Automate Your E-Mail With Filters
Technology should work for you, and e-mail is no exception. If you frequently receive e-mail with a lot of the same subject lines or from the same people, you can set up your e-mail program to automatically route these messages to an appropriate folder or auto-reply to certain messages. For instance, if your friend Sally only sends you jokes, why not route all her e-mails to a “Joke” folder for review later on. Or if you frequently get e-mails asking for directions to your company, set up an auto-reply that will automatically attach a map, link to an online mapping system, and supply basic train and taxi information.
Be Secure
No advice on e-mail management would be complete without stressing the importance of secure e-mail use. Be careful of attachments, embedded graphics and links leading to phishing websites as you e-mail. If you get an e-mail saying "Your PayPal account needs to be verified" or there's a problem with your mortgage, don’t just click on the e-mail link provided. Go directly to PayPal’s website or that of your financial institution, and log on that way. Or call them directly to find out whether there is indeed a problem.
Back Up Your E-MailA critical part of a secure e-mail experience is ensuring that when your computer program crashes, you have an e-mail backup you can turn to for help. Imagine losing a month's worth of new customer information that's stored in your e-mail. Back up the e-mail on your computer, and if you host your own e-mail, be sure you back up your e-mail server as well.
Technology should work for you, and e-mail is no exception. If you frequently receive e-mail with a lot of the same subject lines or from the same people, you can set up your e-mail program to automatically route these messages to an appropriate folder or auto-reply to certain messages. For instance, if your friend Sally only sends you jokes, why not route all her e-mails to a “Joke” folder for review later on. Or if you frequently get e-mails asking for directions to your company, set up an auto-reply that will automatically attach a map, link to an online mapping system, and supply basic train and taxi information.
Be Secure
No advice on e-mail management would be complete without stressing the importance of secure e-mail use. Be careful of attachments, embedded graphics and links leading to phishing websites as you e-mail. If you get an e-mail saying "Your PayPal account needs to be verified" or there's a problem with your mortgage, don’t just click on the e-mail link provided. Go directly to PayPal’s website or that of your financial institution, and log on that way. Or call them directly to find out whether there is indeed a problem.
Back Up Your E-MailA critical part of a secure e-mail experience is ensuring that when your computer program crashes, you have an e-mail backup you can turn to for help. Imagine losing a month's worth of new customer information that's stored in your e-mail. Back up the e-mail on your computer, and if you host your own e-mail, be sure you back up your e-mail server as well.
