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Sophie Vassarotti - Oxon Data Systems

Often their emails are rambling and unorganized, forcing the reader to wade through blocks of totally useless text. When it comes to written communication, less is more. Having hundreds of emails in your Inbox is not uncommon. But it's very uncommon to find people who successfully manage their Inbox. Instead they let their Inbox become a great black hole with no business value. Email has a bad name in business primarily because people don't treat email correctly. Email can be a vital tool to your company and your software development project, but it has to be managed. Email will be an accurate record of requests, conversations, and decisions. Emails are legal documents and will be treated with the same care as any other correspondence with clients or employees. Email is also in an extremely effective task tracking tool, and requests made by email will be treated with the same seriousness as Project Plans and other directives, for email can be seen as the protocol between the sender and receiver. Here are a series of email rules / etiquette that govern how we use our Inbox.

Do you agree with them all? Are we missing some? Email us your tips, thoughts or arguments.  Let us know what you think.

*** Update *** Instead of manually implementing these rules, use SSW LookOut! to automatically implement them for you. If you use Microsoft Outlook as your email client, download it and give it a go.

Red star Indicates important rule

Rules to Better Email
  1. Do you use email for tasks - not communication? Red star
  2. Is your inbox a task list only? Red star
  3. Do you reply DONE and delete the email? Red star
  4. Do you save important items in a separate folder? Red star
  5. Do you keep the history of an email? Red star
  6. Do you send unnecessary emails? Red star
  7. Do you know how to hurry someone up? Red star
  8. Do you realize the importance of a good email Subject? Red star
  9. Do you sort your emails by Received AND Important? Red star
  10. Do you know when, and when NOT, to use email? Red star
  11. Do you realise that less is more? Red star
  12. Do you know the right way to report bugs?
  13. Do you use the voting option appropriately?
  14. Do you seek Clarification Via the Telephone First Red star
  15. Do you prepare, then confirm conversations/decisions? Red star
  16. Do you send yourself emails? Red star
  17. Do you CC everyone and reply to all when necessary? Red star
  18. Do you use email signatures? Red star
  19. Do you avoid using images in your email signatures? Red star
  20. Do you keep your email addresses in a company database? Red star
  21. Do you always keep your sent items? Red star
  22. Do you think that when replying to emails it's better late than never? Red star
  23. Do you minimize Outlook distractions? Red star
  24. Do you follow up emails effectively?
  25. Do you know the two ways to follow up a task?
  26. Do answer all questions, and pre-empt further ones?
  27. Do you add context/reasoning to your emails?
  28. Do you avoid the Rules Wizard?
  29. Do you use active language in your emails?
  30. Do you know that people misunderstand sarcasm in email?
  31. Are you careful with your spelling, grammar and punctuation?
  32. Do you know how to add someone into the conversation?
  33. Use Tasks only for Recurring Appointments
  34. Do you manage your Deleted Items?
  35. Do you include the name of the person you address as the first line?
  36. Do you send tasks one email at a time?
  37. Do you respond to each email individually?
  38. Do you use > and indentation to keep the context?
  39. When you reply inline, do you use a different color?
  40. When asked to change content, do you reply with the content before and after the change?
  41. Do you avoid emailing sensitive information?
  42. Do you always remember your attachment?
  43. Do you avoid huge images or attachments in your email?
  44. Do you use Word as your Editor?
  45. Do you resist the urge to SPAM to an email alias?
  46. Do you avoid sending your emails immediately?
  47. Do you know how to recall an email?
  48. Can you sort your emails by ClientID?
  49. Do you manage your email accounts?
  50. Do you use "Request a Receipt" selectively?
  51. Do you send Outlook Calendar appointments when appropriate?
  52. Do you know how to add an appointment in someone else's calendar?
  53. Have you done follow-up for tomorrow appointment?
  54. Appointments - Do you see who is coming to the meeting in the subject?
  55. Do you avoid putting the time and date into the text field of a meeting?
  56. Do you avoid using Auto Archive?
  57. Do you remember that Emails aren't your property?
  58. Do you monitor company email?
  59. Do you avoid using words that make your email like junk mail?
  60. Do you unsubscribe from newsletters?
  61. Do you avoid replying to all when you are only BCC'ed?
  62. Do you use the security options in Outlook 2003?
  63. Do you use Offline Email?
  64. Do you avoid using Out of Office?
  65. Do you fix up the history?
  66. How do you reply to free support requests which would need more than 20 minutes work?
  67. Do you include the original content in your email when asking for modifications to be made?
  68. Do you use a search tool to find your lists of sent items instead of doing it manually? Red star
  69. Do you assume necessary tasks will get approval?
  70. Do you work offline with the current release public folder?
  71. Are you aware of the importance of client's attachment?
  72. Do you know how to reduce spam?
  73. Do you know when to use +1?
  74. Do you put the estimation at the bottom of the email when sending a task to self?
  1. Do you use email for tasks only - not communication? Red star

    Email is a very powerful business tool. The main problem, however, is that for most people it is out of control - emails build up until they are impossible to manage. To help minimize mailbox clutter, try these tips:

    • Send emails that contain clear tasks, not banter
    • If the email you receive is not clear, call up the person who sent it and ask for more information. Too many people reply to the unclear email asking for clarification, which wastes time and does not guarantee a response.

