Are you wondering why your client wrote “looking forward to speaking with you soon” in the email? Or, you simply want to know when to use it in business correspondence. Well, let us clarify that this expression can be used in a conversation to convey your anticipation to talk with a person.
This is a great phase to include at the end of a work-related email and in an interview. However, most people refrain from using this expression as they think it is grammatically incorrect. The phrases like “Looking forward to speaking with you soon” and “looking forward to speaking to you soon” are grammatically correct.
Knowing when to use these two phrases is important in business communication. Though these phrases sound the same, they have different meanings. “Looking forward to speaking with you” is more used in a conversation than “Looking forward to speaking to you”.
Let’s see the differences between these two phrases and alternatives to use in a professional conversation:
Differences between “Looking Forward to Speaking with You” and “Looking Forward to Speaking to You”
Non-native English users tend to get confused when using these two expressions in verbal communication. Well, “looking forward to speaking with you” implies a prediction of having a shared conversation anytime soon. U.S. netizens use “with you” more than “ to you” as it sounds friendlier.
On the other hand, people in the United Kingdom use “speaking to you” more than the “with you” phrase. Most individuals avoid using “to you”, considering it unprofessional to use it as a business mail. However, this is the correct phrase you can use when writing an email to your employees.
“Speaking to you” implies that the sender or interviewer alone will continue the conversation, not the recipient or interviewee. However, “speaking with you” denotes that you and the other person will have an equal conversation. So, “to you” refers to a unidirectional act and “with” refers to a bidirectional act.
What Does “Looking Forward to Speaking With You” Mean?
Looking forward to speaking with you is trimmed from “I look forward to speaking with you soon”. These two phrases are formal, but the former sounds less stiff in a conversation than the latter. You can also use the “speaking with you” phrase when talking to your friends or colleagues.
Many employers or other professional figures write “looking forward to speaking with you” rather than “I look forward to speaking with you”. Removing the “I” from the beginning of a sentence is denoted as a “situational ellipsis”. We often do this to clarify the statement to the readers or recipients.
You can use “to look for” instead of “speaking with you”; it means the same thing and is grammatically correct. Many people write “I’m looking forward” instead of “I am looking”; but you shouldn’t do it. “I’m” is mostly used in formal conversations, which is inappropriate for work-related emails.
On the other hand, “looking forward to speaking with you” or “forward speaking to you” are grammatically incorrect. If you are looking forward to conversing with someone, consider using “speaking”. Here, “speaking” is a gerund; though it is in a verb form, it acts as a noun.
Best Alternatives to “ I Look Forward to Speaking with You”
You can use many alternative phrases instead of “I look forward to speaking with you”. However, you can’t use them in business emails, creating a miscommunication in the conversation. Some alternative phrases are appropriate for formal situations, and others for informal situations.
For instance, you can use phrases like “I am eagerly waiting for your reply” in a formal conversation rather than writing “look forward to speaking with you”. Additionally, “I fondly appreciate your feedback” is correct in non-work-related emails.
On the other hand, you must write “I have high hopes to hear from you” instead of “speaking with you”. “I am longing to meet you” is another great alternative to “look forward to speaking with you”. These two phrases can be used in professional conversations.
Here are other alternatives to “I look forward to speaking with you”:
1. Consider Using a Call to Action Phrase
A call to action phrase is more accurate than “look forward to speaking with you” when collaborating with an influencer via email. You must also use an alternative to “speaking with you” when requesting a backlink from your client.
You must know that clients or influencers might take more than 2-3 days to reply to your mail in these situations. Hence, use different phrases or call-to-action words to prompt them to respond to your email quickly. Here are the examples that you must follow:
- I have a meeting with the content team on Wednesday. Could you kindly send the feedback by Tuesday?
- Can you please send me the report on Friday at 1 p.m.?
2. Eager to Receive Your Kind Feedback
Add this phrase to your business email’s end if your office project has no deadline. This alternative phrase to “look forward to speaking with you” will help you to get responses from your clients quickly. However, this formal phrase sounds less stiff than the specific date or time request.
You can use this phrase if you expect a reply from the professional figures, but that won’t affect your business operations if they don’t. Besides, you can write “value” instead of “receive” to make the reply more casual to the recipient. For instance, you can write “I value your feedback” in your work-related email.
3. I Appreciate Your Quick Response
You can use “I appreciate your quick response” instead of “look forward to speaking with you”. This phrase often tells the recipient to reply to your email quickly. However, you must know when or whom to use this time-specific email.
Your client can only understand your reply if you use it in the right context. Using this phrase will be perfect if your email has an informal tone. If the email has a friendly tone, you can also write “I expect a reply soon” at the end of your email.
4. Happy to Hear from You
“I look forward to speaking with you” has become common in business emails. Hence, try to add something unique with a similar meaning to make the conversation more intriguing. For instance, you can use informal phrases like “always happy to hear from you” to your clients.
What does this phrase mean? It implies that you are happy to be in touch with that person. However, you can only use it when you frequently talk with the recipient, and he responds to your emails. The “happy to hear from you” does not insist the recipient reply to the email quickly. They can reply to you anytime, even after 3-4 days.
Other Alternatives to the “I Look Forward to Speaking with You” Phrase:
You can write “I await your prompt response” or “immediate response” in formal conversations. When should you use it? Using this phrase will be ideal if you need a reply from the recipient within a day. It will show that you don’t need any delay to the work sent to the person.
Additionally, you can use “Kindly respond at your earliest convenience” in business emails. It is polite to ask the recipient to respond as fast as possible to your mail. The phrase “write soon” can also be used in informal email conversations. You can use it when having a conversation with your family or friends. So, never use it in a business conversation, as it sounds casual.
