Writing report emails is a solid skill and something easy to learn for everyone. Here we outline the report email format and provide 8 samples that you can use straight away.
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We all love reports, right?
Regular reporting is critical for keeping companies working hard and achieving objectives.
They're a great way to show we've accomplished something, and that's worth shouting about!
So if you've spent time collating figures and creating a report, make sure to craft a clear report email to deliver it.
A professional report email offers insights into the information, provides crucial context, and clarifies any issues that need attention. Writing report emails is a solid skill and easy for everyone to learn.
Report emails follow a standard format with a logical structure that's simple to master — and we will show you how.
In this guide to writing report emails, we outline the report message format and provide 8 samples you can use immediately.
Before we explain how to send a report, here's what not to do.
Inexperienced emailers will create long messages which go into a massive amount of detail to prove they've done something. This is a rookie error that takes time and wastes effort.
Effective reports emails should provide the following (and nothing more):
This provides a simple snapshot of essential information for your boss, customer, or client.
Following this format works because you're adding value to the email, sifting through it to provide what they need.
If they want more, they can read the report, right?
But how do you deliver this information? Thankfully, there's a widely accepted format which we outline below (you're welcome!).
The report email format provides a standard structure to introduce your report, include all the details above, offer contact details for further conversations, and include a polite and professional sign-off.
To make it as simple as possible, we can break down the report email format into three parts:
Keep your report email subject lines as easy to follow as possible. It's essential to outline what's included in the email. You can also add extra information, such as the dates or times covered and any actions you may require.
Here are some report email subject line examples:
We'll assume that if you send someone a report, they'll know who you are and why you're messaging. This enables us to ignore some (but not all) pleasantries associated with professional emails.
We still start each message with a professional greeting (Hi, Hello, etc.) along with the person's name, and then hit them with the purpose of the message:
As we've explained above, it's worth providing a short breakdown of what's included:
You've delivered the detail, data, and information, so your job is almost done.
At the end of each email, it's polite to offer the chance to chat about the report and its contents:
Now, finish with a professional sign-off (kind regards, yours, etc.), and you're (nearly) done.
Our final piece of advice is: ALWAYS REMEMBER TO INCLUDE ATTACHMENTS.
We've all rushed off an email and hit send without remembering to send the related documents. No matter how great your report messages are, they're worthless without the attachment!
Understanding how to write a report email and doing it are two different things, which is why reviewing our samples is so important.
In this section, we share 8 report email samples and an explanation about each email, including what we include and why.
Check out these report email messages and learn how to put these principles into practice. We break these samples into subsections covering monthly reports, daily reports, and incident reports.
Monthly reports are a major headache for many of us, but at least writing emails should now be much simpler.
Our monthly report sample messages make it clear what's being included and pick out the highlights for your time-poor boss.
Monthly reports can include performance, sales, and attendance figures. Your boss will be expecting your monthly statement, so we highlight the essentials and leave them to read the report for more info.
Hi (Recipient's name),
I am attaching the (report name) report covering the period (insert dates).
Kind regards,
(Your name)
Logging your hours is the most important email you'll send each month because it'll ensure you get paid.
Like the report email sample above, we provide a breakdown of the essential information your boss will need to know. We also push for the next steps – such as getting your salary sorted out and payment date.
Hi (Recipient's name),
I am sharing a report of the hours I have worked this month.
You can see a breakdown of the number of days/hours that I have worked. In total, I have worked (number) or days/hours.
Please can you confirm the total amount I will be paid for this month?
Please confirm when you have received this email and advise me when you have submitted it to the accounts department.
As always, feel free to message me if you have any questions, queries, or concerns about my hours worked this month.
Many thanks,
(Your name)
Performance reports are a chance to highlight what's gone well and what could be improved. In this monthly performance report email sample, we skip over the details and keep things short and sweet.
Hi (Recipient's name),
I have attached a copy of the monthly performance report for (insert month or dates).
While I know you will read the full report, I wanted to bring a few things to your attention. (insert details).
