Signing off

When you don’t know the name of the person (Dear Sir/Madam)

• UK English: Yours faithfully
• US English: Sincerely, Yours truly or Best regards

When you know their name (Dear Ms Jones)

• Yours sincerely

Other closings that are generally accepted in modern business correspondence, closings that I think are most appropriate for emails, include:
[col 6 first]

• Best regards
• Best wishes
• Kind regards

[/col] [col 6 last]

• Many thanks
• Respectfully yours
• Warm regards

[/col] With business correspondence, even if you know the person well, it is best to use a professional sign off like “regards” rather than sending hugs and kisses to the recipient. There are, of course, many less formal sign offs. I suggest you check your organisation’s guidelines before using these:

[col 6 first]

• Be good
• Be well
• Cheerio
• Cheers
• I’m out
• More to come

[/col] [col 6 last]

• Smiles
• Ta ta for now
• Take care
• Take it easy
• Until next time

[/col]

While you may think that your correspondence is private, the truth is that many business emails end up in the public domain. Always remember that you are representing your organisation.