    Using your mailbox as a task list also saves you from having to use inefficient paper-based cards for your extreme programming work! - That will make Dr. Neil cranky :)

    Bad email
    Figure: A bad email is one that gives no clear action items
    Good email
    Figure: A good email has a clear next step action point
  2. Is your inbox a task list only? Red star

    Most people have no idea of how to manage their inbox effectively. Emails will be treated as a list to do. As you complete a task you can just delete the email.

    Your inbox will only contain 'tasks', that is actionable items that are on your list of things to do. Everything that is in your 'Inbox' (including sub folders) will only be to-do items. So do it now, delete all emails you have done, or move them out of the folder if you want to keep them for reference.

    Inbox
    Figure: Everything in your Inbox (and subfolders) is still "to-do"

    In fact you could go so far as to say you willn't do anything unless you have an email telling you to do that task. (Which is why we send ourselves emails.)

  3. Do you reply DONE and delete the email? Red star

    If someone asks you to perform a task by email, don't reply 'OK, I will do that' or fail to reply at all. Instead, do the task and reply 'DONE' when the task has been completed and delete the email. This way the person requesting the task knows that it has been done, and doesn't waste time following you up. If you don't agree with the work requested, reply "no" and give a reason. In any reply include relevant information, such as the URL and the code or text that has been updated, which allows the person requesting the work to check what was done and allows for offline reading.

    Bad Done Email
    Figure: Example of a Bad 'DONE' email.
    Good Done Email
    Figure: Example of a Good 'DONE' email as it has both the link and the changed text.

    If there are multiple items of work in an email and you can't do them all at once, reply DONE to each item individually, and CC yourself so you can go back and do the remaining items.

    If you get multiple requests for work relating to one project, it's still best to reply to each email individually, rather than compile the information into one email. This way the person requesting the work hasn't lost the email history and can understand what the work done relates to.

    There is no point keeping emails that just clutter your Inbox. You don't need to keep the original email because after you have replied 'DONE' there is a copy in Sent Items.

    From: Jliu
    Subject: RE: BUG on Product.aspx

    DONE - There was a problem with the SQL. I added the following:

    SELECT
                                        
    ProdName = CASE WHEN Download.ProdCategoryID <> ''
    
    THEN ProdCategory.CategoryName
    ELSE Download.ProdName END,
    Downloads = (SELECT Count(*) FROM ClientDiary WHERE ClientDiary.DownloadID = Download.DownloadID
    AND ClientDiary.CategoryID = 'DOWN' AND ClientDiary.DateCreated > '01/01/2000'
    AND ClientDiary.DateCreated < '01/01/2003')
    
    FROM
    
    Download
    LEFT JOIN ProdCategory ON Download.ProdCategoryID=ProdCategory.CategoryID
    
    ORDER By Downloads DESC 
    Figure: Reply "DONE" after you have completed the task.

    Even better, follow a tip I got from my accounting days... "A sign of an efficient person is they handle a piece of paper once". When you get an email - don't just open it have a quick look and close it with the idea that you will go back to it later. Read it, make a decision and do the action. Delete as many emails as you can on the first go.

    We have a program called SSW eXtreme Emails! for Outlook that you can use to reply "DONE".
    SSW eXtreme Emails! add-in for Outlook

    PS: Generally in a developer team environment, you will move emails to bug tracking systems like: Exchange Public Folders, TFS Work Items or JIRA.

  4. Do you save important items in a separate folder? Red star

    There are many types of emails which you receive but will never actually reply to. For example a client may email "Sounds great - please go ahead." These kinds of emails will be kept as a reference for the future.
    Emails that came into your mailbox will not be left in your Inbox. The aim is to read, action (if needed) and delete. You will be trying to get your Inbox down to 0 items.

    So what's left in your 'Inbox' will only be 'To Do' items. Sure you might want to add subfolders to group related projects etc. but these subfolders will also contain items 'To Do'.  Some people leave emails in their Inbox, for later reference only. We believe this is not a good idea, and you will create 2 folders outside your Inbox called 'Saved Items' and 'Saved Personal Items' for such emails.

    Saved Mail
    Figure: Save important reference items in a separate folder

    Microsoft Outlook provides you with 4 main folders: 'Draft', 'Inbox', 'Outbox' and 'Send Items'.  But we believe they are missing 2 additional folders: 'Saved Items' and 'Saved Personal Items'.  You can use these two folders to keep the your work related or personal emails that you wanted to keep.

    You can create these two folders next to the Inbox and move the emails there.

    We have a program called SSW LookOut! for Outlook to check for this rule.

    Contact or Saved Items Folder It can add these folders for you.

  5. Do you keep the history of an email? Red star

    Often I receive a reply to an email I sent and it has one word - "Yes." I can't remember what I asked for and the respondent has deleted the history, so I don't know what's going on. I can't check to see whether they have answered all my questions, or what the URL was in the original email, and I can't CC someone else on my reply because the email is missing half the information. So I have to go back into my sent items, find what I asked for and copy and paste it into my reply.

    Crazy. Just don't delete the history! Geezzzzeeeee, surely we arent that hard up for disk space.


  6. Do you send unnecessary emails? Red star

    Every email you process takes time. Sifting through unnecessary emails becomes really frustrating. Don't clog up someone else's emails Inbox with unnecessary emails.

    A good rule of thumb for whether an email is unnecessary is if your email comprises of less than 5 words (e.g. "Thanks!" or "Well Done") it's likely it doesn't need to be sent.


