Within MS Outlook, it seems that the electronic age has limited our abilities compared to what we had in the pre-computer era. Before the days of email, memos could be filed in folders of different colors, and we could add post-it notes or little notes in the margin to help with filing and adding context to the email. Further, our carbon copies were color coded to add some information about the purpose of the CC.
Here are my top three ways that we could improve productivity and make email communication more efficient, and effective by taking a step backwards in time.
1) Allow people to choose the color of or image representing each folder in the folder tree on the left. (colored file folders have been around for decades)
Doing this will give people the ability to associate people/places/things with the contents of the emails contained within. For example, if one were organizing a whitewater rafting trip with one’s friends, one might use a picture of a raft instead of a manila folder. Or, what about using color coding to indicate urgency of the emails within? For example, you could have a red folder for important/urgent emails that need action and a yellow folder for less important/urgent things.
2) Allow hash tagging (put a sticky note on a memo before you file it)
Speed up searching and categorizing of emails by allowing the sender AND the receiver to apply a hash tag to each of the emails. Hash tags added to the body of the email should travel with the email. Hash tags added elsewhere (by individual users) should only be associated with that particular email and should not travel with the email. Also, allow us to set up rules based on those hash tags.
3) Add custom address fields (color code the carbon copies)
To: and CC: are the only options we have? Really? Carbon Copy is the extend of our capabilities? We can’t even add color coding to the carbon copies – like Pink copy goes to shipping, or yellow goes to billing dept? Imagine how much easier it would be to manage the incredible volume of email that a typical manager gets if there were more than just To and CC. Imagine how much more productive we could be if we weren’t spending hours and hours every week reading emails that were intended for someone else, but we were copied on because… well… who knows why. Here are just some suggestions for optional addressing fields:
To: CC: FYI: Action Required (AR): Response Required (RR): Input Appreciated (IA): Feedback needed (FN): CYA: Looping You In (LYI):
Then, your email to the project manager could look like this…
To: Cindy ProjectManager
CC: Tom ProjectManagerAssistant
FYI: Bill MyBoss; EmailGroupFromMeetingInvite
IA: Dave FinanceDirector
AR: Cindy ProjectManager
FN: Alan ComputerProgrammer; Steve WebDeveloper
Subject: ProjectName – Let’s talk about somethingCindy,
I think we should have a separate conference call to discuss the topics that came up in today’s weekly meeting. I think Alan and Steve might have some good ideas on how we might overcome any obstacles. Specifically, they can speak directly to the web site’s current capabilities and any security issues. We’ll have to keep the budget in mind though! This one is getting close to the target cost already. I know Dave was keeping an eye on this one.Please provide a detailed list of enhancements that you’d like to see and schedule a meeting.
Sincerely Yours,
Pete ReallyGreatManager#ProjectName #BillingNo00123456 #WeeklyMeeting #NewIdeas #SecurityIssues #WebDevelopment #InterfaceDesign #UserExperience #FutureDevelopments
Then, everyone can have rules set up to give the email the appropriate amount of attention. Since Bill was only in the FYI Line, he probably won’t need to read it and he can just file it away. Ditto that for everyone else on the original meeting invite group. Later, if he needs to get up to speed, the email is available to him but it hasn’t taken up any of his time before then.
Dave can review the project’s remaining budget and comment if he thinks he should.
Alan and Steve know that they need to reply with some meaningful feedback.
Tom knows that he probably needs this information at the same level as Cindy, but isn’t officially accountable for it (unless Cindy says so of course).
Cindy knows that her action is required on this.
Everyone can file this away in the folder color/style of their choosing.
Each can add their own private has tag to it and save it away with those tags.
Another addressing field I just thought of (and added above): Looping You In (LYI). This is a field that you’d want to use when you’re adding someone new to an existing email thread and you need them to get up to speed on the whole thread.
Funny you should mention the various types of CC-ing. I work for the government, and there are actually protocols in place to use an email’s subject line. FYI, FOUO, FYA, FYEO, all that nonsense…
The problem with designated fields (other than creating a toolbar above the actual edit field that just doesn’t stop, to accomodate all the extra “to” fields” – reminds me of some of those screenshots of people’s browsers wthat are inundated with all sorts of malwarebars) is that it makes it too easy for people to file without thinking. It’s not that hard to create designated folders in one’s inbox (which I have here, at home, for the 4 different email addresses I use plus all the one-off email addresses for subscriptions and verifications, as well as at work, where I have only one inbox).
I read what I need to read, and file it away appropriately in the correct folder. Most folders simply bare the name of the various senders (at work), abut there’s a couple of folders that require further action. “Follow-up”, “Verify”, “Completed”. Done.
:-)
There are many ways to implement the various enhanced addressing fields. Heck, it doesn’t even need to be a field. You could make it so that you right click on the persons name/email address and select the appropriate value. You say you read what you need to read, but how do you know if you need to read it?
Preview window and sender. Who’s it addressed to, how’s it start, who sent it. There’s a *lot* of mail being sent where I work, some of it sent to the whole base, some to just the squadron, some to departments… depending on who sends what to whom, I can discard right away without seeing more than the subject, others I most definitely want to make sure I see before filing them away… because there’s the real problem: the same people who would hit “reply to all” are the ones one should trust with selecting the appropriate addressing field? That’s just asking for trouble, man. ;-)
I mean, most people don’t even know when to use CC (appropriately). I prefer not to rely on other people to tell me how important a message may or may not be to me. And what happens if there’s a follow-up from someone in a different addressing range? Same problem.
I’d rather spend a couple of minutes a day reading emails that are of no importance to me and be sure I can discard them then to rely on people to select the correct option.
Don’t get me wrong, I agree there’s a lot of ways interoffice communications can be made to work better, but where just Outlook is concerned, tghere’s other annoyances I’d rather see fixed, like the lack of scroll-mouse support in the address book.
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