10 Essential Tips for Using CC and BCC in Emails

Table of Contents 

 Introduction

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For email users, abbreviations such as BCC and CC crop up quite often, and you may well find yourself asking "What is their special feature?". Well, it is all pretty straightforward and simple, as they are both used for adding more recipients to the list of people you are sending your email to. Both of these two functions are there to assist with efficient and clear communication.

Assuming the field “To:” is intended for the bulk of those who definitely need to receive the essential communication, then the CC function in the email space is intended for secondary recipients of such messages - for example, those who are interested in the subject or need to be informed that it has been sent.

With regard to BCC, this function is essentially only used in the following prevalent cases:

1. When the significant Email recipient list is extant;

2. When the mail sender doesn’t desire the key individual (recipient) to know about other recipients.

For clarification — the purpose of this article is to provide you with key tips based on Google's Top-10 search ranking in the USA.What’s the difference between CC and BCC in email

CC (or fully Carbon Copy) is fundamentally used for the purpose of sending e-mails to a group of individuals (recipients). Each member of the group will be able to receive a copy, as well as see the details of the other recipients.

 The BCC function (fully Blind Carbon Copy), as a rule, is used for mailing to each of the members (recipients) individually. The individuals won’t be able to view the engagement of the others - the email will appear to be addressed to them only.

The privacy process provided with the help of using BCC is totally guaranteed.

2. Using CC for inclusion and transparency of the professional email

One of the pros of the CC function corresponding to Email Etiquette is the maximum transparency of all text messages, as well as the good progress of email marketing in the form of simplified communication with participants (inclusion).

Apart from the fact that sending an email with the CC function is used to send various messages to a group of discussion parties, this function can be utilized as well for:

1. Underscoring the relevance of addressing major troubles.

2. The capability to familiarize people with each other. As an example, let us use this scenario: You change your position at work and send an email with an explanation to your manager, and a copy (CC) to the candidate for your replacement. All information, then, with contact details of both parties, will be received by the recipients.

3. The process of the ramification of the messages on the members` email boxes.

Note: Although this function is undoubtedly essential, you must be careful to avoid sending “spam”. Doublecheck before sending any copies. Make sure it is relevant to every recipient chosen. Do not clutter other people’s mailboxes unnecessarily.

Without doubt, the BCC function in email, in addition to its other various properties, is perfect for implementing the robust privacy for the data blocking of all parties. It allows you to keep recipients’ email addresses secret and avoid revealing them by accident.

Also, a very real benefit is to preserve all the recipients via BCC from getting the plethora of undesired replies with the "Reply to all" option.

Email marketing is one of the key ways to interest an audience. In order to comply with e-mail etiquette (content, readability, and comprehension of the text message by recipients), an ongoing check of all the points of email privacy before sending is still demanded.

In turn, we must remind our readers here about the importance of the specifics of the recipient list. Simply, emails for people who aren't interested in them must not be sent!

Adopt a habit, therefore, of double-checking your list of recipients before sending any emails. Do not add anyone to the list “just in case”. Comply with email etiquette to set an example to others. No one wants to receive a bulk of unnecessary emails day after day, as that is simply annoying.

5. Why using the BCC and CC in Email for a long period isn’t recommended

Taking a moment to mention the key downsides of the Blind Carbon Copy and the Carbon Copy functions, the more obvious ones are mentioned below:

1. Using these tools for long periods of time is a way to degrade email productivity markedly. For example: An employee spent around 5 hours looking through the messages in their email account, but only 3 are relevant to their work. This will have a negative effect on their productivity and emotional state. More to the point, they risk issues with their boss, due to such situations;

2. Overload caused by professional email messages can actually become a nuisance for you (problems with health etc). High productivity and more can be threatened due to such circumstances;

3. That is why there is a need to highlight one more time: think twice before sending any emails to anyone. Do not waste other’s time by your unnecessary efforts.

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6. The Professional Email - Organizing with clear headings and subject lines

With the aim of revealing more of the sense of the message you are sending, it is important to write the BCC email (or even CC email) subject line more obviously, as this translates to almost 80% of the success of the email message that you are sending.

In this list the key items of the subject lines are highlighted:

• Urgency often prompts individuals to do tasks speedly in order to meet a deadline.

• Productivity email SMS in the form of the introduction of offers (products, etc.) is a great move to ensure the interest of consumers and increase the demand for reading.

