Email doesn't have to be a burden, so please read this message

We take email for granted in modern law firms, but without effective management practices to use this tool intelligently it can hurt productivity, health and work-life balance, writes Kirsty McPhee.

Email is a fast, easy and cheap communication tool. Or is it?

Some argue that it is the best thing to happen to modern business. Others believe it may well be the worst. The truth is that creating an exponentially growing data set that your IT department has to try to keep available and functional across every mailbox in the firm is a nightmare, particularly for small to medium-sized firms – and it is no longer cheap when you consider the back-end costs involved.

Email can also create serious problems if it is not managed correctly and proactively: and not just for your IT department. So investing in email-management solutions is crucial for your business as part of having an effective knowledge-management framework.

Ultimately, any solution will only work well if it involves consideration of your working style and clients, along with any team and firm needs. Remember, too, that effective knowledge management requires only one key investment – time. A little bit of your time now will save a lot of your time in the long run.

This is especially true given that poor email management is not just hurting productivity; it also has the potential to damage the short and long-term cognitive functions of your employees, particularly in terms of their concentration and knowledge-retention abilities.

The cost of poor email management

Firms can pay a high price if they manage email poorly or not at all. We are seeing the impact of email directly result in:

• information overload and information stress;
• a decline in written communication skills;
• a decline in non-verbal communication skills
• an expectation that we will always be available on mobile devices;
• ambiguity, misunderstandings and false assumptions as a consequence of poor message writing; and
• an overuse of the ‘Reply all’ option that is wasting employees’ time and diminishing their productivity.

Despite the negatives, email is here to stay. So let us look at some ways we can better manage email communication. The first step is to consider how you check or read your emails during your working day.

The batched technique

There are two methods of dealing with email – on-demand or batched.

The on-demand method involves us checking emails as they arrive in our inbox. These constant interruptions reduce productivity and negatively impact our ability to concentrate and stay focused. Stress, information overload and double handling often result.

As we increase the pressure on ourselves to read and reply immediately to emails, we stop engaging with colleagues, families and friends and we can become withdrawn and obsessed with our email inbox. Email access via mobile devices is convenient and these days it is expected by clients and our firms, but this expectation also exacerbates the negative impact of email use.

The batched technique is not new, nor is it groundbreaking – but it is a reminder for people to engage in commonsense practices and to actively train ourselves to work smarter and more efficiently. Batching simply means checking your email inbox at set times or intervals; not as emails are received. Every time we are distracted, it can take up to 15 minutes to completely regain our focus, which is why it is crucial that we limit and manage the number of times we are interrupted or distracted by email in our day.

How can you get started with the batched technique? Well, it is simple. Close down Microsoft Office or the relevant email platform while you complete an important task. Move away from your PC to work or read. Turn off push notifications on your devices. Develop a habit whereby you check your emails at an interval or time that is appropriate for your practice.

If you do adopt this practice, it is wise to let others in your team know that this is your practice. So if an urgent email is issued announcing an office technical issue (or the arrival of cake in the lunchroom) your PA or team member can alert you. You may also want to set an out-of-office reply indicating the times you are available by email, or encouraging your clients to call you if they have sent an email that requires urgent attention (which, of course, also involves training your clients to understand what is truly urgent, and why it is better for them that you are not in the practice of reading and responding on demand).

An important part of introducing the batched technique is appreciating the need for flexibility; there will be times when it is not appropriate to switch off email. Sometimes, an on-demand approach is required. The key is to know how and when to switch between methods, particularly if some of the tools you use are automated on your email account, device or PC.

Regularly reviewing your email approach is also important – best practice could change with time, seniority, projects, teams and firms.

The batched technique is a good method for managing emails while you are on leave. You can let your team know in advance that you will be checking emails on certain dates and at certain times. This allows you and your team to relax, knowing that you will definitely check in and read emails at some point.

If an urgent matter arises that does not fit your agreed email timeframes, you and your team should know that a phone call will be made and received, or that a senior solicitor in the firm will be approached instead to deal with the issue.

Agree on this policy before the holiday break – such advanced planning saves everyone a frantic, stressful experience when an urgent email comes in from a high-profile client with a short, but important, deadline. This strategy also lets your travel companion, spouse, children, family or friends know that you will need to work at defined times. Setting realistic and limited amounts of time aside for this in advance will improve your personal relationships and enable you to have a night, or a week, off once in a while.

Learn software shortcuts and functions

During the past two decades, email use has exploded. However, training and education around etiquette, best practice and the technology we use to manage electronic communication is still limited.

There are many free tutorials, training sessions, online blogs and ‘top tips’ webinars – you just need to go looking for them and make use of what is relevant to you, and filter out the rest. If you think there is a training gap or a need in your organisation to address email issues, be the person who calls for training to be offered.

Whether you use Outlook, Lotus Notes, Gmail or one of the many other software options, investigate how the following functions or practices can work:

• filter email – display like or related emails together, and manage conversations to remove duplicate or unnecessary emails;
• create automatic rules so that email from particular senders, or with a particular subject line, go directly to relevant folders;
• categorise, flag and tag emails in ways that make sense to you and explain your system to anyone else who checks or works from your inbox;
• set up automatic read-receipt functions to tell senders you have received and/or read their email (this helps manage expectations from other senders with regard to replying to or actioning the email);
• familiarise yourself with the various search functions (and include the matter number in the subject line of emails to make communications easy to sort and find); and
• create folders and sub-folders in the same way your hardcopy folders are set up.

7 quick rules for smart email use

By embracing these golden rules, you will instantly notice a positive change in your email management.

1. Mark emails as unread to easily identify which need action or a response.

2. Establish a routine.

3. Keep personal and professional emails separate to reduce distractions and interruptions.

4. Be precise and polite with electronic communications.

5. Think about your audience – who needs to see an email, who does not – and be wary of the ‘Reply all’ function.

6. Reply to and action emails quickly and then remove them from your inbox (and create a folder system for storing important emails).

7. And finally – if you want to receive fewer emails, try sending fewer emails!

Reducing the quantity of emails and checking our inbox less frequently is not always a practical solution in the practice of law. Clients are often demanding, communications are usually time critical and workloads are invariably heavy.

However, developing smart email-management solutions that are flexible and responsive to your needs can go a long way towards solving email headaches. That is a message that should never be ignored.

Kirsty McPhee is the practice manager of Perth law firm Tottle Partners, where she is responsible for library, research and knowledge services, as well as IT and administrative functions across the firm. She has worked in law libraries for the past decade.

www.tottle.com