Business communication etiquette is a term that is used to describe the largely unwritten, but applicable, methods of communication in various business settings. The application of business communication etiquette is wide and may be used in reference to the etiquette for communication within a business organization, or it may be applied to communication with others outside the organization. Business communication etiquette may be applied to individuals or to business entities, it may occur between businesses in different cultures, or it may be used in the business communications that occur online.
One of the instances of the application of business communication etiquette is in the dynamics of the communication that occurs within a business organization in terms of the manner in which the various employees, ranging from the management to the other employees on the lower rungs, communicate. For instance, business communication etiquette guides the way in which people respond to communication from other employees, whether physical or verbal. Assuming an employee sends an e-mail to another employee requesting some information regarding a project the both of them are working on, proper business communication etiquette requires that such a person should reply the e-mail in a reasonable time. Ignoring the e-mail is not only rude, but it could also lead to unnecessary friction that will not only affect the relationship between the two coworkers but also the productivity of the workers due to lack of proper communication between them.
Apart from the application of business communication etiquette within the organization, the same consideration can also be extended when dealing with people outside the organization, including suppliers and customers or clients. An example of good communication etiquette between an organization and its customers can be seen in the manner such a business responds to complaints by customers regarding either a product or some sort of service by the company. Proper business etiquette requires that such grievances must be addressed by the company, not only as a form of good customer relations, but also since good business communication etiquette demands it. When a business is dealing with other businesses in different countries, it must also apply proper communication etiquette as demanded by international considerations regarding allowances for different cultures and beliefs. In this sense, the business representatives will try as much as they can to observe the proper cultural business etiquettes in that country.