• The marketing email letter, as a rule, is familiarized using numerous customer data and preferences, and in such cases, the personalization process is indispensable. This is achieved with the help of typing data to the CC and the BCC fields.

Highlighting some recommendations to achieve desired outcomes, you should also do the following, to take your emails to the next level:

1. The content of your message should be laid out clearly and concisely;

2. Strictly avoid all spam phrases and words;

3. All deadlines clearly marked;

4. Try to make the text of your message unique. Personalize it according to the needs and interests of every particular recipient.

7. The BCC function for the mass email recipient list and marketing

Applying the BCC field is a unique solution for sending out emails to large groups of individuals, and advancing the marketing process further, both for companies and for individuals. By using the field, total confidentiality (the capacity to “hide” the personal data of the consumers from all others is introduced) is assured, and the great benefit is that within the various numbers of text messages and group members, anonymity is 100% guaranteed.

Complying with the email etiquette is the key item to progress the process of the email communication, when teamed with the rules of writing a professional email letter.

To achieve this, you must ensure you follow these recommendations:

• Create a progressive email policy with concrete instructions about how to mail to other parties. In a nutshell, half the job is improving the employees’ skills. Set clear mailing rules for your team. Discuss all the dos and don'ts.

• Familiarize your employees with your own various practical tricks concerning emails (as well ongoing training, seminars and so on). This will make their own work much more productive.

• Discuss some negative and positive cases from your personal experience — explain what they must do and which mistakes they must avoid, with the help of clear and practical examples.

• Provide numerous methods of motivation for using emails efficiently.

• Consider rewarding the best members of your team.

9. Consent of the parties for participation in the process of email communication

According to email etiquette and paying attention to forming a group of communicators, it is essential to send a SMS request to your potential participants to join the chat. In principle, we are also talking about consent to participate in various valid events; permission to sign documents, etc., but in electronic form, as opposed to paper. On the top of the earlier mentioned pros of typing the professional email, such document processing just simplifies all these procedures. When you ask for such consent you show that you respect your recipients' privacy and value their time and effort. In turn, that will contribute to your positive business reputation and the efficiency of your work. 

10. The procedure of double–checking the professional email letter

Prior to pressing the “Send” button, ensure you are in compliance with any communication email bylaws.  Double–checking procedures are mandatory - not only the content, but also the recipient lists.

Such a procedure implies reviewing the data in the BCC and CC, “To” fields; as well as the content with regard to the email etiquette tone. Make sure every email you send is relevant for all the recipients, created in compliance with business etiquette and is easy to understand — avoid possible situations where someone needs to reread your letters several times to grasp the meaning.

Conclusion paragraph about the communicational email 

To sum up all the received information about the role of the BCC and the CC field in the professional email,  it is essential to comply with the items mentioned in the email policy. 

We remind our readers that the Carbon Copy email field is usually applied for sending messages to a group of individuals. All the private data is visible to the full recipient list. Regarding the BCC email field, that is used for sharing messages with a group of parties, with the option to avoid the sharing of the personal data information of any other communicators. 

The choice of following the recommendations mentioned in this article is, of course, up to you. 

But by doing so, you will be able to get the desired benefits from using a professional email, e.g:
The total confidence of data information with the text message content; top email productivity; great impact and transparency in the process of email communication amid the parties are 100% guaranteed.

So, before sending any emails think twice on whether you need to use the CC or BCC method. Keep in mind that, today, people care very much about their privacy, so revealing or sharing anyone’s email data is unwanted in most cases. To that end, the BCC format is more preferable in any situation when confidentiality is needed.

Finally, we would also like to highlight the importance of checking the relevance of each and every message for each and every recipient before sending. Do not share irrelevant information that will just clutter up recipients’ email boxes. 

Not only is it annoying, but you also waste their time and effort on reading information they do not actually need — and that will result in extra workload, having a negative influence on their productivity and emotional state. On the other hand, you will receive the reputation of being a spammer, and people will avoid communicating with you. You also risk getting your email address blocked, and then you will have to create new ones (possibly again and again).

And, in the end, do not forget to check every letter for etiquette violations, mistakes, inaccuracies and unwanted and redundant details. Make sure every email of yours fully complies with business etiquette and is easy to understand. In this case, you will earn a reputation as a high-standard professional and as a person that is efficient and pleasant to interact with.

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