Making Best Use Of Your Email Software
Most email applications contain a significant amount of functionality which can be routinely employed by users to better manage their inbox. By doing so they not only help lessen the burden of trying to keep pace with their email, but by extension they also help reduce the institution's exposure to risk by decreasing the likelihood of inadvertent user error. Unfortunately users are seldom made aware that such functionality is available to them or provided with training in its use.
The following table demonstrates the range of 'inbox management' functionality available within Microsoft Office Outlook 2003. Functions may vary, or not exist within other applications.
Table illustrating email application functionality and its use in email management
| Function | Use |
| Changing the colour of messages addressed solely to the recipient | Makes it easy to see at a glance which messages are addressed solely to you (often an indicator of messages requiring more immediate attention and action). |
| Adding 'flags' to messages from certain people or containing certain characteristics | Useful for quickly sorting, prioritising and arranging messages. |
| Turning off the new message notifications | Prevents users from being constantly disrupted and diverted from their work every time a new message is received. |
| Creating and naming sub-folders to match your main shared filing system | This makes it easier for users to manage their email in tandem with the other information to which it relates. It also makes resource discovery across systems easier. |
| Create rules to automatically move emails matching certain criteria into the appropriate sub-folder | Acts as a useful default pre-sorting of content. It also helps increase the obvious value of ensuring emails have accurate subject headings. |
| Ensure emails are removed from your 'Deleted items' folder on application closure | This ensures that emails intended for deletion are removed from the user's application and do not inadvertently remain. |
| Save replies with the original message | Can be useful for ensuring that both sides of a transaction (i.e. messages both sent and received) are captured and managed as one. |
| Out of office assistants | An important requirement to ensure compliance with the FOIA. Enacting an out of office alert which includes an alternative contact point will 'stop the clock' of any request received. |
The Managing Information To Make Life Easier: A Guide For Administrators resource provides further practical tips to help users manage their email more effectively.