Please get in touch with me if you have any questions about the report.
Many thanks,
(Your name)
The daily report email format is similar to those used to send a monthly report. However, you can make some minor tweaks to ensure it's the right length. Given that you'll be sending these every day (the clue is in the name), it's worth developing a template you can use. This will provide consistency your boss will welcome and cut down massively on time spent creating them.
How do you create a template? Here are two daily report samples to get you started.
This daily report email sample focuses more on details and completed tasks. In contrast, the previous monthly report sample focuses more on the bigger picture and outcomes that were accomplished.
Hi (Recipient's name),
I hope you're having a great day! I've created my daily report and included it with this email.
I hope you have a great evening!
(Your name)
Activity reports provide a snapshot of everything you've achieved that day. It could cover calls answered, clients messaged, deliveries made, or something else. This sample provides a standard and formal way to deliver your activity report. You can cut and paste this each day; just remember to fill in the gaps.
Hi (Recipient's name),
Before I leave for the end of the day, I would like to share my activity report with you.
Today I have (insert some highlights).
You can find a complete breakdown of my activity in the report attached to this email.
Hopefully, everything is clear and easy to understand. Still, I'm happy to answer any questions or clarify anything you need me to.
I look forward to hearing from you.
(Your name)
Depending on your job, you may be required to send special reports at some time. Examples can include incident reports, inventory logs, and bug reports.
These are different from the transactional messages above but will require some context, explanation, and information about the next steps. Check out the samples below to see how this is done.
If you've identified a fault or experienced an outage, you'll need to provide an incident report. These reports clarify the causes of an incident, its impact, and the actions you're taking to ensure it never happens again.
Hi (Recipient's name),
As you are aware, we experienced an incident on the (insert date and time). The incident was caused by (provide details).
Thankfully, we managed to solve the problem and restore the system by (insert date and time).
We have created an incident report (attached to this email) that provides details on the causes of the outage, the actions we have taken, and the steps we're putting in place to ensure this never happens again.
Please confirm that you have received this report. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused, and I am happy to discuss how we can ensure this situation is never replicated.
Kindest regards,
(Your name)
Inventory reports provide details on the stocks and supplies you have in your business (and those that are running low!). Here's how to write an email to send an inventory report
Hi (Recipient's name),
My name is (your name), and I'm contacting you with the latest inventory report for (insert date).
You can find a complete breakdown of all inventory, but I am drawing your attention to several key items running low. Specifically, we may need to order more of:
I look forward to hearing from you.
(Your name)
Next time you find a pesky bug affecting software, use this sample email for a bug report. Raising awareness of bugs is great, but your customer or colleague will want to know what action you're taking to fix the problem.
Hi (Recipient's name),
It's (your name) here from (company). We've recently identified a bug in the software. You can find details of the bug in the attached report.
The bug was discovered when (provide details).
We've already started working on a solution to the problem, and here's what we plan to do to fix it. (Provide details).
Once you've had a chance to review the report, please feel free to contact me for a discussion about the next steps and potential solutions. Again, we're working as hard as we can to solve the issue.
Kind regards,
(Your name)
If the report email samples here aren't hitting the spot, this template is what you need. This customizable report email template can be cut, pasted, edited, and updated to suit your circumstances.
Hi (Recipient's name),
Please find attached the latest (report name) report. This report covers the period (insert dates and times).
I look forward to hearing from you.
Many thanks,
(Your name)
Writing report emails using Flowrite's AI-assisted email writer is the fastest way to do your duty of sending reports. This is how it works:
Our Chrome extensions works where you work (Gmail, Outlook, WhatsApp, etc.) so you can stay efficient while working on your reports.
OK, so now we are on the same page.
While writing report emails isn't exciting, they are pretty easy, so they shouldn't take too long to create (especially if you use our samples or customizable template).
The core of an excellent report email is the same as any piece of professional correspondence: being clear, consistent, and conveying essential information as quickly as possible.
Write it, send it, and get on with the rest of your day.
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