Email can be very helpful and yet become very daunting in practically no time. It is needed by almost every business now to communicate internally, with clients, with advertisers and vendors, and with almost anyone who contacts the business. Proper use of email in a business setting can make a huge, positive impact on just about every department. However, email can be over used in the same way. Spam, promotions, sales, newsletters, etc., are all things that make checking our email dreadful and difficult to manage. Let’s discuss some ways to make email management easier to handle.
The Unsubscribe Button Is Your Friend
It may not seem like much but take the time to unsubscribe to each email newsletter sent to you that you don’t need. There are so many newsletters that go out daily that have nothing to do with your business or ways to help it. These emails are time consuming for you to go through and delete without looking at them. So why not get rid of them for good? It may take some time to sit down and get to it. However, the time saved in the long run is worth it.
Folders, Folders, Folders
Set folders up for your emails. If there are things you get regularly that you need to have but don’t necessarily need to look at every time, set up a folder for those emails to go into when received. Most email programs can even be set up for that to happen automatically without you having to move it manually. How these rules are set often depend on what email client you use. So, make sure that you check out the help file to learn how to set the automatic rule. Also, having a folder for archives is good so when something is no longer needed and needs to be kept, it can be put in the archive folder for future use without taking up room in your inbox.
Creating a to-do folder is another great idea. Put any emails that require you to do something in that folder and check it as often as you need to make sure those things get done in a timely manner. It can sometimes be hard to remember to do this, so setting a reminder on your calendar to check will be helpful, too. Most email systems provide embedded calendars and task lists as well. Utilize it!
Creating a reference folder is important if you are sent things you need to use for projects. These emails could be from coworkers helping out on a project, clients giving you details you need, or even emails you sent to yourself from home that you didn’t want to forget.
Those are just a few common folders you can use. No matter what names you give the folders, it will help keep your inbox a bit more organized.
Long-Winded Emails? No!
If your time is wasted by reading long, drawn out emails, politely put a stop to it. Emails should generally only be about one to two paragraphs! If it needs to be longer, they should call you or stop by the office. Typing up long emails takes time as well as reading them and there are more important things that can be done with that time. If you receive a long email, you can respond by asking the sender to call you to discuss the matter. Then, make sure that you scan the email to pick up on important points. When you talk to the sender, really listen to what they have to say. At the end of the conversation, tell them that you appreciate the detailed email but for important matters, they should make sure and call you so that you don’t miss their message.
We Want to Help!
Clients ARM wants to help you with your email management. Part of managing your email is also managing your time and how long you take each day on email alone! Let us give you a free consultation to show you how we can help.