  7. Do you know how to hurry someone up? Red star

    Sometimes the person you send your email to may not reply immediately because they're busy or just may have forgotten about it.  If you need an answer, use a RESEND by doing the following:

    1. Reply to ALL 
    2. Put (RESEND) in 1st line of the Body
    3. Plus any other instructions - such as "Hurry Up!"
      Hurry Up
      Figure: This is an example of a RESEND.

    This reminds the other person that you are still waiting for a response.


  8. Do you realize the importance of a good email Subject? Red star

    Just as we will not 'judge a book by it's cover' - we will not judge an email by its subject. But, we do! Because users get SOOOO many emails, getting your clients and suppliers to take notice of yours among the sea of email in their Inbox can be quite a struggle.

    Outlook Choose an interesting subject
    Figure: I'm definitely going to read this email

    Use the email Subject to grab your recipients attention. Choosing the right subject can give an email a sense of urgency or importance that choosing the wrong subject won't!
    The best way of doing this is to ensure that your subject includes either an ACTION POINT (e.g. 6.30 TONIGHT! See you at The Oaks Hotel...) or a RESULT of a task you were asked to do (e.g. Here's the 5 mins. of FEEDBACK you requested from our meeting with Charles Merton). You'll note from this that including the date and time in the subject gives immediacy to the email.
    If there's anything to be learnt from spammers, they know how to get your attention. Spammers use very tabloid based, or headline grabbing subjects, to try and coerce you to open that email. But don't make your email subjects tabloid-tacky, instead follow a good broadsheet papers' style of attention grabbing lines.

    Never leave the subject blank! It's like writing a book and failing to give it a name!

    Bad Subject Example Good Subject Example
    Database Meeting to get your software solution rolling, next Monday 2pm
    Dinner Dinner Tonight, 6.30pm at The Oaks
    ?? BUG! SSW SQL Auditor
    User Group User Group this month needs a speaker - Call Tom Howe pronto!
    Feedback The user interface feedback I promised you yesterday
    Broker Form CPF - Fix combo box on Broker Form

    Figure: Always use a descriptive email subject to make it easier to find later

    Of course, we also use a structured approach for emails - especially when sending them internally. I want to be able to determine which emails are the most important. Using a meaningful subject with key words makes it easy to identify and categorize emails without actually opening them (and is also makes it easy to find emails in my Sent Items). When emails are really important I write IMPORTANT in the subject. Other emails I consider important or urgent have the following in the subject field:

    • BUG
    • INCOMPLETE
    • URGENT
    Other words we use are:
    • TIMESHEETS
    • INVOICES
    • PROSPECT
    • TO-DO - for tasks pending
    • FYI - information you want to keep around for a while, for yourself or for others (never for a task)
    • FUTURE - ideas for the future
    • IGNORE - for the rare occasion when something is requested and you really don't want to do it yet
    • Product name - Registered User Support
    • Product name - Pre-Sales Support
    • Project name
    • Client Name
    How do you structure email subjects for SSW eXtreme Emails!
    Incident Type - Product/Client Name - Module Name - Description of Incident Details

    Many people are not aware that you can easily change someone's email subject, you will do this if the subject is too general for you to remember what it is about (e.g. "re: bug") or the subject is now irrelevant. To edit the email subject, open the email and click in the subject field to focus the cursor there. You can change the subject by typing, and saving your changes. However you will NOT change the subject (especially of a newsgroup item) if the email has a long thread behind it.

    Remember!
    • For external emails, it is acceptable to change the subject line if the subject is unclear
    • For internal emails, the subject line will not be changed as it will break the threading of emails
    We have a program called SSW LookOut! for Outlook to check for this rule.

    It will warn you if you forget to include a subject in your email.

    We have a program called SSW Exchange Reporter to show statistics of emails with word "Urgent" in subjects.
    Check sample report Current - All Mailboxes (By Folder)
  9. Do you sort your emails by Received AND Important? Red star

    OK - so now you've got your important emails identified, don't let them get lost in the quagmire. If you use Outlook make use of its inbuilt functionality. Always sort your emails by the Received, but add a secondary sort by "Important". This way your important emails always stay at the top to haunt you until they are done.

     Outlook Sort By Received Then Important
    Figure: Sort your emails by received and then by important to keep the most recent and important ones on top

     Always use a meaningful Subject



    I think the Red Exclamation Mark is a good start, but I hate the Blue Arrow - it keeps getting my attention.

    Use sort by importance to sort the items with the blue arrow to the bottom.
    Figure: Use sort by importance to sort the items with the blue arrow to the bottom.


  10. Do you know when, and when NOT, to use email? Red star

    Meta Group Phone Over Email
    Meta Group Email Over Phone
    Figures: a Icon PDF Meta Group survey You are going to a site outside of SSW found that 81% of respondents preferred the phone above email to build relationships, but 80% preferred email generally
    As all these rules indicate, email can either be a blessing or a curse. One of the most deadly of all the potential curses of email is when people choose to use email when it is just not the right tool for that particular task. Absolutely avoid email in the following situations:
    1. When you want to discuss an issue and make a decision
    2. When you are dealing with a 'delicate' problem

    Making a Decision

    If you want to make a decision, asking for opinions via email is the best way to ensure one isn't made. Email discussions get off topic, lose track and generally go nowhere, with every email ending with "Yes, but what about..." or "Just my 2c". This leads to a lot of time-wasting.

