6 Proven Email Management Best Practises for Enterprise Businesses
Table of contents
Managing emails in an enterprise company can be quite challenging. That is, if you consider the fact that everything is done at scale.
You’re constantly interacting with customers, there’s a need to keep several people in the loop when having conversations, and there are multiple parallel conversations happening about any given project.
All of these things lead to more back and forth emails (read: chaos).
In this article, we discuss best practices for email management for enterprises. Let’s dive in!
Table of Contents
- What is an Enterprise Business?
- Why is Email Management important for Enterprise Businesses?
- 6 Email Management Best Practices for Enterprises
- Key Features To Look For in an Effective Email Management System
- The Way Forward
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is an Enterprise Business?
An enterprise business is a large-scale company with significant resources and operations. These businesses typically have hundreds or thousands of employees and generate substantial revenue. They often operate across multiple geographical locations or even globally.
Enterprise businesses are different from small or medium-sized businesses in a few ways. First, they have more employees and typically, more customers. In such a setting, there’s more communication that happens (read: more emails being sent and received).
Second, they have bigger budgets. This means they can invest in advanced tools and technologies.
Third, they have more complex needs. For example, managing resources, coordinating across global departments, and staying compliant with regulations are some of the bigger challenges enterprises deal with on a daily basis.
And lastly, the decisions and operations of enterprises can have a greater impact on the market and economy.
In fact, a research study shows that multinational enterprises (MNEs) account for about one-third of world GDP, demonstrating their influence on the global economy.
Why is Email Management important for Enterprise Businesses?
Now that it is clear how different enterprises are from small or medium-sized businesses let’s understand why email management is important for these giants:
1. Handles massive volumes of emails
Enterprise businesses deal with a large number of emails every day. Imagine hundreds or thousands of employees sending and receiving emails non-stop.
Without a proper system to manage these emails, it’s just plain chaos. Efficient email management helps keep things organized and ensures important messages don’t get lost in the noise.
2. Boost sproductivity
Good email management practices can save a lot of time and effort. For instance, sorting emails, filtering spam, and even setting reminders can keep your inbox organized.
This means employees can focus more on their work and less on cleaning their inboxes.
3. Enhances security
Security is a big concern for enterprise businesses. With so many emails sent and received, there’s a higher risk of phishing attacks and data breaches.
Effective email management includes implementing robust security features. These help protect sensitive information and keep the business safe.
4. Supports business continuity
Following a structured set of email management practices helps ensure that critical communications are not lost and can be easily retrieved.
This is crucial in maintaining business continuity, especially during crises or emergencies.
5. Facilitate better customer service
It is important for customer-facing teams in enterprise businesses to manage customer emails efficiently.
Good email management practices means faster response times and better service. Happy customers are more likely to stay loyal and recommend your business to others.
6 Email Management Best Practices for Enterprises
Here’s a step-by-step guide that will help you with efficient email management practices for your enterprise business:
1. Conduct an inbox audit
Start by understanding how your and your team’s emails are currently managed. Identify pain points and areas needing improvement. For instance, you can:
- Survey employees about email issues.
- Analyze email traffic and usage patterns. This may include tracking metrics like the volume of emails sent and received, response time, and more.
- Identify common problems like spam, missed messages, or email overload.
2. Organize inbox with filters
Email filters can help automatically sort incoming emails into folders. This keeps your inbox organized and ensures important emails aren’t missed. You can:
- Create rules to categorize emails (e.g., by sender, subject, keywords).
- Use color-coded labels for quick identification.
- Set up priority inboxes for urgent emails.
Recommended read: Gmail Filters 101: Your Definitive Guide To Gmail Filters
3. Implement email security measures
As an enterprise business, it is important to protect your email data from unauthorized access or phishing attacks. Make sure to implement strong security measures to protect your team’s inboxes. It is a good practice to:
- Implement multi-factor authentication (MFA).
- Use end-to-end encryption for sensitive emails.
- Regularly update security protocols and software.
4. Choose the right email management tool
Invest in an email management tool that fits your business needs. Explore tools like Hiver, SaneBox, or Brevo, which can help you automatically sort and filter emails across your team.
Make sure that the tool you invest in has robust integration features. For example, a tool that integrates with your calendar and task manager will make it easier for employees to manage their tasks in one place.
5. Train your employees
Ensure that everyone in your organization is aware of email management best practices. If you’re using a tool, make sure that everyone knows how to use it effectively.
You can:
- Offer your employees hands-on training workshops from time to time.
- Create easy-to-follow SOPs for good email management techniques. This can be a part of your onboarding kit for new employees.
- Provide ongoing support and refresher courses.
Here’s a template of an SOP for good email management etiquette. You can customize it according to your business needs and share it with your employees.
SOPs for Good Email Management
Efficient email management is vital for maintaining productivity, security, and compliance. Follow these guidelines to streamline your email usage.
