Email has become overwhelming and some days, unmanageable in the business world. At times, I feel reviewing and responding to the 200 or 300 emails I receive every day is a job within itself. In recent years, new outsourced options, such as EAhelp.com, have emerged to help professionals, executives and business owners particularly, sort and reply to emails.
While assistants may be in order, most of the challenge today is that email etiquette is not being followed. It’s about to become even more challenging when the next generation has to adapt. Email has become the go to communication tool for everything in business. Although new tools have emerged and professionals are beginning to communicate in new ways, email will remain a core way we communicate for the foreseeable future.
So, here are some tips to help you get a better handle on your inbox and employ proper email etiquette.
The Etiquette
Let’s starts with the etiquette. (But, I am sure you will want to use the tricks, too). There is a long list of do’s and don’ts for email. Here are the four most common issues I see as an executive – and hear about – in the workplace today. If professionals followed just these four rules, email communication would become far more efficient.
1. Use the copy feature sparingly.
The cc feature is overused in email today. That misuse alone is likely the biggest reason why email inboxes are on overload and storage limits continue to increase. Individuals, including supervisors or management, should only be copied on an email when they are expected to take an action. That may include “archiving” the information.
2. Avoid replying all.
Just because everyone is on the message does not mean everyone should receive the response. The same rules for cc apply here. Only click “reply all” if everyone needs to know.
3. Limit the subject line to a few words.
The subject line is not intended to carry the message, or be a sentence. It’s best to keep it to 2-3 words that summarize the purpose of the email.
4. Keep replying through the same email thread.
This has become more important as technology have options to sort emails by thread. That means I can pick up my iPhone and click once to see all the emails that have gone back and forth on that subject and even click one button to delete. It’s also recommended to resist the temptation to keep the thread going unnecessarily. You don’t need to reply with “thank you.” I consider it implied.
The Tricks
Now for the tricks to help you manage your emails:
1. Put brackets around folder names that you want to see on other devices.
The brackets put the key folders at the top of the list and ensure they appear on your iPad and other devices. This is a common trick assistants use when sorting executives’ inboxes to let them know what replies they need to review, questions that need their attention, etc. I learned this trick not long ago and so appreciate it.
2. Create rules to direct emails to specific folders.
You can direct emails with certain key words or from certain individuals (like your boss or top clients) to a specific folder. That helps direct your attention to key messages when the emails are flooding in and you may only have a few moments to review emails.
3. Set up auto forward for key projects to facilitate progress.
I do not want to be the one holding up an email exchange or issue because I am in meetings. It’s a good practice to set up auto forwards on emails pertaining to key projects to ensure someone on the team addresses it and the project can keep moving forward.
4. Set up spam filters.
Spam is a culprit in email overload. The downside to the filters is that there is a chance that some important emails are directed to spam and you don’t see them. But as a professional who receives many external, often promotional, emails like me, there is no way to go without.
Keep In Perspective
Although smartphones have expedited email response time, email is not designed to provide instant answers. It is etiquette to respond within a day – or two. New technology like instant messaging, social media and Lync make it easier to have real-time conversations.
But I often remind my team that some of the best technology we have is the oldest: our feet and the phone. Don’t underestimate the power of walking down the hall or picking up the phone. Email has its place. But it cannot be the catchall.
