Understanding Email Management Benefits for Team Efficiency

To maximize efficiency in a workplace, email management is essential. As the demand for online communication increases, the amount of emails sent each day does too. If a company inbox is not managed properly, it can result in inbox clutter, poor communication, and costly mistakes. These repercussions impede employee satisfaction and lower team morale. 

An organized inbox ensures a clear line of communication between you and your team that will help improve productivity and streamline workflow. This piece will explore email management benefits and the positive effect on workflow to successfully implement a better solution for your team successfully.

The Rise of Remote Work 

The onset of the global pandemic caused many companies to turn to remote or hybrid working solutions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, before the pandemic, only 7% of workers in the United States had access to a "flexible workplace" or telework options. In Europe, the number stands even lower, with 5% of Europeans regularly working from home before COVID-19. However, that figure has since risen to around 12.3%. 

Email communication is the core of many operations, with work-from-home options projected to grow. But managing a remote team has become far from easy for managers. Employees work from different time zones, making connecting on emails and receiving timely responses difficult. 

Many in-person offices have turned to instant messaging apps as their primary means of quick communication. If a response is not received in an adequate time frame, team members can walk over to their colleague's office or catch them in a meeting. However, the independent work style puts asynchronous communication as the top method for many remote workers to communicate information. 

Embracing Asynchronous Communication 

Asynchronous communication occurs when you send a message without expecting an instant reply. This has revolutionized the way remote teams communicate as it allows plenty of time to focus on other tasks without having to provide an immediate response. 

But with the rise of asynchronous communication comes an influx of additional emails. While email can improve communication amongst staff and boost productivity, an inbox can quickly get out of hand if not managed properly. 

To reduce the risk of email overload, companies must implement a robust solution to help manage email in a growing digital world to improve team efficiency, boost morale, and maintain productivity. 

Email Management Benefits: Save Time, Improve Efficiency and Boost Morale 

The productive workflow starts with quality email management. Much like how a car is only as good as its engine, email is only an effective tool when appropriately managed. 

Email management: 

Saves Time

We have explored how asynchronous communication can help employees focus on the task by eliminating the need to provide an immediate response. However, email management offers a variety of other benefits that contribute to time savings for your team. 

If your company operates using multiple inboxes, it may cause your team members to filter through various emails that do not apply to them. Rather than sort through countless emails each day, incoming emails can be sent directly to an email folder or label (for Gmail). To expedite this manual task, teams can use automation. 

‍Email automation is when team members use rule-based logic to streamline tasks programmed to reduce human intervention. Teams can apply filters to separate emails into the appropriate categories to declutter an inbox. Since folders and labels live on the side of an interface, it creates better organization opportunities. 

Automation rules can then be set to transfer an email into the pertaining folder or label automatically. This is particularly useful for a department that manages various aspects of the company. For example, an accounting team will need to juggle multiple areas of finance. Most accounting requests will come from email and many different clients, from payroll to invoices. For effective email management, teams can label folders about the accounting request and set filters for the email to be deleted after a specific time frame or archived for future reference. 

Improves Productivity 

Distractions must be minimized, and teamwork must be maximized to improve productivity in the workplace. When an employee gets distracted, it takes over twenty minutes to refocus on their task. 

Automating responses and email templates can help your team focus on priority assignments instead of getting distracted by common email replies. Gmelius, a collaboration and communication tool for Gmail, offers sharable Gmail templates to turn your most effective and repetitive emails into personalized templates shared with team members. 

Simple automation rules can then be utilized to address emails automatically without getting distracted. The faster your team can communicate with colleagues and clients, the sooner they can move forward with other tasks for the day. 

Increases Transparency

Managing a company inbox can be challenging for teams. There is no telling who has addressed emails, which can sometimes lead to duplicate replies or unresolved requests. For effective email management, teams need to use a shared inbox. 

Modern teams work cross-functionally and remotely across time zones and departments. Shared inboxes help teams manage and reply to emails together and share and delegate emails with your entire team. Everyone can see the complete email chain and history, allowing clear transparency. 

Gmelius sought to transform the concept of a standard shared inbox and created a collaborative shared inbox that lives inside of Gmail. Once installed, teams can collaborate together by assigning tasks and leaving notes directly on the side of an email for better context.

Team members will see each other's avatars if they view or reply to an email to facilitate collaboration in real-time. In addition to Gmail notes, templates, and shareable drafts, Gmelius also offers Kanban boards. Gmail Kanban boards allow teams to turn any email into a task card that can be visually managed. 

Team members can see assigned emails and visually track progress to maintain clear accountability across all assignments. Gmelius creates a transparent platform for teams to work together to manage emails more efficiently. 

Boosts Team Morale 

When email is managed correctly, it helps teams stay on track and work collaboratively in a positive environment. A cluttered inbox and poorly managed system can cause stress amongst employees. Teams can collaborate efficiently without error with an email management platform such as Gmelius. An organized email boosts team morale, which ultimately positively impacts productivity and performance. 

It may seem difficult to manage email as a remote team, but Gmelius simplifies the process by allowing teams to manage all email aspects via one platform. By developing good email management habits, your team can enjoy the benefits of more efficient and functional communications. 

‍

If you are looking to explore more on email management benefits, check out our features and integrations and learn how Gmelius is built to improve team communication and collaboration. Ready to get started? Sign up today!

‍