Often within an office environment I’ve heard or read people say ‘I will intimate you as soon as the work is completed’. But it is an incorrect and inappropriate usage of the word.
The word ‘intimate’ means close and personal. It can be used both as an adjective and a noun. So imagine saying ‘I will intimate you’ to a customer from the western world!
I’ve also seen people say ‘I will keep you updated’ or ‘I will update you on the status’.
While this is not entirely an incorrect usage, this is not formal. Also, when you are using the word ‘update’ with reference to a status, then it means that you have already informed the client about the status earlier and you will be giving yet another update based on any new outcome. It is better not to use the word update if you are going to give information for the first time.
So what is the proper word to use in such situations?
If you are talking to the client over phone or in person, then you can use the semi-formal word ‘inform’ like ‘I will keep you informed about the progress’.
But in an official email that needs to be formal, when it is addressed to the client, you can use the word ‘apprise’ like ‘I will keep you apprised on the progress’
Please note that ‘apprise’ means letting someone know about something, while ‘appraise’ is measuring someone’s progress. Hence the word ‘appraisal’.
You can use the word ‘notify’ for the same purpose in a business email. But it may not be that appropriate when you are writing it to a customer with whom you are interacting frequently or where the customer is also part of the decision making process.
The word ‘Notify’ is more appropriate where you need to let someone know about something without actually needing a response or action from them. For example, notifying someone that the Internet is up again.
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