Tips for Managing Email Torrent

Answer by Mary Beth Guard: Try using these legends when sending email:

1. END OF MESSAGE. If you can put your entire message in the subject line, do so AND add EOM to it, so that we know there is no reason to open the email.
2. NO NEED TO REPLY. If you are sending an email for information purposes only and no one needs to reply, put the code NNTR in the subject line, along with the actual subject.
3. CHANGE THE SUBJECT, CHANGE THE SUBJECT LINE. If an email conversation that is about X morphs into an email conversation about Y and you are the first person to morph it, change the subject line to reflect it is about Y.
4. USE DESCRIPTIVE SUBJECT LINES. The goal is to be able to tell from the subject line what the email is about.
5. INPUT NEEDED. If you are sending an email and you need input, use the initials INB__ in the subject line. Input Needed By End of Day would be INBED. Input Needed by Tomorrow would be INBT. Input Needed NOW would be INN.
6. NEED QUICK ANSWER/ACTION. There are times when we need information FAST. If that is the case with an email you are sending, use NQA in your subject line.
7. CHECK YOUR EMAIL. Every member of the team should scan email subject lines no less than every 2 hours (unless we know you are out of the office) during regular business days and hours and those marked NQA or INN or INBED should be given priority and responded to. If you cannot provide the requested information, respond back and add IDK (I don't know) to the beginning of the subject line.
8. HELP. If you need immediate help of some other type, include SOS at the beginning of your subject line.
9. CHECKING EMAIL. Set a standard for how often your organization expects staff to check for new email messages. For a bank, it is probably appropriate to set different intervals for different responsibility areas or management levels.

You don't have to adopt all of these suggestions. Use those that fit your organization, or use the list as a starting point for creating your own ideas.