How can you keep visions of “Inbox (75)” from crowding out the sugarplums that should be dancing in your head this holiday season? I contacted Alex Moore, CEO and co-founder of email app company Boomerang, to grill him on the best advice for managing email while respecting both your coworkers’ vacation time and your own. Here are the top three tips Moore had to offer.
Schedule Email in Batches
A common email response tactic is to establish specific time periods during one’s workday in order to respond to email. Answering emails at the beginning and end of your day frees up all the time in between to work towards your goals. But with the latest advances in email tech, you can ensure you’re not tempted to check your email every ten minutes throughout the day. You’ll still have your smartphone, but if you plan ahead and rely on the right technology, you won’t have the siren call of your work emails bothering you during the holiday.
Consider Smart Assistants
If you’re finding it tough to keep up with a tidal wave of email, you might want to explore the AI-powered options available to you. Even just Google’s Smart Reply function — which offers three short potential responses that can be sent with a single mouse click — can significantly streamline your response times when managing email.
Don’t Be a Hard Ask
One data-driven tip from a recent Boomerang study: You do tend to get better open rates with “hey” than with “greetings” or “dear.” But however you open the email, be sure to take extra care to communicate clearly during the holidays. While “soft” skills like communications are easy to underestimate, they’re more important than ever when managing email during the holiday season. Don’t forget the power of remaining clear, being understanding, and acting polite during the rush to install the best email tech before your vacation days kick in.
