Workflow Series: Managing Client Emails – Never Lose Track of Emails Again

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.

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.

Description	Johnson & Co auto-labeling
Conditions	From ends with johnson.com
Actions	Apply label(s) Johnson & Co

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.

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.

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.