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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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.