    You will either pick up the phone or have a meeting to discuss the issue, make a decision then and there, and then confirm the decision via email. The first line in your follow up email will be "As per our conversation..." This records that a conversation was held.

    The issue becomes even more important internally, when you email someone in the next office and ask them a question. This is a great way of creating unnecessary emails. Instead, stand up, walk to their desk and ask them the question. Otherwise, have a folder called "AskDavid" or similar, file all your emails that you need to ask him about in there, and when he next comes to visit you, go through them and get an answer.

    Dealing with Delicate Situations

    Similarly, never bring up a tricky topic with someone by email. It's very easy to misunderstand or misrepresent via email. We always pick up the phone and speak to the person first when discussing important, sensitive, complex issues, or issues where some serious convincing is required. This is the standard we follow:

    • Draft the email covering the issues we want to confirm
    • Call the person covering every issue outlined in the draft
    • Adjust the email according to the decisions made together, adding "As per our conversation..."
    • Send the email
    This way you can review issues together, and, importantly, decisions are confirmed in writing.

    Don't shoot people!
    Figure: Are you in the right frame of mind?

  11. Do you know that less is more?

    Often emails are rambling and unorganized, forcing the reader to wade through blocks of totally useless text. When it comes to written communication, less is more. Be concise and to the point, listing only what is relevant. People tend to ignore reading larger emails if they are on the run and leave to a later when they are not as busy.

  12. Do you know the right way to report bugs?

    When reporting bugs, it is essential that you are as descriptive as possible, so that the developer can reproduce the error to find out what the problem is. Read more about this on Reporting a Bug or Enhancement.

    Bad Bug Report
    Figure: This email isn't going to help the developer much - it is vague and has no screen capture, and gives no alternate way for the developer to contact the user regarding the issue
    Good Bug Report
    Figure: Much better - this email includes the product name and version, the category of the issue (BUG), a screen capture and contact number, and shows that the user's system is up to date
  13. Do you use the voting option appropriately?

    Usually when an employee from the company wants to make a decision about either a naming convention, a button style, using user-controls or forms, or even something as simple as changing a font; there will always be reassurance from the rest of the team that it will/will not be done.

    Outlook Voting
    Figure: using the voting buttons option.

    1. The subject will start with "VOTE: ..."

    2. The sender will reply with a summary after either everyone has replied or after a certain period of time to let the group know how significant their input was.

    3. The voting options will be short, to the point, and provide a distinct difference for each option.
    i.e. option1;"option1";option2;"option2" is not appropriate.

    4. There will also be an extra option to allow a flexible result if a member of the email group does not want to vote. i.e. yes; no; un-opinionated.
    This will provide an accurate result of the vote and will not force anyone to select an option just for the sake of giving a reply.

    5. Voters will be allowed to add their extra comments along with their vote when replying to all, regardless of whether or not they think it is their "two cents", simply because the person who initially voted is looking for any and all opinions to assure the right decision is made.

    6. When making a vote, try to make the options clear enough so that voters would not have to spend too much time deciding.
    A good voting system is one that allows the voters to choose an option quickly and carry on with their work, unless of course it is controversial.

  14. Do you seek clarification via the telephone first?Red star

    Let's face it, we've all sent or received a cryptic email at some point. When you do receive a list of tasks in an email and part of it you just don't understand, don't just reply saying "I don't understand". Using email for these types of conversation will just waste time waiting for replies and I don't believe that email will be used for these types of ongoing discussions. Chances are if the sender of the task couldn't give you enough detail or explain the task well enough the first time then it's likely to be a tough task so more conversation is needed anyway. Deal with it via a telephone conversation or meeting (MSN may also be acceptable) with the person who sent the email.

    Having had the conversation, reply to the email (remembering to CC all involved) with:

    • The subject: "CLARIFICATION - [Original subject]"
    • Update the email with the new details arising from the conversation along with all original content. (Remember to start with an "As per our conversation" line).
    • Action the tasks from the email

    Another benefit of this type of email is so that you can subtly let the person know that next time they need to provide more details.

  15. Do you prepare, then confirm conversations/decisions? Red star

    Ideally all phone conversations and meetings will be confirmed afterwards so you have a record of the decisions and action points. Meetings and phone calls will have adequate preparation so they are efficiently run. The reality is after the meeting or phone call we get busy on the next call. So this is the workflow that will happen:

    1. Prior to speaking to a client, speak to relevant people to help you formulate your recommendations e.g. speak to a developer about the proposal
    2. Draft an email with bullet points for each issue (don't send)
    3. Call up the client (or have a meeting)
    4. Modify during conversation
    5. Send the email to the client (cc relevant people e.g. the developer)
  16. Do you send yourself emails? Red star

    When a colleague or a Client asks you to do a task verbally, what method do you have for remembering to do it? I think the best solution is to send yourself an email CC'ing the person that asked you to do the task saying "As per our conversation..." This way both of you know that the job needs to be done. Writing yourself a "Post-It Note" has never worked for me.

    Always add "To myself" in the email body so that other people CC'd know what is going on. Don't write it in the email subject as it's confusing to other recipients of the email. Put it in big font as well.