1. Organize Your Inbox
Keep your inbox tidy and efficient as much as possible.
Steps:
a. Use Folders and Labels: Create categories for projects, clients, or topics.
b. Set Up Filters: Automatically sort incoming emails into appropriate folders.
c. Archive Regularly: Move older emails out of the inbox but keep them accessible.
2. Secure Your Email
Protect sensitive information and prevent security breaches.
Steps:
a. Use Strong Passwords: Combine letters, numbers, and symbols.
b. Enable Multi-factor authentication: Add an extra layer of security for all your email accounts.
c. Be Cautious: Don’t open attachments or links from unknown sources.
3. Practice Good Etiquette
Maintain professionalism while communicating with your colleagues, clients, vendors.
Steps:
a. Clear Subject Lines: Summarize the email’s purpose.
b. Keep It Concise: Get to the point quickly.
c. Professional Language: Avoid slang and casual language.
4. Manage Email Overload
Ensure that you keep your inbox clutter-free at all times.
Steps:
a. Scheduled Checks: Designate a specific time intervals (ex: right after you log in) to check email.
b. Prioritize: Use email tags or click the “star button” for urgent emails.
c. Unsubscribe: Regularly remove yourself from unnecessary lists.
5. Training and Support
If you use any of the email management tools provided by the company, make sure you’re trained well to use them.
Steps:
a. Training Sessions: Regularly attend workshops on best practices for using these tools.
b. Use Resources: Access guides and FAQs on the portal.
c. Seek Help: Contact IT for technical support.
6. Regularly review and update your strategy
Efficient email management is an ongoing process. It is important to regularly review your strategies and tools to ensure they meet your needs. You can:
- Schedule periodic reviews of email policies.
- Gather feedback from employees.
- Monitor the tools and practices implemented as and when needed.
Recommended read: 11 Best Team Email Management Software
Key Features To Look For in an Effective Email Management System
If you are planning to invest in an email management system for your enterprise, it’s essential to choose one with features that will enhance productivity and security.
Here are some key features to consider:
1. Automated sorting and filtering
With an effective email management tool, you should be able to sort and filter incoming emails automatically. This helps keep your inbox organized and ensures important messages are easy to find.
Look for tools that let you create rules to categorize emails by sender, subject, or keywords.
2. Shared inboxes
Having shared inboxes can be a game-changer for customer support and account management teams. It allows multiple people to manage and respond to emails from a single address.
You can also assign emails to the right teammate from the shared inbox.
This is perfect for teams who need to track conversations and ensure no email gets missed.
3. Collaboration features
Features that enable easy collaboration on incoming emails are essential. Look for the ability to tag team members, assign emails, and leave internal notes. This ensures everyone is on the same page and helps streamline workflows.
You also don’t have to keep forwarding and cc-ing your colleagues in all emails.
4. Analytics and reporting
Good email management systems offer analytics and reporting features.
These tools help you understand email usage patterns, track performance, and make informed decisions. Look for systems that provide detailed insights and customizable reports.
5. Integration abilities
Integration is key for a seamless workflow. Ensure your email management system integrates with your calendar, task manager, CRM, and other essential tools.
This ensures that important communications are linked with your tasks and schedules, reducing the chances of missing critical information.
For instance, the email management tool Hiver can be integrated with the CRM – Salesforce. With this integration, you can automatically create a new task on Salesforce based on certain criteria (Ex: when a new conversation is received). And this can be done without leaving your inbox.
The Way Forward
Implementing effective email management for your enterprise business is important. It not only helps handle large volumes of emails but also streamlines workflows and drives efficiency in teams.
If you’re looking for a tool that can help you with all this, you may want to check out Hiver. It offers shared inboxes, email tracking, and powerful collaboration features. It’s designed to help teams manage emails efficiently and stay on top of their communication.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why is email management important for enterprise businesses?
Effective email management is crucial for maintaining productivity, enhancing security, and ensuring smooth communication across large organizations. It helps manage high volumes of emails, prevents important messages from getting lost, and supports compliance with regulations.
2. How can automated sorting and filtering help my team?
Automated sorting and filtering helps categorize incoming emails based on predefined rules, ensuring important emails are easy to find and routed to the right team member.
3. What are some key features to look for in an email management system?
Look for features such as automated sorting and filtering, shared inboxes, email tracking, collaboration capabilities, robust security, and integration with other tools like your calendar and task manager.
4. What is a shared inbox, and why is it useful?
A shared inbox allows multiple team members to access and manage emails from a single address. This is especially useful for customer support or sales teams, ensuring no emails are missed and responses are timely.
5. How can I ensure the security of my emails?
Ensure your email system uses strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, and encryption for sensitive information. Regularly update security protocols and conduct audits to keep your communications safe.
