When writing an email, you always start from the top – placing the correct recipients in the proper fields.
THE TO FIELD
The TO field is the most straightforward field among the three that we are discussing in this article. This field is meant for the main recipients of your email. These are the people you are talking to in your email. These are the people you expect to respond.
Use the TO field when:
* You are addressing them directly in the email.
* They are directly related to the topic being discussed in the email.
* You are expecting a direct response from them regarding the topic.
THE CC FIELD
CC is an acronym for “carbon copy.” When you place a recipient in the CC field, they will receive a copy of the email. It means that the email does not directly concern them and you are sending them a copy of the email purely for their information. People in the CC field are not expected to take action or reply to the email, but they can only if they want to.
Use the CC field when:
* You want them keep them updated on important information that doesn’t require their immediate, direct and active participation.
* You want to enhance the urgency of the email. When you CC the higher-ups in the company, the TO recipients will understand that the email is very important.
* You take on a co-worker’s tasks temporarily. When your colleague is on leave and you are covering for them, it is a good habit to CC them in all relevant communications.
* You want to introduce one of your contacts to another. In this way, they can introduce themselves to each other and communicate in the future.
IMPORTANT NOTE
The CC field is often used much too liberally. It is tempting to CC people on all matters that loosely involve them. However, spamming people with irrelevant or unimportant email is not recommended. If you keep on CC-ing people, your next emails will have reduced significance, because people will start to think that you are just spamming them. Abusing the CC field may even cause people to ignore your emails going forward. Always including higher-ups in the CC field may also send a strong signal that you are always seeking support and that you are unable to handle concerns by yourself.
While there are many reasons to use the CC field, make sure to think before you click the Send button.