    Send yourself an email, and make it clear to everyone else
    Figure: Send yourself an email, and make it clear to everyone else
  17. Do you CC everyone and reply to all when necessary? Red star

    When emailing external parties, it is a good idea to CC the other colleagues within your organization that may have an interest in the email. Some of the benefits of CC'ing others include:

    • It can save time
    • Gives the email more credibility if you have CC'd others in your organization
    • Colleagues may correct your mistakes

    Outlook Reply to All In addition, I often see people replying only to the sender of the email, ignoring the fact that there that there were other persons included in the original email. Obviously the original sender intended to keep everyone in the loop, so it would be polite to CC everyone included on the original communication. The converse is true also - don't cc people unnecessarily - you're just adding to the email problem!

    Outlook Note to Self
    Figure: Reply All so that everyone is kept in the loop.

    If the original email was to an alias with many subscribers, in general you will not Reply All.
    Also if the sender requests a 'little r' You are going to a site outside of SSW reply, then you will not Reply All.
    Exception
    • If not all recipients need to be informed
    • The opinions of the rest of the recipients do not matter as they are unlikely to disagree

    We have a program called SSW LookOut! for Outlook to check for this rule.

    It checks this for you, and would raise a warning like this one:
    LookOut warning - not everyone is CC'ed
     
    Figure: SSW Lookout checks that you have Replied All each time you send an email

  18. Do you use email signatures? Red star

    Email signatures are a great way of adding some advertising and branding to a medium which isn't seen as too obtrusive. E.g. A URL in footer from your friend isn't as taboo as junk mail from an unknown company. Details

    NOTE: Delete your footer when you send emails internally, it's unnecessary.

    If you are on site at a customer, you want colleagues to be able to give you a call without asking the office what your mobile number is. In this case, you will include your mobile and/or temp number for internal emails (e.g.Jonny Trees | On Site | 0412 xxx xxx).


  19. Do you avoid using images in your email signatures? Red star

    As useful as email signatures are for promoting your brand, using images in your signatures is a bad idea. To many recipients this can appear to be an attachment to the email. This will annoy some users, so it's better to keep your signatures as HTML or just plain text.

  20. Do you make sure every customers' (and prospects') email is in your company database? Red star

    Most companies keep all their customers' (and prospects') contact information in a database (e.g. SQL Server, Access, Oracle). This allows all staff to easily locate contact details about a particular person. So when you get an email, make sure you check that email address it is in the company database.

    We have a program called SSW LookOut! for Outlook to check for this rule.

    Stephen Koop not in database
    Figure: Stephen Koop needs to be put into the database

    Not in database
    Figure: SSW Lookout! Can also check the emails that you are send and tell you if the email address is not in your database.


  21. Do you always keep your sent items? Red star

    You will never ever delete your sent items. This will in most cases be the only record you have of the emails you have sent to customers and clients. If you ever need to find some correspondence (and believe me you will) then you will be very thankful you got into this habit!

  22. Do you think that when replying to emails it's better late than never? Red star

    You will always try and reply to emails within a timely period, but sometimes, for many reasons, it can take ages for you to get around to answering that email. I've seen people see an email 6 months old and just delete it, because it's "too old" or they refuse to reply because "the customer will think we're a joke taking this long to do something!" This is a great way to lose business, no matter how long it takes to do some things, it's always better to do it than not. Sometimes people email me an enhancement suggestion for a particular product, but we put their requests on the back burner until other important issues are dealt with. It might take us 12 months to implement that change, and when it's done, we'll email the customer and send them the link to the new version. It's highly likely that their need still exists, and they'll realise that their ideas and suggestions are not ignored. Reply to customers regardless of how long it takes to respond. It shows you value their feedback, and it's highly likely they'll give you some more...

  23. Do you minimize your Outlook Distractions? Red star

    Outlook Minimise Distractions
    Figure: Turn off Outlook distractions!
    Getting in the zone is pretty challenging in any work environment. Outlook in particular likes to offer as many distractions as possible to ensure you can never forget you've got it open. Set your options so that Outlook:
    • Doesn't play a sound
    • Doesn't briefly change the mouse cursor
    • Doesn't show an envelope
    • and DOESN'T display a New Mail Desktop Alert (Outlook 2003)

    Here's a few more distractions tips:

  24. Do you follow up emails effectively?

    Promises made by email are often pretty empty - the person who made the promise either has to make a note in a paper diary, stick a post-it note to his screen, or regularly trawl through Sent Items for all the off-hand promises made.

    To ensure you follow up when you make a promise, you will do the following:

    1. When you receive an email from a client requesting a response, CC yourself in the reply.
    2. Move the email you have just sent yourself into a subfolder of your mailbox called 'Follow Ups'.
    3. Add a follow up reminder to the email.
    4. Check your follow up folder daily, and reply to any emails that are older than a week using the words 'Just touching base....'
    5. Remove the email from your follow up folder when you have resolved the issue.
    Figure: Create a folder called "Follow Ups" to store emails that need to be followed up
  25. Do you know the two ways to follow up a task?

    There are two ways to set yourself a task to follow up in the future.

    • Delayed Email
      • Write yourself an email in Outlook 2007
      • Before pressing send, click Options | Delay Delivery, and then specify when you want to be reminded
      • The email will sit in your outbox until the required time, when it will be sent to whoever you specified (you in this case)
      • When you receive it in your inbox, action the task
    • Reminders (follow up flags)
      • Send yourself an email
      • Once it arrives in your inbox, flag it for follow up and set a reminder
      • When the reminder goes off, action the task
  26. Do you answer all questions, and pre-empt further ones?

