Inbox Management - Best Practices

Background

Inbox Management is one of the more common tasks that we manage for our clients. While every client is different, and we appreciate you know your client best and what works for them, we want to document our 'Best Practices' for managing a client inbox for our preferred processes. This will help make the inbox management more streamlined and efficient.

Important

Avoid complex folder structures.

Clients should refrain from implementing complex folder structures as they can lead to confusion and analysis paralysis. Instead, encourage them to minimize folders and use labels (in the case of Gmail) sparingly.

Ways of Communication 

The most efficient way to communicate with your client about their inbox is by calling them and talking through their emails. Some clients may prefer different approaches due to their unique requirements or preferences, so flexibility is essential, especially when working with clients who are resistant to changing their existing practices.

Best practice guidelines for Inbox Management:

Preferred Inbox Systems:

We encourage our clients to use either Google Workspace (G Suite) or Microsoft 365 (Office 365) as their email platform. These platforms offer powerful search functions and efficient folder management, unlike other inferior email systems.

Leverage the Search Function: 

Assure our clients that the search functions in Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 are highly efficient. Clients can easily locate emails by searching for keywords such as sender names, business names, or relevant topics, regardless of the folder the email is in.

Utilize the Archive Button: 

Emphasise with the client the use of the Archive button to remove emails from the inbox once they are dealt with. Archiving emails makes them fully searchable and avoids the need to decide which folder to place them in.

Clear Out Old Emails: 

When dealing with an overwhelming inbox, it is recommended to guide our clients through archiving all emails older than a month as a starting point. Archived emails are still accessible and searchable, and doing this when starting with a new client/new inbox provides us and the client with a more manageable inbox for focused attention. When time allows, we can then go back over the emails that have been archived and look to create rules/sort them further.

Sort Emails by Sender: 

When starting with a new client/new inbox, start by sorting the inbox by sender to group together subscription-based emails or newsletters. This allows for efficient handling of bulk emails and easy identification of non-essential content.

Focus on Actionable Emails: 

When communicating with a client about their inbox, only identify emails that require a response, action, or have specific deadlines. By scanning through and identifying such emails, they can prioritize their tasks and take necessary actions.

Establish a Simple Folder Structure: 

Suggest a straightforward folder structure for clients, such as creating folders for actions (e.g. VA to Action, Client to Action), accounts-related tasks, or legal documents. These folders will serve as organised workspaces and keep clients aware of ongoing actions, without it being too complex. Try to keep this to 4-5 folders.

Consider a Reading Folder: 

Clients may find it beneficial to have a separate reading folder for non-essential emails, such as newsletters or notifications. They can review these emails periodically, and this helps to ensure they don't get lost in the main inbox, but that they also don't clog up the main inbox at the same time.

Automate Repetitive Tasks: 

Identify repetitive actions within the inbox and explore automation options. Set up rules or filters to automatically handle tasks like forwarding invoices to Hubdoc or categorising subscription emails. Automating routine tasks saves time and effort.

Implement the "Four D's" System: 

Encourage clients to adopt the "Four D's" system for managing their inbox effectively:
- Delegate tasks
- Delete irrelevant emails (or archive)
- Do later (mark emails for future action)
- Do now (emails that are urgent or need to be replied to promptly)
Using flags or task management tools can help with organising tasks into these categories.