The benefits of email and instant messaging technologies are being undermined by many users’ failure to select the right communication tool for different tasks, according to a new best practice guide from Microsoft.

The new 10-point guide, which Microsoft developed alongside business etiquette consultancy The Finishing Academy, warned that many firms are risking damaging business relations through their failure to set out clear guidelines and offer training to support telephone, email and instant messaging technologies.

"There aren’t any rules out there for how to use communication tools and, as a result, many people are using inappropriate tools and at inappropriate times, " explained Penny Edge of the Finishing Academy. "Firms give staff a phone, for example, but no one ever gets a training course on how to use it."

Edge argued that the proliferation of communication tools has led to a deterioration in many business relationships. "The tendency of people to answer phone calls or use IM when talking to other people is rude and makes the other person feel inferior," she said. "We do need these tools but we have to realise they create problems if we don’t use them correctly."

Mark Deakin, unified communications manager at Microsoft, agreed firms have to take the issue of communication training and policies more seriously. " People need to realise there is an etiquette here," he said. "We have taken to saying "laptop lids down" when we start a meeting, to ensure people are paying attention."

The guidelines recommend firms set out clear guidelines on which communication tools to use in which scenarios, with IM deemed best for quick inquiries, email for more complex but non-time sensitive tasks, and phone calls for detailed inquiries that need an immediate response. They also argue that clear policies over what can and cannot be discussed should be set out, and warn that users should be wary of sarcasm and humour, which can often be misinterpreted.

Edge observed that poor business communication can often be traced to employees' willingness to avoid phone calls in favour of emails. "All forms of communication are good in moderation, but there is a sense that people have lost sight of the value of voice communication," she said.

Deakin argued that this trend could soon be reversed when integrated voice and email systems featuring click-to-call technologies are adopted more widely. "One of the reasons people email instead of call is that they have the hassle of finding the person phone number" he argued. "Once click-to-call makes it easier for people to make calls, we'll see more people using the phone again."