    Often people will hit send on a reply and not realise that they have not answered one of the questions in the email. This creates more traffic that can be avoided. In the same vein, it's a good idea to supply any information the recipient may need, which will avoid another two emails.

  27. Do you add context/reasoning to your emails?

    When sending an email it is important to give context and reasoning.

    Bad - no context or reasoning
    Figure - Bad example: there is no context or reasoning!
    Good - there is context and reasoning
    Figure - Good example: there is both context and reasoning!
  28. Do you avoid the Rules Wizard?

    Some people make extensive use of the rules wizard so that as email messages arrive they already appear in the appropriately created folder. I basically think this doesnt work as you never look at these emails.

    I guess there could be special folders for bug reports that are sent by exception handlers, but I still would not be keen on this.

    A better way is Conversation View and collapsing them if you need to hide them.

    Conversation View
    Figure: Conversation View allows you to choose which folders to collapse.
  29. Do you use active language in your emails?

    Try to use the active voice of a verb wherever possible. For instance, 'We will process your order today', sounds better than 'Your order will be processed today'. The first sounds more personal, whereas the latter, especially when used frequently, sounds unnecessarily formal.

  30. Do you know that people misunderstand sarcasm in email?

    From Flame emails missing the mark You are going to a site outside of SSW on the Sydney Morning Herald: "The senders of the [email] messages expected their partners to correctly interpret their tone nearly 80 per cent of the time, but in fact they only scored just over 50 per cent... Those attempting to interpret the message believed they had scored 90 per cent accuracy"

    Because there is no "tone of voice" in an email, sarcasm can easily be misinterpreted by the receiver.

    Bad example: "John, make sure your office is clean when clients come in - you might scare them away with all that mess."

    This is bad because it may seem like John is being reprimanded, even though the sender may just be giving him a "heads up" for next time. When in doubt, use a smiley face at the end of the comment to soften it up a bit:

    Good example: "John, make sure your office is clean when clients come in - you might scare them away with all that mess :)"

  31. Are you careful with your spelling, grammar and punctuation?

    Improper spelling, grammar and punctuation gives a bad impression of your company, and can result in your message not being conveyed correctly. Emails with no full stops or commas are difficult to read and can sometimes even change the meaning of the text. And, if your program has a spell checking option, why not use it?

  32. Do you know how to add someone into the conversation?

    If you think someone will be involved in a conversation but they're not on the recipient list, all you need to do is reply all, put the new recipient in the 'CC' field, and include one line that says "I'm adding this person into the loop because I think they may have some input."

    Add Recipient
    Figure: Adding a recipient to an email thread
  33. Use Tasks only for Recurring Appointments

    Often you will have personal tasks that need a recurring reminder. For example, "send backup tapes offsite" might need to run as a reminder each Monday morning. To manage these types of tasks you will use Outlooks "Tasks" functionality to add recurring reminders.

    Tasks in Outlook are a powerful tool for keeping on top of to-do items but since we use email for our task list items you will avoid using them otherwise you would need to do twice as much management for your task list. You will use follow up flags with reminders for tasks on email that only need to be handled once.

    Email Tasks
    Figure: Use Tasks only for tasks that need recurring reminders.
  34. Do you manage your Deleted Items?

    Your deleted items can become quite out of hand if you don't manage them some way. First, it can waste a lot of space on your hard drive, and second, after accidentally deleting a mail item, and it's taken me days to find it again amongst the 30,000 messages in my Deleted Items Folder.

    Here's a couple of solutions:

    • Permanently delete your deleted items. This is based on the theory that once you have deleted a mail item, you will NEVER HAVE TO LOOK AT IT AGAIN. This is a good theory, but unfortunately we don't always follow it in practice and there's no recovery
    • Outlook Deleted Items Subfolders
      Figure: Deleted Items
      Move the items into subfolders under Deleted Items. This is a good solution as you can manually archive items, making it easier to search. You can permanently delete items when they reach a certain age.

    NOTE: A hot tip for making it easy to search for an accidentally deleted item is to add the "Modified" field into your Deleted Items view and sort by "Modified". The item from two months ago which you just accidentally deleted will be sitting at the top.

    Outlook Modified By Date
    Figure: Sort by "Modified"
    We have a program called SSW LookOut! for Outlook to check for this rule.

    It leaves a reminder in your Inbox to remind you to clear your deleted items folder.
  35. Do you include the name of the person you address as the first line?

    If you include more than one person in your email, include the name of the person/s you are addressing as the first line. Generally don't put more than one name in the "To" box, so that people won't have to be unsure to whom the email is addressed. If you have to address multiple people in an email (including yourself - i.e. notes to self), include each person's name as a heading as shown below. This helps them quickly locate the part of the email that applies to them.

    Include each addressee's name as a heading in the email body
    Figure: When addressing multiple people, include each addressee's name as a separate heading
  36. Do you send tasks one email at a time?

    Do you sometimes find that people don't attend to all the items you have listed in your long and carefully drafted email?

    Make it easier for everyone to track the status of tasks by sending tasks one email at a time, and make the task it requests very clear. When a person has completed a task they just have to reply "Done" to that email, delete the email from their Inbox and then move on to the next task.

    This rule can be by-passed when dealing with small tasks relating to the same topic. In cases where this is needed, you will number each task that you wish to be completed; however, the person completing the task will still reply a single "Done" to the whole email once they have completed all of the small tasks.

