Your boss sent an email, a document, or something to you and you want to send a simple acknowledgment message. No need to stress yourself thinking about what to write.
We’ve simplified the process by putting together some templates that you can modify for your specific scenario. Additionally, we’ve also included some tips to help you whenever you need to email your boss.
Tips For Emailing Your Boss
While tools like Slack and Teams are leveraged for easier communication across organizations worldwide, emails continue to be used in these organizations, especially when communicating with a supervisor over formal correspondence.
But unlike sending emails to coworkers where you can be informal and not worry about mistakes, you should be careful when writing to your Boss. Let’s look at a few things to keep in mind.
Clear Reasons
No need to send a long email. Keep in mind that your boss doesn’t have the time to be reading a long acknowledgment email.
They would appreciate the acknowledgement but only when it’s short and simple. So your email should go straight to the point.
If you’re expected to take specific actions after receiving the email, you can let them know the status.
Clear Subject Line
While you would not be able to include all relevant information in the subject line of the email, it should present the general purpose of the email within a few words.
This helps your boss or supervisor locate the email, understand the possible content even before reading the full message and finally ascertain the importance and urgency of the email.
After all, your boss would most likely have a busy schedule. A clear subject line would help them identify the urgency of the email especially when they have a boatload of work to get done.
Examples:
{{ Document Name }} Received
Use Proper Name
Coming down to the body of the email, you should identify the name your boss wishes for you or the general employee body to call them.
If they prefer to be addressed by their first names, you should address them as such. On the other hand, if you aren’t sure how they want to be addressed, you can either ask your colleagues or simply use your boss’ surname.
Keep in mind your workplace culture at this point. Some workplaces encourage informal communication between all members of the organization.
For informal workplaces, you start with:
Good {{morning/afternoon/evening}} {{Boss’ firstname}}
Hi {{Boss’ firstname}}
In the case of a very formal workplace where you aren’t sure of the best way to address your boss, you can simply start with:
Dear {{Mr. /Mrs /Ms. Surname}}
Hello {{Mr. /Mrs /Ms. Surname}}
Set Tone
Maybe something happened at the workplace that you didn’t like or there’s something you find annoying. You should always mind your tone in your professional emails.
It doesn’t matter whether the company’s doing something you’re unhappy with, you should always mind the tone of your communication. If you sound angry, your Boss is less likely to mind your request or even finish reading your email.
Use Work Email
Refrain from contacting your boss through your personal email. Most organizations implement some form of spam filter that may flag personal emails as spam.
The last thing anyone wants is to send an urgent message to their boss only to find out days later that they never got the email. Emails that come through the company emails are whitelisted ensuring that your boss receives them inside their inbox.
This is why most organizations provide their employees with company emails for communication within the company as well as correspondence with external companies.
Keep It Concise
Your boss probably receives loads of emails daily. The last thing they want to do is to spend precious time reading through a long email to determine its content.
No matter how important your email may be, your boss is not likely to spend 30 minutes trying to understand its content. It’s advisable to use short and clear wording to easily convey the content of your message.
Proofread
No one likes reading terrible grammar, especially in a professional setting. It’s advisable to proofread your email to identify any grammatical errors before sending it to your boss.
Tools like Grammarly are readily available to help identify errors in your writing. Keep in mind that these tools aren’t perfect. So manually proofreading your email can further enhance your message.
On the other hand, poor grammar could give your boss some laughs. But keep in mind that others are bound to join in.
Easy To Understand
Your boss most likely receives tens or even hundreds of emails daily, especially in the case of larger organizations. Ensure that your email is easy to understand within the shortest amount of time.
To determine this, you can ask a colleague or friend to skim through the email to test whether it’s easy to understand and adequately presents the necessary information.
End Formally
At this point, you can thank your boss for taking the time to review your request and then reiterate any relevant information before signing off.
Example:
Thank you for your time and assistance.
Signature
Official emails to your boss should be signed off with your official signature which includes your full name, job title, department if applicable, and contact details when available.
This can be easy if you’ve already created your signature template for your company email. The system would automatically include your signature in every email.
If you haven’t created a signature template for your email, you should manually include this in your email to your boss.
It can be something like this:
Sincerely,
{{Fullname}}
{{Department if applicable}}
{{Job role/title}}
{{Contact details (optional)}}
Sample Acknowledgement Emails To Boss
Template 1: Email Acknowledgment
Email Subject
Acknowledgment – Email Received
Body
Dear {{Surname}},
This is to acknowledge receipt of your email. I look forward to further discussion with you.
Sincerely,
{{Full name}}
{{Department name if applicable}}
{{Job tile}}Template 2: Document Acknowledgment
Email Subject
Document Received
Body
Dear {{Surname}},
Thank you for the {{Document Name}}. I will review it and {{Actions to be taken}}. If there are any further instructions or updates, please let me know.
Best regards,
{{Full name}}
{{Department name if applicable}}
{{Job tile}}Template 3: Email Acknowledgment
Email Subject
Acknowledgment of Email
Body
Dear {{Surname}},
This is to confirm that I received your email. I will proceed as directed and update you {{as soon as possible / as soon as I have more information}}.
Thank you.
Best regards,
{{Full name}}
{{Department name if applicable}}
{{Job tile}}Sample Acknowledgement Emails To Clients
Template 4: Email Acknowledgment
Email Subject
Acknowledgment of Email
Body
Dear {{Surname}},
Thank you for your email. {{I/We}} have received your inquiry and are committed to providing a timely response.
To better assist you, please share any additional information that you feel may be pertinent to your inquiry. This will help us provide you with the most comprehensive response possible.
Thank you once again for reaching out to us. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always happy to assist you.
Best regards,
{{Full name}}Template 5: Email Acknowledgment
Email Subject
Acknowledgment of {{Email/Document}}
Body
Dear {{Surname}},
Thank you for {{Your email/Providing the document}}. {{I/We}} have received and will {{What you’re going to do}}. In the meantime, {{What you want them to do/Or the next steps}}. If you have any challenges or concerns, please feel free to let me know.
Thank you again for your email.
Best regards,
{{Full name}}
