I confess to checking it several times a day, thus drawing sad looks of disappointment from the time management folks. I can live with that. They don't have clients who long for my attention.
My question is sparked, however, by the realization that some people - and I don't think they are hermits or anti-social - check it once or twice a week. When they eventually get back with me, I wonder if that chore was tucked between churning butter and making soap.
Do you operate with the assumption that e-mail will be checked at least once a day?
4 comments:
Absolutely, I expect most business folks to check email at least once a day. For certain clients, however, I will confirm this and also ask for alternate ways to communicate (other than by telephone, which is my very least favored method of communication).
If a client does not check email regularly, I ask if they can receive text messages (most can, these days), and will send a text alert if I have email correspondence for review.
These days, the ability to instantly communicate makes us live our lives to require instant communication. I'm not sure that's a good thing, but it is a fact. (And is also why I actively avoid email on weekends - there must be some limit to the madness)
You check email? How quaint. Push the email to your account; and, when you look at the browser or the notification bar on your phone, it will tell you how many messages you have. When you have a moment, or between reruns of "Leave it to Beaver", you just click and read. Take two aspirin and delete as necessary.
I operate under the assumption it will be checked a couple of times a day at a minimum. With cell phones getting email (the world has changed, Michael), people have time to check email without over-checking. I believe people expect an acknowledgement of email within 24 hours.
I work at my computer and most people I work with do too. I almost always read all my email as soon as it pops up and make the instant decision "File, Forward, Action" with each one. In this way my in-bin is always clean and I can use it to manage one-off requests which I can't fob off onto someone else.
When I don't do this my in-bin gets way too clogged and I miss important emails from others. I only get and receive about 20-50 emails a day so I can manage things this way, and it is a big part of my ability to manage my work day.
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