Crafting a better work experience

Our inbox is where work happens. It's where decisions get made. Where commitments are born. And let's be honest - it's what most of us use as a to do list.

We've spent 10 years at Missive transforming email from a lonely slog into a team sport. But after hundreds of conversations with customers, we realized something obvious:

Instead of fighting how people naturally work, why not make their inbox exceptional at what they're already using it for?

Let's be real - we know the whole "inbox zero" thing is a myth, and that treating your inbox as a pure to-do list has its problems. But here's the thing: people are going to use their inbox to track work, whether we like it or not. So instead of preaching about the "right way" to work, we decided to give you tools that improve the way you already work.

We're putting tasks where they belong - right inside your inbox. But we're doing it thoughtfully.

This isn't about dumping more stuff into an already full inbox. It's about giving you the tools to turn that chaos into clarity:

• The ability to create multiple tasks attached to an email thread assigned to right stakeholders
• Task views that help you step back and see the big picture, not just your inbox
• Powerful filters let you cut through the noise and focus on what matters
• Calendar integration so you can plan your work, not just react to it

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Now you can prioritize what matters, collaborate effectively, and keep your team in sync - all without leaving your inbox. No more scattered tools. No more lost context. No more wondering who's working on what.

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Your inbox is finally becoming what it should have been all along: A clear, organized command center where email and tasks blend seamlessly, exactly where you already are.

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This isn't about building another "everything app" or asking you to change how you work. It's about making your inbox better at what you're already using it for. We know that might sound contradictory, adding features while claiming simplicity, but we've been ruthless about only adding what matters.

Everything else? We left it out.

The goal isn't to make your inbox do everything. The goal is to make it do the things you're already using it for, exceptionally well.

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Now, let's walk through what's changing and how it makes your work life smoother.

A New Chapter for Tasks

We've completely re-imagined how tasks work in Missive.

You'll now find dedicated views that brings together all your tasks in one place, everything's organized in a single view. And the best part? Tasks now come with assignment, rich-text descriptions, and due dates that automatically sync to your calendar.

To keep everyone aligned, we've introduced a new 'In progress' intermediate status; watch your work progress naturally from "To do" to "In progress" to "Closed" — giving your whole team clear visibility into what's moving forward.

What happen to "Assigned to me" mailboxes?

The "Assigned to me" and "Assigned to others" mailboxes have morphed into the Task views. The new Tasks view shows everything assigned to you across all your teams and organizations, while Team Tasks gives you a focused view of what's happening in specific teams.

Want to customize your view? Use filters to zero in on exactly what you need - like seeing only tasks for specific team members or projects. You can even pin your favorite filtered views to your sidebar for quick access. And when you need to check the conversation that sparked a task, just click the conversation pill to jump right to it.

Note: If your team was previously not closing conversations, the different task views will be populated with a lot of old tasks. It's important to go through them and close them to keep your task views clean and give you a fresh start.

Teams spaces

We are also introducing teams spaces, a new way to organize your teams. Every team has now a dedicated space in the sidebar, and every member will see the right elements depending on their role in the team.

In each team space, you will find the team inbox, the team chat and the newly introduced team tasks view. You can always disable the team chat or the team inbox for a specific team in the team settings.

The team inbox, under the team space, can still be expanded to reveal the Closed, Sent and All mailboxes.

When working from a team inbox, as soon as you click reply, the conversation will be turned into an 'In progress' task, assigned to you. And when you're done with the draft, you can just hit 'Send & Close' and the task will be automatically closed.

Some companies will use these team spaces as traditional teams (support, design, etc), and others will use it as dedicated client spaces — with one team space per client. How you decide to use it is entirely up to your business.

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Checklists and Rules

If you have a checklist that your team goes through all the time, you can automate the whole thing with the new Create Task rule action. No more manual task creation.

Here's what I mean: Let's say every new client needs five things done — review their needs, check what you have in stock, work up pricing, draft a proposal, and get the thumbs up from your manager.

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Instead of creating these tasks by hand every single time, just set up a rule.

Now when an email comes in with "New Client" in the subject (or when someone drops a #newclient tag in the conversation), boom - all five tasks get created automatically, assigned to the right people, with the right due dates. Simple, automatic, and nothing gets missed.

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Conclusion

This is just the beginning. We're committed to making Missive the best place for teams to work together, and we have more exciting updates planned.

Your feedback has been invaluable in shaping these improvements, and we can't wait to hear what you think about the new tasks experience.

The best part? All these new features are available in every Missive plan. No upgrades needed.

Want to learn more about tasks in Missive? Check out our help guide for detailed information on how to make the most of these new features.

If you feel uncertain about the new tasks experience, and have any questions, we're here to help. We have 4 webinars scheduled in the next 2 weeks, and we'll be covering everything you need to know about tasks in Missive. Book a seat now using this link and we'll see you there!

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Oh, one more thing, we gave Missive a fresh coat of paint too! We hope you like it.✨

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1.8 billion users.

121 billion emails — per day.

Gmail dwarfs most popular email clients.

Still, reading emails in a browser tab feels… clunky?

Don’t get me wrong: I’ve been a Gmail user for years and I love it.

But I’ve found dedicated desktop email apps offer far more email productivity & customization.

Despite its dominance, Google hasn’t released an official desktop version of its email service. So users like you and I keep asking:

What are the best email apps for Gmail?

When I wrote the first version of this article, years ago, my mission was simple:

👉 Find the best email client to supercharge my personal productivity and facilitate team collaboration.

I needed something to simplify my email workflows AND give my team better tools — for clear communication and project management.The search led me to try dozens of apps, judging them on criteria like ease of use, customizability, collaboration, and productivity.

I've kept that original mission in mind while thoroughly re-evaluating and testing the latest offerings.This updated comparison includes a wide range of email clients. Some excel at personal email triage, others at conversational experience. Many boast team collaboration features.Let’s dig in and find your optimal email client for Gmail.

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The 9 Best Email Clients for Your Gmail Account

My evaluation focused on key criteria that savvy users care about, based on personal usage and discussions in online communities like Reddit.

These factors included:

 
• Intuitive UI design
• Robust email management
• Useful productivity features (like snoozing and scheduling)
• Collaboration tools
• Customization options
• Optimized multi-email accounts experience

I prioritized email apps with clear signs of ongoing development. All the Gmail email clients on the list support OAuth, as it’s the recommended way to connect your Gmail account to an email client according to Google. It will be the only supported way starting in Fall 2024.

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Best Email Client for Mac Users

For macOS, the top contenders are Apple's stock Mail app and the Gmail optimizer, Mimestream.

Apple Mail

I know, most of you are probably screaming at your screen that Apple Mail made the cut, but hear me out — it has an incredible number of useful features for Gmail users.

Apple Mail offers robust custom filters, smart mailbox views, and notification control. It also provides AI-powered search assist, automated unsubscribe detection, send later scheduling, and built-in privacy tools. The user-friendly interface, system-level integration, and regular updates keep it feeling fresh. Best of all, it comes pre-installed with all Mac, so no need to download or update new software.

Price

Free.

Mimestream

Mail lacks true integration with the Gmail platform. Mimestream shines as a purpose-built native app using the official Gmail API under the hood. This direct API connection allows Mimestream to mirror Gmail's interfaces, features, and real label structures in a way Apple's IMAP implementation can't.

Mimestream optimizes viewing and triaging the Gmail inbox with features like nested labels, calendar invites, and support for Gmail's latest search functionality and more. Mimestream provides an optimized experience that makes viewing and triaging your Gmail inbox faster and more efficient — with the added benefits of a native macOS app, not a browser window. The only core Gmail functionality it lacks is scheduled email sending.

Price

$4.99 per user per month.

Best Email Client for Windows Users

Outlook

For Windows, Microsoft Outlook has long been the standard for email due to its ease of use, powerful search capabilities, and tight Office integration. And it’s still on top for the same reasons (especially with a Microsoft 365 account). There's also a full-fledged integrated calendar, eliminating the need to switch between windows to manage your day.

And if you're not an Apple user, Outlook is probably one of the best Android email clients out there.

Unfortunately, the latest Outlook release has been controversial. Microsoft has removed functionality like import/export tools and system tray access that power users loved in previous versions by shifting to essentially becoming a desktop clone of the web app. Shared mailbox management and capabilities like viewing favorite folders have also suffered. Some Reddit users find the web version performs better, but the general consensus is that the new desktop Outlook feels like a downgrade.

Price

Free with ads, or starting at $1.99 per month for the ad-free version.

