USE OF CAPS LOCK IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING i.e. RUDE! Be careful of copying people in on CC if their e-mail address is considered private with regards to others on the mail. I had a service competitor (clubbing e-business) send me a communication where they had used CC instead of BCC and therefore forwarded me their entire data mailing list for free!! Finally, a good example of a typical error is to write e-mails in much the same style as your post - vague, lazy grammar, lazy punctuation, etc!
From a data protection / security point of view it is a far more detailed consideration, and one which each company must spend care and due diligence in creating compliant policies. I have just completed a group level policy for the id & verification of customers via the web, including structured & unstructured enquiry, and it took A LOT of iteration to get compliance sign-off. A good solution is someone like Tumbleweed or e-Gain, which provide e-communication management through secure message centres held within your own server. The client is sent an electronic key via an e-mail link, but the data is actually held within the secure server. This also removes need for lengthy registration processes, which may not be appropriate to your business.
Here is a broad answer on DPA type considerations within th UK.
Data Protection Considerations for Secure Customer Output via the Web
If e-mail is to be used as an outbound communications channel it is important that the business identifies its duty to the customer with regards to data protection as defined in the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA 1998). The Internet enables data to be viewed anywhere in the world, and is notoriously open to ‘hacking’. Information sent via the Internet is open to interception and therefore businesses must consider if there is a requirement for encryption. Non-secure e-mail inboxes, such as hotmail or yahoo accounts, are open to invasion – using non-secure e-mail accounts is the electronic equivalent of posting a letter on the doorstep rather than through the letterbox.
While there is no clear directive that states ‘customer specific information cannot be sent non-secured over the Internet’ it is important to look at the process in view of the principles set out in the DPA 1998:
1. DPA 1998 - The Data Protection Principles #7
‘Appropriate technical and organisational measures shall be taken against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data’
2. DPA 1998 - Interpretation of the Principles
9. Having regard to the state of technological development and the cost of implementing any measures, the measures must ensure a level of security appropriate to-
(a) the harm that might result from such unauthorised or unlawful processing or accidental loss, destruction or damage as are mentioned in the seventh principle, and
(b) the nature of the data to be protected.
3. The Information Commissioner – Data Subjects Protection of Privacy on the Internet
The Internet is not secure. There is a risk that information provided over the Internet might be intercepted by people you wouldn’t want to read it
Information you (provide to a web site or )send via e-mail may be made available anywhere in the world and may not be protected by data protection legislation
Consider using reliable encryption techniques for confidential e-mail
4. The Law Society guidance on e-mail policy March 2004
4.5 Firms should also take note that the seventh data protection principle requires data controllers to take steps to secure personal data. Most unencrypted e-mail is vulnerable to unauthorised access and alteration as it is passed over the Internet. Firms should consider this issue in evaluating their DPA compliance and in drawing up the firms overall IT security policy.
Hope this helps. |