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What Email Habit Annoys You Most?

BCBusiness

| January 4, 2011

Image by: Antony Hare

Darrell Mussatto, Pauline Moller, and Jami Koehl on the email habits that send them over the edge.

Darrell Mussatto, Mayor, City of North Vancouver 

“People who expect an immediate response. I get so many emails that it’s hard to get back to them all, and if I don’t get back to them in four, six or eight hours, sometimes people get really upset. Once I didn’t respond to a resident in 24 hours and they said I wasn’t being responsible. I check my email all the time, but I usually respond on the weekends.”

Pauline Moller, COO, EA Sports

“It drives me crazy when people choose ‘reply all’ when they don’t need to and when others continue to do the same in that email chain. Not only does it create unnecessary email traffic (and we all wish we had less email) but also sometimes it can create distracting discussions and issues that could have been avoided. In my ideal world, people would slow down and think about who they need to reply to.”

Jami Koehl, Owner, Mustel Research Group Ltd.

“People not attaching their files properly. It would be cool if someone could invent something that would remind people to attach a file before they sent the message because it happens so often to me that people forget to attach a file. And of course spam is annoying because I spend so much time clearing emails out. Luckily, I don’t deal with these problems that much anymore since I got my Mac.”

Tags
- darrell mussatto,
- jami koehl,
- pauline moller,
- Digital,
- People,
- Social Media

I absolutely have to agree

Submitted by Jennifer Trait (not verified) on Tue, 2011-01-25 20:16.

I absolutely have to agree that the sheer volume of email is absolutely absurd and the ability to deal with them is becoming more and more strained. We're simply bogged down by the multiple email conversations that fly back and forth. Pick up the phone. I would disagree with Rick as we shouldn't be training people to expect an instant answer. The email isn't lost in cyberspace; when time allows for someone to respond in an appropriate and timely manner, they will. No need for all this "I'll respond when I'm able..." It should be a given that it will be responded to in an appropriate timeline. If it's urgent, call. And none of this back and forth email banter. Pick up the phone, call, and hash out the issues in a 2 minute phone call. If they're not available, leave a message and follow up with an email to respond at their convenience. Email has become way too much of a vehicle of instant gratification. The sheer volume is just not necessary and before sending, and before cc'ing to everyone on the block, ask yourself is it really needed. On the matter of cc'ing everyone, send it to the necessary person requesting the information, and if others need the pertinent information, the requestor will likely forward it on to them. The bottom line is sending emails that aren't needed, plus cc'ing everyone slows us all down from doing our jobs properly, so just stop doing it. I shouldn't have to send an email to ask you to remove me off the chain.

I like the topic and respect

Submitted by rporayko (not verified) on Thu, 2011-01-20 09:01.

I like the topic and respect your opinions. Darrell, I hear what you are saying however I believe that email can be very efficient. I also believe in email ettiquette. Many people hide behind email (as with voice mail) and it can be difficult to connect with them otherwise. In my experience, more and more people aren't accountable for responding back in a timely manner. If it is something I can't respond to right away, I always make a point of replying to the sender and confirming receipt of the email and letting the person know that I'm on it. I think it's good customer service and just common courtesy. Regarding chain emails, Pauline, I'm a big believer that chatter is good. For the most part, there should be more of it. If it doesn't apply to you, either disregard the email or politley opt out. If the conversation is a side bar, then it's a training issue. One of the biggest challenges out there is communication. Although it can be annoying, people can't complain that they weren't informed or given the opportunity to provide feedback. Jami/Nick, I've missed attachments like everyone else and it is an absolute pet peeve of mine. Good to know that Gmail offers that feature. I look forward to MS jumping on board. Have a great day. Rich Porayko http://ca.linkedin.com/in/richporayko

In terms of something to

Submitted by nickoostveen (not verified) on Wed, 2011-01-05 18:29.

In terms of something to remind people about missed attachments, Gmail actually has a feature to do just that. If your messages says something such as "I've attached" and you haven't actually attached a file it'll ask you if you meant to attach a file if nothing has yet been attached. I wish every mail client had a similar feature.