Best Email Client for Businesses & Collaboration

Missive

Email clients designed with teams and productivity in mind offer major advantages over individual email management tools — especially for businesses.

Based on my latest research, core business needs around email are:

 
• Workflow configuration
 
• Real-time editing collaboration
• Chat and comments
• Task assignments
• Security & compliance standards
 
• Mobile management
 
• Calendar integration
 
• Third-party integrations (like OpenAI or HubSpot
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No other email client meets those needs better than Missive.

Missive has been a game-changer for my team's productivity and communication. It’s a unified inbox that combines all our accounts into one app, while also offering shared inboxes — the multiplayer mode for email. The collaboration features like shared draft editing with @mentions, internal chat, and one-click assignments.

Shared labels, advanced rules, mobile apps, calendar sync, and a growing library of integrations make Missive a powerful software to consume your business’ Gmail accounts. Management tools like email templates, send later scheduling, snoozing, and follow-up reminders help each of us personally optimize our individual email processes. Missive also excels at email delegation with team members or virtual assistants.

However, according to some Reddit users — Missive is not perfect.

People have shared a learning curve, lack some granular customization, no email tracking, and advanced collaboration features locked behind paid tiers. But in my experience, no other client matches Missive's intuitive yet powerful blend of personal email management and team communication.

Price

Missive’s pricing is competitive compared to other Gmail email clients—especially for small businesses that want to collaborate around emails.

Free plan available and starting at $18 per month per user for advanced features.

Best Open-Sourced Email Client

Thunderbird

For those seeking a free, open-source, and community-driven email client, Thunderbird has made a name for itself. This cross-platform app has evolved a lot over the years with great features like tabbed email viewing, robust custom search tools, and built-in phishing/spam filtering.

Starting is easy with simplified account setup wizards and friendly reminders. Then, customization begins with custom themes, smart foldering, advanced filtering, and extending functionality through add-ons.

Thunderbird's uniqueness lies in its built-in privacy tools like remote image blocking and organization of emails into dedicated "Message Archive" locations outside your inbox. No complex rules needed. The tabbed interface with quick filters also makes email triage fast compared to a standard chronological view.

An open-sourced, Outlook alternative, for those looking for an Android email app.

Price

Free.

Best Email Client for Customization

eM Client

If customization is your #1 priority in an email client, eM Client should be at the top of your list to test. This app takes a unique approach by bundling standard email/calendar/tasks management with note-taking.

eM Client lets you tweak things like instantaneous translation of messages, watchlist notifications for contact interactions, advanced attachment search filters, and a library of templates/text snippets.

You can also customize the toolbar layout. For enterprise users, eM Client includes admin deployment tools and integrations.

The flexibility can be both an advantage and a disadvantage, as eM Client can feel overwhelming with so much to configure, especially if you’re coming from a simpler app.

But if you love customizing apps, eM Client is worth considering.

Price

Free for non-commercial use and starting at $59.95 for commercial use.

Best Email Client for Chat-Like Experience

Spike

While the other clients on the list all use the traditional inbox management concepts to varying degrees, Spike goes a step further by completely reinventing email for individual productivity and team collaboration.

While not for everyone, it’s taking its inspiration from chat apps and social media to transform email into an infinitely scrolling feed of conversational "channels". These are organized around contacts and teams instead of the typical chrono-threaded approach.

This different experience lets you chat and share assets like notes, documents, and voice clips in your inbox. It includes features like automating message tone, video calls, and AI prioritization based on relationship context instead of subject lines and sender aliases.

Spike maintains core functions like account unification and calendar support. But its conversation-centric design can be hard to get used to.

Price

Free plan available, starting at $5 per month per user for advanced features.

Best Email Client for Individual Productivity

Superhuman

In the personal productivity front, Superhuman takes a traditional approach with an email interface optimized for speed and efficiency. It adds depth through an AI engine that powers automated split inboxes for VIPs and service emails, intelligent follow-up reminders, social insights about contacts, and error correction.

Superhuman isn't cheap at $30/month, but the premium delivers an unmatched experience that feels like a personal productivity force multiplier.

Price

Starting at $30 per month.

Best Email Client for Mobile Devices

Canary Mail

For those who live on their mobile devices and want an extra AI-powered assist for email management on mobile devices. It automatically prioritizes messages, provides AI-written summaries, and generates email drafts based on voice prompts or sentiment reactions.

These AI integrations improve mobile email management, bridging the context and functionality gap compared to desktop experiences.

Its freemium model with premium tiers offers a compelling way to enhance mobile email through intelligent optimization and AI assistance.

Price

Free plan available, starting at $49 per year for advanced features.

Finding the Right Inbox Fit

Desktop simplicity, intelligent mobile assistance, effective team communication, smart spam filtering, hyper-customized productivity…Whatever your use case, there’s a third-party Gmail client for you.

The key is finding the right fit based on your priorities.

For me, Missive's collaboration-focused experience has been a game-changer for team communication without compromising individual productivity.

But what about you? Maybe you'll prefer Thunderbird's community-driven open-source approach. Or the AI-enhanced efficiency of Superhuman for power users!

No matter the app, upgrading from Gmail's web interface can optimize email and get you closer to inbox zero.

It’s time to take control of your inbox.

When I started my career, my first experience with team emails was chaotic. We had multiple inboxes, scattered conversations, and constant back-and-forth about who was handling what. It was a nightmare.

At my last job, we used Missive, and it was like night and day compared to my previous experience. However, it wasn't until I discovered some of its hidden features that things really clicked for me.

Over the past few years, I've used Missive daily, and for the last year, I've been helping Missive customers uncover all its hidden gems. Today, I want to share the five features that transformed how I handle communication. These aren't the flashy features – they're the practical, everyday tools that can make a difference.

1. Merging Email Threads

You know when someone starts a new email thread about something you're already discussing in another thread? This used to drive me crazy. But in Missive, you just drag one conversation onto the other, and they merge into a single thread. Everything stays in order, nothing gets lost, and suddenly all your context is in one place.

Real-world examples where this shines:

• When a customer replies to an old email instead of the original thread for the same issue
• Multiple customers reporting the same issue
• Getting quotes from different suppliers
• Project discussions that branch off and need to be reconnected

Pro tip: You cannot undo the merging. BUT you can move messages of merged conversations to new private or shared ones.

2. Your Sidebar, Your Rules

At first glance, customizing your sidebar might not sound revolutionary. But trust me – it's like finally organizing your desk after years of chaos.

Here's what makes it special:

• Move your most-used mailboxes to the top
• Hide the stuff you rarely touch
• Group things however they make sense to YOU
• Create separate sections for different projects or clients

Here's how different teams use this:‍

Support Teams:

• Support Team Inbox at the top
• Urgent issues section with labels
• Team chat of the Support team
• Archived mailbox hidden but accessible

Sales Teams:

• Hot lead labels front and center
• Separate sections for each pipeline stage
• Quick access to Sales team room
• 'Follow-up' label visible pinned

Project Managers:

• Project-specific inboxes grouped
• Client communication sections
• Team room easily accessible
• Deadline-sensitive items labels

Pro tip: You can also create whole new sections. Just drag an item on top of the +More button in the sidebar.

3. Type # and Save Hours

This feature is really powerful: inserting canned responses inline. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Just type a hashtag followed by your response name, and boom – your full message appears right where you're typing. No more copying and pasting, no more digging through templates.

My team's favorite uses:

• #hi: Personalized welcome messages for new email requests
• #followup: 'Thanks for reaching out'
• #lmka: 'Let me know if you need anything else, I'd be happy to help'
• #meet: Inserts a link with my Calendly availability link
• #thanks: Thank you messages with next steps

Power User Tips:

1. Create variations of common responses (formal vs casual)
2. Include variables for personalization
3. Set up team-wide responses for consistency
4. For intensive-use phrases, use short, memorable hashtags
5. Create responses in multiple languages

4. The Command Bar (Ctrl/Cmd + K)

If you learn one keyboard shortcut in Missive, make it this one. Press Cmd+K on Mac (or Ctrl+K on Windows), and you've got instant access to pretty much everything.

Things you can do from the command bar:

• Create new emails, events, or tasks
• Access settings and preferences
• Switch between 1:1 rooms
• Search for specific messages
• Manage rules and labels
• Open contact books
• Set a status
• And much more!

If I were to time-track myself for a week with and without using the command bar. The difference? About 3 minutes saved each day just from reducing mouse usage and menu navigation. Compound this to a year, and you'll see how powerful it can be.

5. Custom Thread Names That Actually Make Sense

This last one's simple but brilliant. You can rename your email threads to whatever you want.