    Also send separate emails per topic - that way there can be one email per topic. The advantages are that you get an email history on a specific topic and it is easier to include someone else.

    GOOD - Separate emails for separate tasks.
    Figure: GOOD - Separate emails for separate tasks.
    BAD - One email for separate tasks.
    Figure: BAD - One email for separate tasks.
    GOOD - Exception to the rule.
    Figure: GOOD - A few related tasks in one email.
  37. Do you respond to each email individually?

    (AKA - don't respond to a series of emails in one email) If you receive separate emails, respond to each email individually. Don't answer a few emails in one email.

    • Each email is a little job (eating the elephant one bit at a time)
    • You get a steady flow back as bits are achieved (can get a feel or monitor employees efficiency)
    • You can move to 'todo' list folders
    • You get a email history for that one topic
  38. Do you use > and indentation to keep the context?

    Electronic communication can easily cause misunderstandings. Help the reader understand your message better by:

    • Keeping the prior email in your reply
    • Quote the original email by using the ">" and indentation
    This way you won't forget any questions in the original email.

         >The program flow logic worries me a bit

    Sorry, this wasn't a final decision - I just put it there for testing purposes.

  39. When you reply inline, do you use a different color?

    Replying inline will be the exception rather than the rule as it messes up the history of the email thread. If you do - copy and paste the entire email in your reply and comment on each issue at a time. It's useful to indent and write your comments in red. Remember, if you write emails with one issue at a time you won't need to do this too often.

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Daniel Hyles www.ssw.com.au
    Sent: Tuesday, 28 May 2002 7:31 AM
    To: Adam Cogan www.ssw.com.au
    Subject: FW: Morning Goals

    Reply In-line in red

    -----Original Message-----
    From: Daniel Hyles www.ssw.com.au
    Sent: Monday, 27 May 2002 8:00 AM
    To: Adam Cogan www.ssw.com.au
    Subject: FW: Morning Goals

    - TimePro Online pages
     Done
    - Double check backups (get backup today on both drives, I configured the other drive last night)
     Done
    - Make sure Exchange is backing itself up.. Check Google on why not.
     Not Done
    - Access reporter
     Not Done

    Figure: See the "Reply In-line" comment, and see how the RED makes the email easier to read.

  40. When asked to change content, do you reply with the content before and after the change?

    Your boss asks you to change a page on your website. You discuss it with your team and come up with the changes. Wouldn't it be nice if your boss could see exactly what was changed? Always keep a copy of what the page (or document) before you make the change, and reply to the original email with the before and after.

  41. Do you avoid emailing sensitive information?

    Never email sensitive information such as Credit Card details, PINs or passwords. Not only does it present serious security problems, it looks like you don't care two-hoots about other people's information.

  42. Do you always remember your attachment?

    When you refer to an attachment in your email, don't forget to include the attachment. I always attach the files first before I write my message.

    We have a program called SSW LookOut! for Outlook to check for this rule.

    Contact or attached
    Figure: SSW LookOut! for Outlook automatically warns you if you have forgotten to include your attachments.
  43. Do you avoid huge images or attachments in your email?

    Dear Mike
    Thank you for spending time with us to come to a better understanding of your business requirements. Please review the new version of specification at http://www.ssw.com.au/ssw/SQLAuditor/Default.asp
    PS: The .docx was 4MB so I didn't attach a copy Regards,
    Adam Cogan
    www.ssw.com.au
    1. Avoid large attachments. So if you are sending an email that is >1MB you need to take one second to think:
      • Could a URL be better than this attachment? (see example on the right)
      • Could I send this a UNC to an internal share be better than this attachment?
      • Could I .zip this?
      • Could I put this picture on flickr or picasca?
      PS: An added advantage is that the document stays alive. If the URL has been updated and a user takes a week to get around to this email, they will view the latest version.
    2. If you have to attach the document, always use WinZip - it is common courtesy - I'll assume you already know that.
    3. Never use Rich Text inside Outlook. As a software developer, most large messages I receive are screen captures. By all means use screen captures - pictures do tell a thousand words - but don't include unnecessarily huge images or attachments in your email. Generally the only time you will have serious size problems is if you are using Rich Text instead of HTML inside Outlook.
    4. If you are sending screenshots then just send the region of the screen you need. Use a screen capture utility like Fullshot so you can use the region tool and get only the relevant part of the image you need. PS: Don't send screenshots as .bmps use .jpgs .gif or .png
    5. If you are sending pictures (every year digital cameras are making our photos bigger and bigger) you may need to resize them down. You can either use Photoshop or for something quicker try Office Document Imaging.
    6. Office Document Imaging ResizeOffice Document Imaging Export
      Figure: Office Document Imaging Resize and Export Options

    When will you break these size rules?

    Basically you will be practical:

    1. Keep history
    2. Paste images into the email - not into a Word document and attach (so it stays with the customers reply)
    3. When you paste a URL, also paste the section of the web page you are referring to (allows for offline reading)

     
    We have a program called SSW LookOut! for Outlook to check for this rule.

    Contact or Mail Size
    Figure: SSW LookOut! for Outlook warns you if your mail size is large.
  44. Do you use Word as your editor?

    Outlook Word As Editor
    Figure: Make sure you have this check box on
    In Microsoft Outlook you have the option to use Word as your Email editor.

