How to Reach People in a Professional Setting

After a long two years of a pandemic, the world is starting to open back up, which includes people going into offices for work. However, a large majority of people are still working from home as well. According to a recent study, 61% of people are still working from home. Whether you are working in person or remotely, reaching potential business partners and coworkers can be a tricky subject to navigate.

When working in person, reaching someone is simple if they are in the office as well. Popping over to their office or cubicle to ask a small question is very efficient and can help save time. However, if it is an inquiry that may take some time, it can be better to send a message with detail asking if they have time to think through something with you.

Reaching a coworker when working remotely has the same principles. If it is a simple question, a quick call or message will do. If it is something that may take longer, reaching out to them and asking to set some time on the calendar could be better.

If the person you are trying to reach is not a coworker, it can be a bit difficult to navigate. Trying to figure out the best way to reach a potential business partner can be dependent on many things: how they prefer to be contacted, what time of the day it is, what type of relationship you have with them, and more.

As we all know, email tends to be a highly favored form of communication nowadays. However, there are a few things to avoid when sending these emails.

First, make sure the email you have is their professional email address, not their personal. It is also helpful to keep the punctuation and emoticon use to a minimum so as to not seem overly eager or unprofessional. Write out the important details and why the contact is important. Lastly, give them time to respond.

If this professional contact prefers to be reached by phone, the best times to make business calls are between 8 AM and 10 AM, and between 4 PM and 6 PM.

There will also be times when a person is not able to answer the phone. In some cases, leaving a voicemail is a good option. Some things to keep in mind when doing so: start with a greeting letting the person know who you are and your company name, the reason for contacting them, and where they can reach you at their earliest convenience.

Depending on how the business contact would like to be reached, there are multiple different avenues you can take when reaching out professionally.