# Totally unneccesary business email replies

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totally-unneccesary-business-email-replies/610895>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [January 27, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totally-unneccesary-business-email-replies/610895 "2012-01-27T19:47:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![xanthous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/53a042/32.png) [@xanthous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xanthous)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totally-unneccesary-business-email-replies/610895/1 "2012-01-27T19:47:01Z")

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I’d think that the only time you REALLY need to reply to a business email is if you are either  
A) answering a question  
B) asking a follow-up question  
C) confirming/revising/rejecting/providing important info  
D) acknowledging the receipt of critical instructions or information

I’d think that the only time you REALLY DON’T need to reply to a business email is if you want to say  
A) Thanks!  
B) Thank you  
C) Thank U  
D) Awesome thx  
E) You rock  
F) Cool  
G) OK  
H) This is great (not as an approval, but as unsolicited commentary)

Yeah, I’ve got one of _those_ at my job…

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**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totally-unneccesary-business-email-replies/610895/2 "2012-01-27T20:07:01Z")

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🙂

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**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totally-unneccesary-business-email-replies/610895/3 "2012-01-27T21:12:48Z")

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Thanks, you rock! What a great thread!

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**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\
**Post date:** [January 27, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totally-unneccesary-business-email-replies/610895/4 "2012-01-27T21:21:17Z")

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Here’s the thing though … we receive a ton of files that feed our system via email.

For us, “Thanks,” is short for, “We’ve received your file and we will load it tonight.”\*

What sucks is when each of the five different people on the distribution respond to the poor bastards.  
ETA – \* which I see you’ve sort of addressed in option D, so, you know … ignore me.