Smart ways to use this:

• Add project phase indicators (e.g., "Brand Design - Phase 2 Feedback")
• Include priority levels (e.g., "URGENT: Server Issue Resolution")
• Add dates for time-sensitive stuff (e.g., "Q4 Planning - Due Oct 30")
• Tag conversations by department (e.g., "HR: New Hire Onboarding - Sarah")

Putting It All Together: Power User Workflows

The real magic happens when you combine some of these features.

Here's how I handle an inbound request from big leads:

1. Pin 'Big Leads' label to the sidebar
2. Merge all email communication and Calendly invites
3. Use the command bar for quick navigation between my other tasks

For support teams, try this workflow:

1. Merge support requests from the same customer
2. Rename threads with issue types and status
3. Use canned responses for common solutions
4. Organize sidebar by priority levels

The Impact on Your Daily Work

Let's talk numbers. Depending on your use case, after implementing these features across your team:

• Email response time will drop by at least a few minutes per day
• Context switching will be reduced significantly
• Team coordination will improve

Getting Started

Don't try to implement everything at once. Start with the feature that addresses your biggest pain point:

• Drowning in split conversations? Start with merging
• Spending too much time on repeated responses? Focus on creating/using inline canned responses
• Can't find anything? Organize that sidebar
• Lost in endless threads? Start renaming conversations

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Give them a shot. Start with one, get comfortable, then move on to the next. You might be surprised at how much time you save.

Emails, emails, emails. We can't predict next week's weather, but our forecast for your inbox next week is straightforward:

You'll get plenty of new office emails tomorrow, with chances of junk mail.

Your emails take up more than a quarter of your workweek, so it’s a no-brainer that you would have a lot of catching up to do after a week-long vacation.

Fortunately, nowadays, you can set up an automated office email reply to save you time and manage your emails. Automated email replies can provide information needed by the sender while you are unavailable, or respond to business inquiries or job applications you receive.

You don’t want to mess it up and send an automated email saying you might not ever respond or set it up to reply to all the emails you’ve received (we wonder why that’s even possible).

You can thank us later, but we made sure we covered the basics, including the best templates and do’s and don’ts. Also, we included a section on setting up Gmail or Outlook for automated email replies. You'll save time managing emails and you can go on a vacation without having to check your inbox.

What is an Automatic Email Reply?

An automatic email reply or out-of-office email is an automated response sent on your behalf when receiving messages that meet certain conditions.

Most email clients let you set up auto-replies to answer emails automatically within a set period using a pre-written email template. In other words, your emails will answer themselves with a pre-written message when this feature is on. For example, an out-of-office reply informs the sender of your absence, the duration, and a contact person while you are away.

An automatic email reply can be used for various situations like being sick, out to a conference, on vacation, on maternity leave, or on annual leave. It can also be used for business inquiries or job applications. Whether you're out of the office or you don’t want to always type the same reply to every email while analyzing the inquiry or application, automatic email replies are for you.

Best Automatic Email Reply Templates

An automatic email reply is only as good as the template. We’ve created templates for common situations when automatic email replies are useful. In addition, our templates use variables to personalize your emails in Missive.

The great thing about Missive is that you can create rules to decide when to send your out-of-office email (the dates you will be away) or choose specific people or conditions to send your responses (for example, only people within your company like template #3).

Setting up auto-replies in Missive is easy. Just follow this guide.

Here are the best auto-reply email templates to start using for professional replies.

1. Out-of-Office Auto-Reply Email Template for a Holiday

Holidays are the times in a year when you see distant family and get long weekends, not reply to emails. Different businesses have different holiday policies, so it's important to set up an automated ooo messageto let others know when you start and return from a holiday.

2. Out-of-Office Auto-Reply Email Template for a Vacation

Who doesn’t need a vacation sometimes? Well this ooo message is perfect for that, and we made sure it is professional; no need to mention the piña colada here.

3. Out-of-Office Auto-Reply Email Template for Internal Emails

Whether you are on holiday or you are on a sick leave, you might need to let your colleagues know of your absence. Here, make sure you use a rule to send this ooo message only to emails coming from within the company (e.g., emails with the domain @companyname.com) to avoid sending this template to external parties.

4. Out-of-Office Auto-Reply Email Template for Maternity Leave

The gift of life grants some well-deserved time off work. Depending on your line of work and company policy, you might have a shorter or longer maternity (or paternity) leave, and it's important to notify people. Try this autoresponder:

5. Out-of-Office Auto-Reply Email Template for a Sick Leave

When you get sick, the best thing is to stay at home. Whether you will be out of office for a long period or just for the day, it is best to let people contacting you there will be a delay in your response.

6. Auto-Reply Email Template for Someone No Longer With Company

Imagine still receiving emails from your old job. It would be weird, right? Well, if someone isn’t on the payroll anymore, you better make sure the sender that the ex-employee person won’t be replying to any of those emails anymore.

7. Out-of-Office Auto-Reply Email Template Offering Alternative Contact Methods

Sometimes your email may not be the best way to reach you. You might be out of the office or in a meeting only reachable by phone. If you want to offer another way to get in touch, this is it. This autoresponder template is best for situations where the recipient may need to reach the sender urgently, even if you’re out of the office.

8. New Support Request Auto-Reply Email Template

This one is handy if you’re on the support team. People who require immediate assistance want help and they want it FAST. If you reply right away saying you will look into their urgent problem, it gives the sense you are caring.

9. General Business Inquiry Auto-Reply Email Template

This one will usually be used to reply to your general business email. Replying right away gives a sense that you care about the inquiry, but it also gives you time to give a more personal reply to the inquiry.

10. New Lead Auto-Reply Email Template

New leads are not customers yet. You want to make the best impression to maximize your chances of turning a lead into a client. Make sure you set up an automated reply and show you care for potential customers.

11. Job Application Auto-Reply Email Template

Candidates for open positions are harder to come by these days. It can also be a stressful process for candidates. A quick reply will show you care and that you are interested in the application.

Thank you for your interest in {{ company_name | description: "company name" | confirm }}. We aim to get back to potential candidates for the {{ job_name | description: “job title" | confirm }} position within {{ number_day | description: “Number of business days to reply" | confirm }}.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

[Your signature]

How to Create Professional Automatic Email Reply Templates?

When writing an automatic email reply, keep it short and professional. You might be on a vacation drinking mojitos, but the sender still expects a professional response.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing an automated email reply:

• Keep it short: You should keep it simple and only include all the information necessary to the sender, including why you are away, the period you are away for, and how to contact you or who to contact during your absence.
• Keep it professional: do not include unnecessary details about your absence. Remember, this is a professional email. You might be on vacation enjoying the minibar, but you have to remain professional while using your work email.
• Warn the person you are redirecting emails to: You don’t want to be leaving extra work for your colleagues while you're away. Remember, you wouldn’t drop a ton of paperwork in their office, so don’t do it when you're away!
• Check for grammar mistakes: You might consider yourself the grammar god, but we are never immune to a typo or a grammar mistake, especially if you write your reply in a rush. Reread and double-check with an online corrector. You wouldn’t want to look bad for a tiny typo in your automatic reply.
• Be clear about the alternative contact method: You want to include who to contact or how to contact you while you are away. You also want to include whether you will monitor your emails or not.
• Include a professional email signature: this will give all your information to the sender and make it look more professional.

Now that we have covered what to do, let's go over a few common mistakes you should avoid when creating your auto-replies:

1. Turn off your automatic email reply when you come back to work. You would not want clients or colleagues to get that reply while you are sitting in your office.
2. Do not include the option of urgent contact if you do not want to be disturbed. If you allow this option, you might receive calls for things you don’t judge urgent but that the sender does.
3. Do not try to be funny. You might be the funniest person in the office, but a joke on paper is rarely as good as it is when you tell it in person. Imagine trying to make a joke on dinosaurs and coming upon a grumpysaurus (see how awful it is when it’s written instead of told).

Automated Email Replies Made Simple

Writing an automatic email reply is about keeping it short, concise, and professional. If used when you’re out-of-office, you want the recipient to know how long you'll be away, why, and who to contact.

If you are not using Missive, you can easily set up automated email replies in Outlook and Gmail.

Setting Up Automated Email Replies in Outlook

Setting up in Outlook has fewer steps, but more limited options compared to Google and Missive. Here's how to set up an automated reply:

1. Select file → Automatic reply → Send automatic replies
2. Choose when to send by these messages by clicking Only send during this time range
3. Choose date and times for the automatic reply
4. Use one of our templates or type your own reply
5. Click OK

Setting Up Automated Email Replies in Gmail

Setting up in Gmail is very easy. Here’s how to create one:

1. First, you’ll need to enable templates. For this, go to Setting → See all settings → Advanced → Templates
2. Click on Enable
3. Now, it’s time to compose your template (or use one of ours). To do so, in the Compose field, type your template
4. Click on the three dots → Templates → Save draft as template → Save as new template
5. Type the template name and click on Save

You can also create filters so your templates only send when an incoming message meets certain criteria. You can use a common word that will appear in the email, specific senders, or subject that will trigger your automated email reply.

Here’s how to create a filter:

1. In the search bar (on main page), click on Show search options
2. Choose your common word, sender or object and type it in the search bar, then click on Search
3. Check if you have satisfying results → Search bar → Show search options → Create filter → Send template → Select your template → Create filter

Now that you have the basics and the best templates, it’s your time to shine and increase productivity. You’ll save time using those templates and automated email replies.

Feel free to use and adapt the templates to your context. You can also modify the used variables to fit your needs.

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Managing properties comes with its load of communication. Whether you’re emailing potential occupants or resolving problems with your tenants, there's so much you can handle by yourself.

To help you build and maintain great landlord-tenant relationships, we’ve crafted email templates that will make it effortless to respond to maintenance issues, send rent reminders or follow up emails, and more.

Let’s jump right in.

The Best Property Management Email Templates For Your Rentals

We've crafted a list of the best property management email templates to help you in your everyday job and remove the hassle of managing resident communication.

If you’re using Missive, our collaborative email inbox, you can copy/paste these templates into your canned responses and share them with your team.

Application Communication

We’ve all heard it over and over again. First impressions matter. It’s especially true when it comes to attracting and retaining quality tenants for your rental. The application process will set the tone and influence a tenant's decision to move into one of your properties.

I know what you’re thinking right now:

Wait, I don’t need an email template for the application process; most of my leads come from my Facebook Marketplace listings. I don't even do any email marketing!

The good news is that our templates can save you a lot of time, no matter if you're sending your messages via email or Facebook Messenger. If you’re using Missive, you can manage your Facebook Messenger account inside the app and benefit even more from the email templates.

Our application communication templates are a great way to help you communicate effectively with applicants throughout the process.

New Application Auto-Reply

Here’s a template for an auto-reply you could send when receiving a rental application:

Approved Application

In the case the applicant has passed the credit check and the application has been approved, here’s a follow up email template you could use:

Declined Application

Sadly, some applicants aren’t always approved. We have created a thank you email template you can use when sending those emails. It will not only save you time but also save you the hassle of crafting them.

Application on the Waitlist

The last follow up email template you should have to manage the application process messages efficiently will come in handy when it’s time to let an applicant know they are on the waiting list:

Move-in Communication

There’s nothing like a welcoming email with all the information new tenants should have for their move-in to kick-start a good relationship. A well-crafted email can make them feel valued and reduce the questions a new tenant could ask. Here's an email template to help you create a professional and informative welcome email for your new tenants:

Maintenance Requests

Most emails overflowing your inbox as a property manager are often maintenance requests. Replying to those messages quickly and letting the resident know you're taking care of their request is the key to satisfying them.

With the following templates, you can send a response quickly while maintaining a personal touch.

Receiving a Maintenance Request

When receiving a tenant request, you should acknowledge it right away so your unit occupant knows that you’ll take care of it:

Issue Is Resolved Follow-Up

Then, once the issue has been resolved, sending a quick follow-up will show that you care about your client's satisfaction:

You should always maintain consistent messaging and set proper expectations by sending the initial response swiftly and following up once resolved.

Rent Payment Reminder Emails

If a resident is late paying rent, you must send a firmer reminder. Here are some tips:

• Keep the tone positive and casual - this is just a friendly nudge.
• Avoid sounding accusatory. Assume they just forgot or lost track of time.
• Give them the benefit of the doubt if it's their first reminder.
• Remind them of the exact late fees that apply as defined in the lease.
• Specify when late fees will start accruing if the balance remains unpaid.
• Provide the next steps if it remains unpaid by the late fee date. Example: notice to pay or quit.
• Offer to discuss payment plans or assistance programs if applicable.
• Include account balance, where to pay, and who to contact with questions.

Here’s a template that can be useful:

Renewals

Sending timely renewal notices is crucial for retaining residents and avoiding vacancies. You should start the renewal process at least 90 days before the lease expires, depending on your local laws. Your email should highlight any changes and provide deadlines for giving notice to vacate.

Here’s a template:

Move-Out Communication

When a resident decides to move out of one of the properties you’re managing, you’ll need to communicate all information necessary for the process. This process can feel daunting, especially if you manage many properties, but it can be automated quite easily using an email template.

Before exploring the template, let’s go over some good tips to make sure your message as effective as possible:

• Send an email reminding residents of the move-out inspection process 30 days before the move-out. Highlight that inspections assess damages beyond normal wear and tear.
• Include details on date/time of inspection and if residents need to be present. Offer to reschedule if the proposed time doesn't work.
• Attach your move-out cleaning checklist so residents can prepare the unit properly. Also, include some information about any charges for extensive cleaning or repairs.
• Thank residents for being tenants and let them know you are processing the return of their security deposit. Note your policy timeline for returning the deposit.

With all these tips in mind, you’ll be able to make this template yours and ensure the residents know what to expect when moving out.

Best Practices for Effective Property Management Emails

Being a good property manager isn’t just about caring for brick and mortar — it’s also about nurturing good relationships. Whether you’re a manager or a landlord, following email best practices can help you save time and avoid misunderstandings.

Here are some good tips to keep in mind when emailing your occupants:

   
• Personalize your communications: When sending an email to one of your residents, using their name in the greeting, rather than a generic "Hello" can go a long way.
   
• Use clear & descriptive subject lines: Subject lines should quickly communicate key info so residents know if they need to open the email. Avoid vague subject lines like "Lease Question" that could apply to anyone.
   
• Optimize for mobile: With more people reading email on phones, you should make sure that your messages render well on mobile devices. Using a single-column layout with buttons, choosing larger fonts, and breaking content into short paragraphs can all help your recipients have a better experience when consuming your messages.
   
• Keep it professional: Even if you’re using friendly greetings, your emails should stay polite and have a business-like tone. That being said, it's time to forget everything you've learned in school about writing like Shakespeare. You should be clear and concise. Plus, proofread to check for errors; there's nothing worse for your image than sloppy messages full of mistakes.

By mastering property management email communication, you can provide five-star service to your residents, operate efficiently, and support your team of property managers.

Every day, approximately 350 billion emails are sent and received. Of these, more than 45% end up in spam. This leads to significant losses for businesses, as marketing emails don't reach their subscribers, transactional emails fail to inform users, and colleagues struggle to communicate effectively.

Email deliverability is somewhat of a black box, much like SEO. The rules are constantly changing and are not clearly disclosed by major Email Service Providers (ESPs) like Google, Apple, Microsoft, and others.

Sometimes these rules are disclosed, as seen recently with the announcement from Google and Yahoo about the enforcement of new security protocols starting in February, but they are often kept unclear.

The good news is, despite the uncertainty, you can greatly improve your email deliverability. If you are worried your messages are getting lost in an email black hole, keep on reading as we’ll delve deeper to understand the main reasons why emails end up in spam, and how to prevent this.

Table of Contents

• What is Email Deliverability?
• Why Do Emails End Up in Spam?
• Best Ways to Prevent Emails From Going to Spamsome text
  • List Management
  • Cleaning Your Lists
  • Content
  • Infrastructure Configuration
  • Monitoring
• Wrapping Up

What is Email Deliverability?

Before we dive into why your emails end up going into spam, let’s first explore a subtle yet so important distinction:

It’s not because your emails show as delivered in the tools you are using (also known as bounce/delivery rate) that they are actually reaching your recipient’s inbox.

Email deliverability is the odds that your email makes it to your customer's inbox and not in their spam.

Why Do Emails End Up in Spam?

There are several reasons why your emails might end up trigger the spam filters. It can be a long story, but it can be simplified into four pillars:

1. List Management: Sending emails to unsubscribed addresses is a major red flag. Your list should be built organically with permission-based opt-ins. Plus, if you’re still sending emails to old and inactive accounts that end up bouncing, it can negatively impact your reputation.
2. Content & Engagement: Using excessive exclamation points, ALL CAPS, misleading subject lines, or irrelevant keywords can trigger spam filters and route your email to no man's land.
3. DNS Configuration: Not implementing email authentication protocols like SPF, DKIM, and DMARC is another redflag for ESPs. These act like digital IDs by verifying your legitimacy and preventing impersonation by spammers.
4. Monitoring & Optimization: Not regularly keeping track your email deliverability metrics like spam rates, open rates, and click-through rates is another no go. This data can help you identifying areas where you could improve, like content adjustments, list cleaning, or technical optimizations.

By avoiding these red flags, your emails will be able to land in the inbox of your recipients more easily.

Best Ways to Prevent Emails From Going to Spam

List Management

Opt-in

The method you use to collect emails and build your subscriber list has a significant impact. If you employ a deceptive approach to obtain emails and then send these users unsolicited messages, it's likely that these recipients will be displeased with your unexpected emails. The more dissatisfied they are, the more likely they are to mark you as spam.

Ensure you use an opt-in form that clearly communicates to users that they will receive content from you by agreeing and checking a box or a similar mechanism. Be clear, don’t try to be sneaky.

Unsubscribe

Make it easy for people to unsubscribe. Don’t try to hide the link grey on white at the bottom of your email template. People who are unable to unsubscribe are actually people who will flag your email as spam and damage your reputation.

To encourage organizations to have the best practices on this, Google and Yahoo just made it mandatory to have an Unsubscribe button directly in the header of your email. Here’s how it looks:

Cleaning Your Lists

Deprecated Emails

You can use third-party tools to remove emails that have been deactivated or accounts that have been banned. Those create hard bounces and hard bounces are bad for your reputation.

We personally like Neverbounce.

Sunset Policy

If a certain group of subscribers has not opened a single email in the last six months, you might want to send them an email asking if they're still interested. Ultimately, emails that are not interacted with are likely to be flagged as spam.

This is not beneficial for your sender's reputation, and it's a poor final point of contact with your brand for the user. We recommend being kind and warm about it. Let them sail into the sunset if that's their wish!

Content

It's no secret that the type of content you send to your recipient is one of the most important aspects of a successful email campaign. People's time is extremely valuable, so ensure that when you ask for their time to read your content, your content is of top quality and feels genuine.

Here are the most important questions to ask yourself before hitting send:

• Relevant and exciting content?
• Is it well-written and to the point?
• Is it well-designed and fun to look at?
• Is it made for my audience?
• Does it use any words that could trigger a spam filter?
• Would I like to receive this email if I were the reader?

Infrastructure Configuration

Authenticating and securing your emails is a crucial step in ensuring your emails reach the inbox. It's often overlooked by many companies, yet it's one of the easiest ways to improve deliverability.

There's a complex relationship between security and compliance. ESPs aim to reduce spam, scams, and phishing attempts. To support this, they favor domains that have well-configured security and authentication protocols on their domain's DNS.

Although this part can be quite tricky to understand and configure, it's incredibly valuable. It can make the difference between a +39% open rate and a +34% purchase likelihood. Isn't that amazing?

So, What Are Those Authentication and Security Protocols?

Understanding DNS

DNS is like the address book of the internet. Computers use DNS to look up domain names to find the corresponding IP addresses needed to connect to websites, servers, and other internet resources.

That’s also where email service providers like Google, Apple, and Microsoft are instructed on how your emails are secured and authenticated:

• Who is authorized to send emails on behalf of your domain (SPF)?
• What is the signature they should look for to ensure the content is authentic (DKIM)?
• Is your domain protected by a policy? (DMARC)
• Is your sender’s identity verified? (BIMI)

Let's dive into each one of these one by one.

Authorized Senders List - (SPF Record)

SPF Records are like a guest list for sending emails. An SPF record is a line of text that specifies which domains or IP addresses are permitted to send emails on behalf of your domain. It resides in your DNS manager, under TXT records.

Here’s an example of an SPF record:

v=spf1 ip4:192.0.2.0/24 ip6:2001:db8::/32 include:_spf.example.com ~all

If an email from your domain is sent to a recipient server without your domain's permission, it could potentially decrease the email's deliverability.

A quick tip: To analyze whether your DNS is configured properly and if your email has a high likelihood of reaching the inbox, you can use Palisade’s free Email Deliverability Score tool. This tool audits your DNS configuration and provides suggestions for improvement.

Digital Signature - (DKIM Records)

DKIM records add a digital signature to your emails that proves they are authentic when they get to the recipient server. It's like the signature on the back of your credit card.

Each third-party service you are using with your domain typically needs its own DKIM key and record.

Here’s an example of an DKIM record:

v=DKIM1; k=rsa; p=MIIBIjANBgkqhkiG9w0BAQEFAAOCAQ8AMIIBCgKCAQEAgAS4QZzH+/iM5ilpxexFK7uVnX5OasDMW61p7IvUjM+488QnpLqDTlsvGdJtG/oHgwRpXcNSxKKhtX3R4zg0MoSdLJYTEMiirr8UdeuGng/ZKM2XtLa+qGve6kp3H5NBx2uYHVj+E0WANeRT3bK5sMVRTYSAywN/m9ugX5T5PkbvJ2HRTmrX00ov4/VoVFSbfHZzaA/FDX/hyFnWEiOb1JihArP2+cMs+CYgIi7u8t+p0FqR/37kuEh5PLxOct/fnhqjn35XPn8C1s2fAC5J2WZjmmC5QM2qYV90isu03jeCI7Vap9ocKj5P+qJAlooYNujICd84ZmcHeA2UJqj22QIDAQAB

Defended Domain - (DMARC)

Protects your domain from people who try to send fake emails (phishing, spam) on your behalf.

The DMARC policy is central to your email deliverability and security. It tells the recipient servers what to do if the emails they receive from you are not authenticated properly in your SPF or DKIM (often referred to as alignment).

Here’s an example of a DMARC record:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@palisade.email; ruf=mailto:dmarc@palisade.email; fo=1;

Recently Google and Yahoo have started enforcing DMARC policies for all email senders.

Brand Display and Verified Checkmark - (BIMI)

BIMI is the new hot kid on the block. It was just adopted by Google, Apple, Yahoo, and most major ESPs (looking at you Outlook) this past May 2023.

It is now required to verify your identity via email, display your logo in the inbox, and get a verified checkmark in the inbox. You can see it being slowly rolled out by major companies like LinkedIn and Google:

Here’s an example of a DMARC record:

v=BIMI1;l=https://images.palisade.email/brand/bimi-logo.svg;a=https://images.palisade.emai/brand/certificate.pem

Monitoring

Monitoring your sender reputation is a significant component of ensuring your email deliverability remains high. Your sender reputation is much like a person's reputation. It takes time to build and is easy to damage.

Unfortunately, there is no "one tool to rule them all" for monitoring. However, there are tools available that can provide some insight into the status of your deliverability.

Domain Reputation, IP Reputation and Spam Rates

One of the best tools out there, even if it only monitors your reputation from Google's perspective, is Google Postmasters.

It allows you to get key data points on your sender reputation from three key angles:

• Domain Reputation: How your domain is viewed by Google holistically. All emails coming from all apps combine into one reputation.
• IP Reputation: How the third-party app's IP reputation influences your sender's reputation.
• Spam Rate: The number of users reporting your emails as spam.

Wrapping Up

Email deliverability is not set and forget, it’s a constant piece of work but oh so worth it.

Many companies spend a significant amount of time A/B testing their funnels and producing content. However, they often overlook the crucial step of ensuring their emails reach their customers' inboxes. If your users aren't seeing your content, what's the point of investing so much in creating it?

We understand, it's not easy. List management best practices are always changing. Content engagement follows the latest trends and designs. DNS compliance is constantly evolving. Reputation Monitoring is sensitive.

After reading this article, we hope that you've gained a better understanding of the basics of email deliverability (and the difference between your emails being delivered), and that you will place more importance on it.

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Emails have been around for a really long time now.

They were originally created as the digital version of mail and borrowed some terminology and core concept from it. Some of these terms that are coming from the paper era are CC and BCC.

If you ever wondered: What does it mean to CC someone in an email? You’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll explore what CC means in email and how to use it. Let’s dive into it.

What Does CC Mean in Email?

CC means carbon copy. It's a field in the header of an email that lets you to send a copy of an email to other recipients. When someone is in CC, they can see the email thread, recipients, including other people in CC.

It's a good way to keep other people informed about what is discussed in an email. However, it’s important to know that, unlike the regular recipients of an email, the content of an email is generally not addressed to CC recipients and are not necessarily involved in the conversation.

For example, you may contact a potential client via email and want to keep someone else in your team informed about how things are going with that lead. In that case, adding your colleague in the CC might be a good option as they will be able to see the email thread, but their input won’t be necessary for the conversation.

You can learn more about the history of CC and BCC here.

What Does BCC Mean in Email?

BCC stands for blind carbon copy. It is very similar to the CC feature, but with one major exception:

When you BCC someone on an email, other recipients of the email won’t be able to see it.

This means that the recipients in the "To" and "CC" fields won’t know that you included a BCC recipient in the email.

It is most used when you want to send a copy of an email to someone but don’t want the recipient of an email to know about it. It could be useful if you need to keep someone informed without revealing their identity to others.

The BCC will receive emails just like any other recipients of the email, but their presence won’t be known by anyone else than you and them.

You should always use BCC with care as it comes with some ethical implications around privacy, transparency, trust, honesty, integrity, and even compliance.

What is the Difference Between CC and BCC?

The main difference between CC and BCC in emails is that depending on the one used, other recipients might not be aware that the copy has been sent to someone.

When you CC someone on an email, all recipients will be able to see who received the email and their email addresses. CC is used when you want multiple people to be informed and don’t mind other’s knowing about it.

On the other hand, when you BCC someone, their email address is hidden from other recipients. Recipients are unaware of the presence of BCCs unless they have been mentioned by the sender. BCC is used when you want to discreetly let someone be informed about a conversation without the other recipients knowing.

CC promotes transparency, trust, and in a certain way collaboration among recipients, while BCC maintains confidentiality and privacy. While CC recipients are not expected to actively participate in the conversation, they easily can add their input at any moment. However, BCC recipients remain passive observers.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

When to Use CC

CC is a useful tool in your email arsenal. It’s quick and easy to use and provides a good way to improve communication. But from a technical point of view, it is almost identical to the “To” field. The difference lies in the email “conventions”. The “To” field is for recipients the email is originally addressed to and the CC field is for people you want to be informed or want in the loop.

Here are some examples of when you should use CC:

‍Share Information Contained in an Email With Someone‍

CC is a good way to share information with people who are not the primary recipients of an email but want them to be able to see a conversation. CC allows them to stay informed and provides them with context.

However, as we’ll see below, there are some situations where CC is not the best option to use.

Introduce Someone New in a Conversation

When you want to introduce a new person to an existing email conversation, CC should be used. By CC'ing the new participant, you include them in the conversation and let them see the previous discussions. This way, they will be able to quickly catch up on the context and contribute to the conversation.

This use case also applies when you’re emailing someone to introduce them to another person, as the CC’ed person isn’t the person the email is originally addressed to.

When to Use BCC?

Unlike CC, BCC has some specific use cases that couldn’t be replaced by the “To” field. And since the BCC field is hidden from all other recipients, the BCC comes with some advantages.

Email a Large Group and Keep Privacy

This is probably the most common use case for the BCC field in email. Imagine you’re sending an email to all participants of an event you’re organizing, but don’t want all recipients to know the email address of each other. You could add all recipients in BCC and your email address in the “To” field. This way, everyone will receive a copy of the email, but won’t be able to see all the other recipients.

Send a Copy of an Email to Another Email Address Without Giving It to the Recipient

Using BCC is a good option if you want to keep a copy of an email in one of your other email addresses without giving it to the recipient.

When Should You Not Use CC or BCC?

CC and BCC aren’t all good. They also come with their downside, like the inability to easily exchange with colleagues inside an email thread. Let's take a look at situations when you should think twice before using CC or BCC.

You Might Be Overloading People With Emails

We all know how overwhelming it can be to be overloaded with emails and CC’ing people in almost all your emails is a surefire way to fill someone else’s inbox.

Sending every single email to many can make it difficult for people to prioritize their messages and result in the opposite of what you were trying to achieve; keeping them informed and in the loop. It's best to be mindful and avoid inundating others with unnecessary emails.

You Don’t Have People's Consent

Respecting privacy is crucial in all communication methods, and it certainly applies to emails.

Before adding new recipients to a conversation, you should make sure that the recipients accept that you add someone.

There might be sensitive information in the thread that the other person wouldn’t want to share.

You Expect a Response or Action

If you're hoping for a response or direct action from a recipient, then CC’ing them isn’t your best option. Instead, you should include them in the "To" field.

When you CC someone, they will generally assume that no action is required from them and that they should get involved in the exchanges. To avoid confusion and set clear expectations, you should always put people who need to take action in the primary recipient field.

What Are Your Options Instead of CC in Email?

While CC is a great way to add people to the loop, we’ve seen that it’s easy to overload your colleagues if you indulge in CC’ing too much.

A great alternative to the copy carbon field in email using a collaborative email client like Missive.

Missive is a shared inbox and email management software that let you easily share emails with other team members and discuss with them in a conversation.

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FAQ

What is the Difference Between CC and BCC and Example?

CC is a way to send a copy of an email to someone who's not the main recipient. On the other hand, BBC is used to send a copy of an email to someone without the other recipients knowing.

People that are CC'ed will receive replies to the email when someone reply to all, as opposed to the people who are BCC'ed.

Should I Use CC or BCC in Email?

You should use CC (carbon copy) when you want to include other recipients who may be interested in or relevant to the email's content, without requiring a response from them. The CC recipients' email addresses will be visible to all other recipients. You should use BCC (blind carbon copy) when you want to secretly include additional recipients without disclosing their email addresses to the other recipients. BCC recipients will still be able to respond and reply to all, but their email addresses will remain hidden.

Use CC when:

• You want to inform other relevant parties for transparency
• The additional recipients do not need to respond or take action

Use BCC when:

• You want to send the same email to multiple recipients privately
• You don't want the additional recipients to be visible to each other
• You want to be discreet and possibly more polite

What is the purpose of CC in email?

CC is used in email to send a copy of an email to a secondary recipient that may benefit from the email's content, without having to participate in the discussion.

By adding recipients to the CC field, you can:

1. Keep other relevant people informed, even if they are not the primary recipient. This can be useful for transparency and information sharing within your company.
2. Alert others who may find the email useful or important, even if they don't need to take direct action. For example, you may CC your manager on an email to a client, just to make them aware.
3. Add recipients who you want to "carbon copy" on the communication, without explicitly addressing the email to them. The recipients in the "To" field are still considered the primary audience.
4. Make it clear that CC recipients are secondary recipients who do not require a direct response. This avoids any potential confusion about whom the email is actually meant for.
5. Build an email trail within an organization by including relevant parties in communications. This can be useful to track discussions later.

How Long Do You Spend on Emails Everyday at Work?

Probably quite a good portion of your day, am I right? From communicating with colleagues and clients to managing projects and deadlines, email is an integral part of our daily routine. However, as the use of email continues to grow, so does the challenge of managing it effectively.

According to a study by McKinsey & Company, the average worker spends nearly a third of their workweek on email-related tasks. 🤯

And this number can be even higher for managers and executives.

With so much time spent on email, it's crucial to have effective email management skills to stay productive and efficient.

In this article, we'll explore the best practices for managing your work emails. We'll cover everything from adopting the zero inbox method to using tools and filters to streamline your email workflow.

So whether you're looking to improve your efficiency or enhance your email management skills, these tips will help you keep your inbox organized and under control. Because who doesn't want to be a master of productivity?

20 Best Practices for Managing Your Work Emails

Managing your emails can be overwhelming, but with these best practices, you can turn your inbox into a productive tool for work.

Here are some tips to help you manage your emails effectively.

Inbox Zero Method

The inbox zero method is a popular approach to email management that involves achieving a clutter-free inbox by processing all emails and organizing them efficiently.

It's like spring cleaning your inbox!

The method has four basic steps that can be adapted to suit your needs and preferences.

1. Unsubscribe from any email lists or newsletters that are no longer relevant or interesting. This helps to reduce the volume of incoming emails and ensures that your inbox only contains messages that are important to you. Say goodbye to those weekly product updates from a tool you never used!
2. Create folders or labels to organize the remaining emails. This helps to group similar messages together and makes it easier to find specific emails when you need them. Plus, it looks super organized and makes you feel like a boss!
3. Create rules or filters to automatically sort incoming emails. This can help to reduce the amount of manual effort required to organize your inbox and can ensure that important emails are prioritized. Set up rules like, "any email from my boss goes straight to the top of my inbox."
4. Process each email in your inbox. This involves reviewing each message, deciding what action is required, and then taking that action. For example, you might delete irrelevant messages, respond to urgent emails, or file important messages in a specific folder. Take control of your inbox and tackle each email like a boss.

While having an empty inbox may not be for everyone, regularly cleaning up and organizing your inbox can have significant benefits like helping you prioritize important messages and making it easier to find the information you need when you need it. Who doesn't love a tidy inbox and a little extra productivity in their day?

Use Labels and Folders

Labels and folders are helpful tools for managing your inbox and can be utilized in various ways. Here are some practical ways to use them:

1. By project or client: Create labels or folders for each project or client you're handling. This way, you can easily find and refer to all related emails in one place, making it easier to manage your work and deadlines.
2. By category: Use labels or folders to categorize emails by types, such as newsletters, promotions, or social media updates. This will enable you to prioritize which messages to read or delete, and keep your inbox free from unnecessary emails.
3. By priority: Establish labels or folders for emails that require urgent attention or follow-up. This might include emails from important clients or urgent requests. This will help you manage your critical tasks and prevent important emails from being lost in your inbox.
4. By status: Use labels or folders to monitor the status of emails, such as emails that require a response, emails waiting for a reply, or emails that have been completed. This will assist you in staying organized and ensuring that nothing slips through the cracks.

The key is to use labels and folders in a way that suits your particular needs. By organizing your inbox with labels and folders, you'll be able to save time, reduce stress, and stay on top of your email workload.

Take Advantage of a Calendar

Using a calendar with your email can be an effective way to manage your time and stay on top of important tasks. Email management software programs like Missive offer a built-in calendar feature that allows you to easily schedule appointments, meetings, and reminders right from your email inbox.

One of the benefits of using a calendar is that it helps with time management. You can schedule and manage your time effectively, ensuring that you have sufficient time for important tasks and appointments. By setting reminders, you can also make sure that you don't miss critical deadlines, appointments, or follow-ups on your communications.

Moreover, a shared calendar can be an excellent collaboration tool. It enables you to coordinate with your colleagues and schedule meetings more efficiently, saving time and reducing unnecessary back-and-forth emails.

By integrating your calendar with your email inbox, you can quickly view all of your upcoming events and deadlines in one place. This can help you stay on track and prioritize tasks without having to switch between your emails and a separate calendar app.

Another helpful tip is to set specific times in your calendar to check and respond to emails.

Set Aside Dedicated Time for Emails

One way to manage your email more effectively is to set aside dedicated time for checking and responding to messages. By doing so, you can avoid the constant distraction of incoming emails and stay focused on other tasks throughout the day.

For example, you might set aside 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon to check and respond to emails. During this time, you can focus solely on your inbox and work through messages in a deliberate and organized manner.

It's also important to avoid checking your email first thing in the morning. When you check your email as soon as you wake up, you may find yourself immediately caught up in other people's priorities and needs, rather than focusing on your own goals and tasks for the day. Instead, try to begin your day with a proactive task, such as exercise, meditation, or planning out your schedule for the day.

By setting aside dedicated time for emails and avoiding the temptation to constantly check your inbox, you can help ensure that you're using your time and energy in the most effective way possible.

Use Canned Responses

Canned responses are pre-written templates or messages that can be quickly inserted into an email for common scenarios, such as responding to customer inquiries or sending out meeting reminders. This inbox management technique can save you time and help improve consistency in your email communication.

Some email tools like Missive even allow you to customize canned responses with variables to fit each individual situation. By using response templates, your responses are consistent and more detailed since you won't have to write the same email on the fly every time.

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Unsubscribe to Undesired Newsletters

Unsubscribing from newsletters and promotional emails that are no longer relevant or that you no longer have interest in is another email management best practice that can help reduce email clutter and improve your productivity. With fewer unnecessary emails in your inbox, you'll have more time to focus on important messages.

Follow the Two-Minute Rule

The Two-Minute Rule is a popular email management technique that can help you stay on top of your email inbox and prevent it from becoming cluttered with small tasks that can quickly add up.

The basic idea behind the rule is that if an email can be addressed in two minutes or less, you should do it right away.

For other emails, set a pre-determined time every week to handle them. Labels can also be useful for categorizing emails you won't be handling right away and keeping your inbox tidy.

Turn off Notifications

Being bombarded by a constant flow of notifications can really hinder your focus and productivity. Turning off email notifications is a good practice that can help you stay on track with your tasks.

Let’s be honest, do you really need to be notified and take action on your emails as soon as you receive them? Probably not.

So why not go ahead and turn off notifications? This can be done by disabling email alerts entirely or only for periods when you want to be focused. By disabling notifications when you receive emails, you’ll be able to reduce your distractions, making you more productive.

Alternatively, you could use rules to only receive notifications if you receive emails from a specific sender or with a particular subject line.

Leverage AI

Leveraging AI in your email can be a powerful way to save time, improve efficiency, and get more out of your email communications. By taking advantage of advanced features such as smart replies and email categorization, you can stay on top of your email inbox and achieve your goals more effectively.

Most AI email assistants can understand the context of a conversation and provide relevant replies, so you can handle your emails in less time. For example, with the OpenAI integration in Missive, you can generate new emails, replies and translate messages.

Touch It Once

The "touch it once" principle is another popular email management technique that can help you stay on top of your inbox and prevent messages from piling up.

The way it works is quite straightforward:

When you open an email, take action on it right away.

Here's how it works:

1. When you open an email, read it carefully and take action on it right away. This could mean responding to the email, delegating the task to someone else, or archiving it.
2. Avoid leaving emails sitting in your inbox for extended periods of time. The longer an email sits in your inbox, the more likely it is to get buried or forgotten about.
3. If you can't take immediate action on an email, file it away in a designated folder or label, or use the snooze feature to set a reminder to follow up later.

By adopting the "touch it once" principle, you can reduce the need to check your inbox multiple times, which can save time and improve email efficiency.

Use the 4D Method

One email management technique that can help you quickly triage your inbox and stay organized is the 4D method. Here's how it works:

1. Delete: If an email is irrelevant or not important, delete it right away.
2. Delegate: If a communication requires someone else's attention or action, delegate the email to the appropriate person. This could mean forwarding the email to a colleague or scheduling a meeting.
3. Do: If an email can be completed quickly and easily, take action on it right away. This could mean responding to the email, completing a task, or scheduling a meeting.
4. Defer: If an email requires more time or attention, defer it by filing it away in a designated folder or using a task management tool to set a reminder to follow up later.

By using the 4D method to triage your inbox, you can quickly prioritize emails and stay on top of important messages.

Set Specific Times to Check Your Email

Checking your email constantly can be a major distraction and can disrupt your workflow. Instead, try setting specific times throughout the day to check and respond to emails. This will help you stay focused on your work and prevent email from taking up too much of your time.

Choose a schedule that works best for you and your job requirements. For example, you might check your email first thing in the morning, after lunch, and before leaving for the day. By setting specific times to check your email, you'll be able to better manage your time and avoid feeling overwhelmed.

Use To-Dos to Break Emails into Tasks

Using to-do items to break emails into tasks can be helpful and allows you to stay on top of important tasks to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Here's a good approach to using a to-do to break emails into tasks:

1. Review your inbox: Identify any emails that require action to be taken. It could include responding to emails, scheduling a meeting, or completing a task.
2. Create a to-do item: Once you've identified an email that requires an action, create a to-do item for it in your task management tool. Be sure to include any relevant information from the email, such as deadlines or important details.
3. Prioritize your tasks: Once you've created to-do items for each email, prioritize them based on urgency and importance. This can help you stay focused on the most important tasks and ensure that you're making progress on your goals.
4. Take action: Finally, take action on each to-do item as quickly as possible. This could mean responding to the email, completing a task, or scheduling a meeting.

Some email clients, like Missive, might even come with task management built-in or offer integration with to-do tools like Todoist to make the process even easier.

Follow-Up on Important Emails

To ensure important emails don't slip through the cracks, it's important to follow up on emails that require a response. One way to do this is by scheduling a follow-up email using email management tools like Missive's auto-follow-up button. However, it's important to give the recipient enough time to respond before sending a follow-up email.

A good rule of thumb is to wait three business days before sending a follow-up email. This shows that you are respectful of their time and not overly pushy.

Set Up Rules and Filters

Setting up rules and filters can be a great way to manage your inbox effectively. Here's a simple framework to get started:

1. Identify the types of emails you receive: Start by identifying the types of emails you receive on a regular basis. This could include emails from specific people or groups, emails with certain keywords, or emails that meet other criteria.
2. Set up filters: Once you've identified the types of emails you receive, set up filters to automatically sort those emails into folders or labels. For example, you could create a filter that automatically labels all emails from a specific sender as "Priority."
3. Adjust your filters as needed: Be sure to adjust your filters as needed to ensure that they are working effectively. This could mean adding new filters, deleting old ones, or adjusting the criteria used to sort emails.

Rules can also be a great way to perform automatic actions to save you time. You can find some ideas for creating rules in Missive's rules and templates feature.

Take Advantage of a Shared Inbox

For teams that need to collaborate effectively and stay organized, using a shared inbox can be a valuable tool. A shared inbox allows for improved collaboration, streamlined communication, task delegation, greater transparency, and improved efficiency.

By using a shared inbox, team members can access the same messages in one place, assign tasks to specific team members, stay informed about important conversations and decisions, and reduce the time and effort required to manage their inboxes.

Overall, a shared inbox can help teams work more effectively together and achieve their goals.

Use Email Signatures

Using email signatures can be a great way to save time and personalize your emails. A signature is a block of text that is automatically inserted at the bottom of every email you send. It can include your name, title, contact information, and any other relevant details.

With Missive, you can create custom signatures that automatically update with your latest contact information. This can help you save time and ensure your contact information is always accurate and up-to-date.

Start a New Email Thread When Necessary

Starting a new email thread when necessary can help you stay organized and avoid confusion in your inbox. When you receive an email on a new topic or subject, it's a good idea to start a new thread rather than reply to an existing one. This makes it easier to keep track of related messages and find specific information later on.

When starting a new email thread, make sure to include a descriptive subject line that accurately reflects the content of the message. This can help recipients understand the context of the email and prioritize it accordingly. Additionally, be sure to address the email to the appropriate recipients and include any necessary attachments or links.

Starting a new email thread can also be helpful when you need to follow up on a previous conversation or ask a new question. By starting a new thread, you can ensure that your message is clear and easy to understand and that the recipient has all the information they need to respond.

Avoid Multitasking

While it can be tempting to try to tackle multiple emails at once, multitasking can actually be counterproductive. Studies have shown that multitasking can reduce productivity and increase the likelihood of errors and mistakes.

Instead of trying to juggle multiple emails at once, try to focus on one email at a time. This will help you stay focused and ensure that you're giving each message the attention it deserves.

Use Tools for Email Management

Using email management tools can be a great way to manage your inbox more efficiently and effectively. There are many tools available that offer a variety of features to help you streamline your email workflow. This software will make it even easier to adopt the best practices we have explored.

Here are some reasons why using tools designed for email management like Missive can be beneficial:

1. Collaboration: If you’re working with a team, you might want to consider a collaboration email client. With a shared inbox, like the one offered by Missive, you can collaborate more effectively with your colleagues, assign tasks, and track conversations.
2. Organization: Email management tools can help you organize your inbox by automatically categorizing messages, creating filters, and highlighting important messages.
3. Efficiency: By using features like canned responses and email templates, you can save time and effort by not having to write the same email over and over again.
4. Reminders: Tools like Missive allow you to set reminders to follow up on important messages, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks.

By using an email management software you can take advantage of all of these features and more to manage your inbox more efficiently and effectively. If you’re a Gmail user, you might want to look at the best email clients for Gmail.

Conclusion

By adopting these best practices, you can manage your work emails more effectively and improve your productivity at work. Remember to tailor these practices to your specific needs and preferences, and don't be afraid to experiment with new techniques to find what works best for you.

Decluttering your inbox can feel like an overwhelming task, especially when you are bombarded with numerous emails on a daily basis.

But, with a few simple tips and tools, you can get your work email organized and under control.

A great way to overcome email overload!

Let's explore the best strategies to declutter your emails and keep your inbox organized.

Tips to Declutter Your Inbox Fast

Here's how you can quickly declutter your inbox and increase your productivity at work.

Unsubscribe from Unnecessary Emails

One of the quickest and easiest ways to declutter your inbox is to unsubscribe from emails that are no longer relevant to you. This includes newsletters, promotional offers, and any other email that you no longer need.

Use the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the email or go to the website's "subscription" settings to remove yourself from the mailing list. Alternatively, you can use the unsubscribe button in your email client like Missive.

Create Folders and Labels

Creating folders and labels can help you categorize and focus on your emails. For example, you can create folders for work projects, client emails, and personal emails.

You can also create labels for important emails, such as "Urgent" or "To Do". This way, you can find what you need without having to sift through hundreds of emails.

Use Stars or Flags

Another tip to help you declutter your inbox is to use the "star" or "flag" feature in your email client (star for Gmail inbox, flag for Outlook). 

This allows you to mark important emails from specific senders that need your attention, and keep them separate from the rest of your messages. This way, you can see which messages need your immediate attention, and which ones can wait.

Use Filters

Filters can help you categorize and sort your emails. For example, you can set up filters to automatically move emails from a specific sender or with a certain subject line into a specific folder. This can help you keep your inbox organized and free from clutter.

Archive Old Emails

Archiving old emails can help you free up space in your inbox and keep it organized, without deleting them entirely. Archived emails are still accessible if you need to refer to them later, but they are no longer cluttering your inbox.

Most email clients have an "Archive" button or option that you can use to archive emails.

How to Organize Emails to Stay Clutter Free?

Once you've finally decluttered your emails, it's important to keep them clean. Here are some email organization strategies you can use to keep your cluttered mailbox far away.

Use the Two-Minute Rule

The two-minute rule states that if you can complete a task in less than two minutes, you should do it right away. The same rule applies to emails. If you can quickly respond to an email or take action on it, do it right away.

This way, you can clear up your inbox and avoid letting emails pile up.

Turn Off Email Notifications

Email notifications can be a major distraction, especially when you are trying to focus on your work. To avoid being distracted by constant email notifications, turn off your email notifications and check your inbox at designated times during the day.

This will help you stay focused on your work and avoid being sidetracked by emails.

Use Email Templates

Email templates can help you save time and be more efficient when responding to common questions or requests. For example, you can create a template for out-of-office replies, meeting requests, and follow-up emails.

Simply customize the template as needed and send it out. This way, you can respond to emails quickly and avoid having to write the same thing over and over again.

Follow Email Etiquette

We write a lot of emails. That means that we also write a lot of emails that elicit a response, even when we don't really need one. One sure way to have less email is to follow a few simple rules of etiquette.

For example, if you need a response, ask for one. But don't add questions that apply to other topics. You'll find yourself with clutter once more. You'll probably find that emailing at specific times keeps the clutter down as well. If your recipient is in a different time zone, try to email during a period when they'll be able to see it sooner rather than later.

This can help to keep you from waking up to an overloaded inbox of replies from late-night emails.

Use Rules to Automate

No matter which email client you use, chances are that it includes some built-in features to help you automate and filter email. Missive, for example, offers powerful rules that you can use to optimize your workflow or automatically file certain emails into designated folders. Putting these to use can help you keep your inbox clear of clutter, often automatically.

For instance, send all promotional emails to their own folder. Newsletters? They get their own, as well. The only things that should find their way to your primary inbox are emails that are timely, important, and able to be handled soon.

Shared inboxes for shared work

Every business has at least one contact point that is shared (usually it's your support@, info@, or sales@ email addresses). It's very common (and easy) for people to create a personal inboxes for these shared email addresses — but they quickly find that they can't have multiple people successfully work out of those inboxes without overlapping work. P.S. Shared, collaborative inboxes is what we do best at Missive. 

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Conclusion

In conclusion, decluttering your inbox can help you increase your productivity, focus on your work, and finally achieve inbox zero. By unsubscribing from unnecessary emails, creating folders and labels, using filters, following the two-minute rule, turning off email notifications, archiving old emails, and using email templates, you can quickly get your inbox organized and under control.

Using an email management software will also help to keep your inbox clean.

FAQ

How do you declutter email fast?

To declutter your email fast, begin by removing newsletters or promotional emails that you no longer want or read. Delete or archive unnecessary messages like spam or outdated ones. Give your inbox a little love by creating folders or labels and setting up filters to automatically sort incoming emails.

Make it a priority to respond to important emails promptly and develop a habit of regularly reviewing and managing your inbox. By following these simple steps, you'll be able to declutter your email swiftly and keep things organized.

How do I declutter my Gmail email?

Decluttering your Gmail inbox is easy. You can use the same steps as you would with any other email client. Start by unsubscribing from newsletters or mailing lists that you don't use. Delete spam and outdated messages. Create labels to categorize emails for easy finding.

You should also consider using a top-notch email client for Gmail that can make your email management a lot easier.