    This has a few advantages:

    1. It automatically compresses images which you paste into your email (meaning a much smaller size email)
    2. You get all the benefits of Word eg. Formatting and styles, spell checking smart tags, thesaurus - the list goes on and on.
    3. With the emergence of some great 3rd Party Smart Tags you can integrate your database in your email program. Companies often forget that improving users ability to handle email efficiently can be one of the biggest productivity gains you can achieve.
    Outlook Using Word As My Editor
    Figure: See the difference in size
  45. Do you resist the urge to SPAM to an email alias?

    When you post to an email alias, you are posting to many, many people. Unnecessary emails are spam - only send emails that are valid or if there is a need for all to see.

  46. Do you avoid sending your emails immediately?

    Outlook Send Immediately
    Figure: Don't send emails immediately - you will often remember something you needed to add
    How often have you clicked "Send" and then wished you hadn't? It's a common problem. It can be easily solved by un-checking the "Send Immediately When Connected" option in Tools/ Options/ Mail Setup. I guarantee this will save you, one day!

    We have a program called SSW LookOut! for Outlook to check for this rule.

    It checks your Outlook settings and tell you if it's not set properly.
    Contact or Send Immediately
    Figure: SSW LookOut! for Outlook warns you if Outlook is set to send emails immediately
  47. Do you know how to recall an email?

    Even though you may check your emails before sending, use SSW lookout to help you avoid mistakes, and even if you send/receive manually, there will still be times where you will send out an email with mistakes or incorrect content.

    But all is not lost. If you go into your sent items, open up the offending email, and go into Actions | Recall this Message, outlook will attempt to delete the message from the recipient's inbox before he has a chance to read it.

    Recall a message
    Figure: SSW LookOut! for Outlook warns you if Outlook is set to send emails immediately

    Outlook will tell you whether it was successful or not.

  48. Can you sort your emails by ClientID?

    When sending emails internally about a Client, include the Client ID as the first word in the subject of the email. This makes it very simple when you are trying the find emails about that client or product. If you're emailing about a product also include the version number in the Subject as well.

    Bad Example
    Subject: Meeting regarding Quicken Smart Tags
    Good Example
    Subject: QUICK - Meeting regarding Smart Tags v1.1

    Instead of doing this manually, you can use SSW LookOut!, which puts a Client ID field into your Outlook view.

    Contact or Client ID
    Figure: SSW LookOut! adds a Client ID into your Outlook view so you can sort by client
  49. Do you manage your email accounts?

    I've met some people who have more the 5 email accounts. Now I know that it's pretty easy to get a temporary account while you're on holiday in Spain, or an email account one of your clients might choose to give you while you are working on-site.

    We always use Outlook Web Access or VPN when we're out of the office and need to email. If a clients firewall won't let us do this, and we have to use a local account, we always CC our internal account on every email we send. Emails are an important record for your business, and they need to be treated as legally relevant documents. Having multiple accounts will only cause trouble.

  50. Do you use "Request a Receipt" selectively?

    Outlook Receipt Request
    Figure: Selectively request read receipts so as not to annoy your recipient.

    Do you always demand a receipt for every email you send? This is the equivalent of crying wolf. People get prompted about receipts so often, that eventually they change the settings to automatically ignore receipt requests. Then when someone really, really needs acknowledgement that an email has been received, you never get one, because they've turn off the mechanism. Turning this option on all the time effectively throws the option away, not just for yourself, but everyone else as well.

  51. Do you send Outlook Calendar appointments when appropriate?

    If you wish to organize a meeting that involves some of your colleagues and a client, instead of sending an email, send an appointment. Sending appointments is convenient because all the user has to do is click 'accept' and it is in their calendar.

    Outlook Appointment
    Figure: Use Outlook appointments to easily synchronise your calendar with your client's

    This way Outlook will remind your colleagues about the appointment and you can update them if any changes are made.

    If the appointment is for 3 days or less, send a separate appointment for each day. This is because multiple-day appointments appear at the top in your Outlook Calendar, so you risk missing the appointment (see below).

    Bad Multiple Day Appointment
    Figure - Bad: Multiple-day appointments appear hidden at the top of your Outlook calendar, so you might miss it, thinking that the time is free
    Good Single Day Appointments
    Figure - Good: Send a separate appointment for each day so you can clearly see it in your Outlook calendar
  52. Do you know how to add an appointment in someone else's calendar?

    When sending an appointment from someone else's calendar, you should always include that person as an attendee so that they also receive the same appointment email that their guests do. It shows them that the invitation has been sent, and also allows them to check for any mistakes or additional information that needs to be added.

  53. Have you done follow-up for tomorrow appointment?


    Step 1: Get the appointment

    Calendar window
    Figure: Calendar page

    Step 2: Reply to All
    Sent to all who participate in the meeting
    Figure: Sent to all participators

    Step 3: Change from RTF to HTML
    Changing email format to HTML
    Figure: Change format to HTML

    Step 4: And type [below]
    Type the messages
    Figure: Types the messages

  54. Appointments - Do you see who is coming to the meeting in the subject?

    When sending an appointment, it's a good idea to choose your subject intelligently so that people can see in their calendar who will be attending without having to open the item. Think about what the recipient sees in their calendar and try to make it as clear as possible.

    Bad Appointment Subject
    Figure: Bad appointment subject
    Good Appointment Subject
    Figure: