Crafting a better work experience

Discover how agencies, firms, and service companies can manage client emails with ease using Missive. This guide offers practical tips to streamline communication, organize shared inboxes, and improve collaboration. Perfect for teams looking to eliminate email chaos and deliver exceptional client service.

It's the start of another week, and your email inbox looks like it exploded overnight. Messages from clients are piling up – a mix of red-flag emergencies, projects stuck in limbo waiting for your team to weigh in, and threads that are probably scattered across your coworkers' accounts too. Does this hit close to home? Most professionals know exactly what this email overwhelm feels like.

The Challenge Every Client-Centric Business Faces

Traditional email wasn't built for modern client service. Whether you're a law firm juggling complex cases, a marketing agency coordinating campaign approvals, or a bookkeeping firm handling time-sensitive financial documents, you know the struggle. Your team is brilliant at what they do, but email chaos can make even the most organized professional feel overwhelmed.

That's where Missive comes in – not just as another email tool, but as your team's command center for client communication.

What Makes Missive Different? (Hint: It's Built for Teams Like Yours)

Think of Missive as your email client on steroids. But instead of just making email faster, it makes it smarter. Here's what I mean:

• Ever wished you could see what your colleague already told the client? With shared inboxes, you can.
• Frustrated by clients CCing half your team hoping to find the right person? In Missive, everyone sees and can chat inside the same thread.
• Tired of having multiple threads about the same service or case? Our merge conversations feature has got your back.
• Need to draft an email live with a colleague like in a Google doc? With collaborative drafting you can.
• Need to loop in your designer on a client conversation? One-click assignments make it seamless.

Best Practices for Configuring Missive for Client-Centric Communication

1. Set Up Shared Inboxes

The first step in managing client cases is to consolidate relevant communication into shared inboxes. This ensures your team has access to the conversations they need to collaborate effectively.

• Set up team-specific inboxes (e.g., marketing@yourcompany.com) to direct emails to the appropriate departments.
• Drag-and-drop emails received in personal accounts to appropriate Team Inboxes. Or create rules to automate this process.

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Pro tip Easily stay on top of every message by accessing your team’s shared inbox and filtering by specific criteria like “Assigned to...” Whether you’re monitoring progress or ensuring nothing slips through the cracks, Missive’s filtering options make it simple to keep your communication organized and easy to find.

2. Organize Emails by Client or Project

Use Labels to categorize client communication:

• Create labels for each client or project (e.g., “Client: Johnson & Co.” or “Project: Website Redesign”).
• Add labels to differentiate tasks or stages (e.g., “Proposal Sent,” “Awaiting Feedback”).

Missive’s Rules can automate this organization by applying labels or tags based on email content or sender.

3. Assign Conversations to Team Members: Flexibility for Complex Mandates

Client work often revolves around mandates or projects requiring input from multiple experts or teams. Missive’s assignments feature helps you manage this complexity with ease.

Assign Conversations to Individuals or Teams: Direct emails to the appropriate team member or Team Inbox. For example:

• A law firm might assign a contract review email to a paralegal before it goes to an attorney.
• A marketing agency might assign initial project emails to an account manager before involving designers or strategists.

Reassign as Projects Evolve: Projects often require input from different specialists at various stages. Missive allows you to change the assignee as needed. For instance:

• A bookkeeping firm might transfer a case from a junior bookkeeper to a senior accountant for tax filing.

• A legal case might move from a general attorney to a compliance expert.

Use Comments for Smooth Handoffs: Add internal comments to provide context when reassigning tasks, ensuring no details are lost in transition.

This flexibility makes Missive an ideal tool for handling non-linear workflows, ensuring accountability while supporting seamless collaboration.

4. Use Canned Responses for Common Emails

Save time by creating templates for frequently sent emails, such as:

• Client onboarding emails
• Progress updates
• Invoice reminders

5. Integrate Your Favourite Tools

Missive integrates with popular CRMs, task managers, and other platforms. Alternatively, you can also create your own custom integration to let you access critical client information directly from your inbox.

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6. Track Deadlines and Tasks

Missive’s Tasks feature lets you stay on top of deadlines and deliverables:

• Convert emails into tasks to track follow-ups or required actions.
• Assign tasks to team members.

Pair this feature with Labels to track tasks by client or project.

7. Collaborate in Live Drafts

Some emails require input from multiple team members before they’re sent to clients. Use Missive’s Collaborative Writing feature to work together on sensitive or detailed communications.

• Write your email draft and tag other members of your Missive organization.
• Team members can review, edit, and comment in real-time.

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This is particularly valuable for legal teams drafting contracts or marketing agencies working on creative proposals.

8. Search for Quick Access

Missive’s search functionality allows you to quickly find emails, attachments, or notes related to a client or project. Use search operators (Outlook or Gmail) to filter searches by:

• Keywords
• Labels or tags
• Specific attachments
• Much more

Pin frequent searches to the sidebar to make your workflow even more efficient.

Ready to Transform Your Client-Centric Communication?

If you're tired of email chaos and ready for a more organized, collaborative approach to client communication, Missive might be exactly what you need. Start with these basics, then customize as you go – your future self (and your clients) will thank you.

No more lost emails, no more communication silos, just smooth, efficient client service.

The role of executive support has evolved a lot. Whether you're a Chief of Staff, Executive Assistant, or Team Lead, managing someone else's communication is no longer just about forwarding emails and sending basic responses. Today's email delegation requires strategic thinking, careful prioritization, and the right tools to make it all work seamlessly.

Modern Email Delegation

Gone are the days of sharing passwords or setting up complicated email forwarding rules. Modern email delegation is about creating efficient workflows while maintaining security and accountability. Here's what that looks like in practice:

Executive Assistants

• Managing multiple executive inboxes
• Drafting responses for review
• Triaging urgent matters
• Coordinating cross-department communication
• Maintaining relationship management through timely responses

Chiefs of Staff

• Overseeing strategic communications
• Coordinating between executive team members
• Handling sensitive information with discretion
• Aligning communication with company objectives

Team Leads

• Distributing customer inquiries
• Managing shared department inboxes
• Coordinating project communications
• Training new team members
• Maintaining communication standards

3 Missive Configurations for Email Delegation

Missive offers powerful workflows designed for modern email delegation:

Out-of-the-Box Delegation (aka @mentions)

Basic delegation requires no setup. Team members can mention @coworkers in the chat bar or use assignments to collaborate. No more forwarding endless email threads—everything stays in Missive for easy tracking and reference.

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Other settings, such as sharing aliases, can be used to allow a team member to send emails from another team member's address. With this configuration, a team member can reply on your behalf but won't have access to all incoming emails unless they're being shared.

You will always have access to all emails sent by a delegated user.

Full Delegation with Team Inboxes

For roles that need full access to another’s inbox, such as an executive assistant needing a CEO’s inbox, Missive offers a Team Inbox solution. By connecting an email account to a Team Inbox, all communications can be managed in a dedicated space, organized, and even scaled as the organization grows.

With team inboxes, there’s no need to mix shared emails with personal inboxes, and multiple team members can work together seamlessly, which is especially helpful for distributed teams.

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Assistants can be made members of the team, and owners can be observers, these don't get notified of new emails, but they can keep an eye on everything at all times.

The assistant can reply as the owner of the account (ceo@acme.com). Also, a custom signature can be created.

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Assistants can also triage emails by creating color-coded shared labels.

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Automated, Privacy-First Delegation

If an account contains private messages, Missive allows you to set up rules to filter these from the assistant’s view. For example, family, friends, or finance-related emails can be hidden, ensuring personal information stays private. This setup balances delegation with privacy, providing peace of mind while maintaining workflow efficiency.

In this case, the owner imports a private account. Here, email sharing is done automatically through rules. This configuration of delegation is essential when the content of some emails is private and can’t be seen by the assistant.

The owner (ceo@acme.com) can create rules to share only some emails with the assistant (assistant@acme.com) and keep the rest private.

In the next example, a rule is set to keep all family/friends/finance related emails from going to the assistant's inbox.

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Actions such as removing a conversation from the owner's inbox can also be achieved with rules. For instance, when the assistant labels an email as "Non-essential", the rule will close the conversation, removing it from the owner's inbox, keeping it tidy.

Creating a Delegation System That Works

The key to successful email delegation isn't just about tools – it's about creating a system that works for both the delegate and the owner. Here's how to build one:

1. Clear Access Levels

Different roles require different levels of access. Consider creating tiers:

• Full access for trusted executive assistants
• Filtered access for department managers
• Specific thread access for project coordinators

2. Communication Rules

Establish clear guidelines for:

• Which emails need executive review
• Standard response templates
• Urgency levels and response times
• Internal communication protocols
• Signature and formatting standards

3. Privacy Protocols

Set up boundaries for:

• Personal vs. professional communication
• Confidential information handling
• Internal sensitive matters
• Financial or legal correspondence

Best Practices for Modern Email Delegation

For Assistants

Mastering Triage:

• Create clear labeling systems
• Establish urgent vs. important criteria
• Document recurring patterns

Communication Management:

• Draft responses in your executive's voice
• Maintain relationship continuity
• Track important conversations
• Manage calendar integration
• Keep contextual notes

For Executives

Delegation Success:

• Provide clear preferences and guidelines
• Establish regular review times
• Give feedback on responses
• Share context for important relationships
• Trust your delegate's judgment

For Teams

Collaborative Efficiency:

• Set up shared response canned responses
• Create Team Inbox protocols
• Establish assignment rules
• Maintain consistent communication standards
• Track team performance metrics

Making It Work for You

The key to successful email delegation is finding the right balance between:

• Access and privacy
• Efficiency and accuracy
• Speed and thoughtfulness
• Automation and personal touch
• Standardization and flexibility

Remember, effective email delegation isn't just about managing messages – it's about facilitating communication that moves your organization forward.

Whether you're just starting with email delegation or looking to improve your existing system, the most important thing is creating a framework that works for your specific situation. Start with the basics, refine as you go, and always keep security and efficiency in balance.

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