Mail Manager's Research Reveals Poor Email Management Affects Business Productivity, Leading to Wasted Time

A recent report by Mail Manager has found that email is still the most widely used and important communication tool in the business world. However, the lack of proper email management has a significant impact on productivity. The Email and Document Management Usage Benchmark report surveyed over 1,000 decision-makers in the UK and US and found that one in three employees spend almost a whole day each week managing their inbox, while 91% of respondents use email for client communication and 61% prefer it to other communication tools such as Slack or Skype.

Despite its importance, email also presents a major productivity drain and workplace stressor. As many as 70% of respondents believe it is one of the biggest productivity drains in the workforce, and 73% think too much time is spent trying to find emails. The study also found that email is an essential part of good record management and quality management for the majority of respondents, while 62% still keep hard copies of emails.

A lack of email management can lead to reduced productivity, wasted time, and reduced visibility via a lack of a paper trail. Only half of respondents find it easy to find information within their inbox, and over half find it frustrating when it’s difficult to track down specific documents in their email inbox. Additionally, less than half of the respondents have a formal system in place for email management and only 35% have one for managing their documents.

Despite these issues, email remains vital to business communication, with the most common uses being internal and team communications and client communication. The report also highlighted the importance of managing email, as respondents claimed it’s essential to delivering good record management, providing better information visibility, and quality management. Poor email management could also have significant consequences for their business, according to 84% of respondents.

Jacob Wardrop, Commercial Director at Mail Manager, said that while email remains the core correspondence method for formal communication, many companies are still struggling to deploy effective email and document management solutions. This leads to employees wasting time digging through their email inboxes and being less productive than they could be.

Companies turn to LeanMail for a solution to manage their email inboxes more efficiently and effectively. LeanMail offers a suite of email management tools including prioritization, planning, and advanced archiving features that help users focus on important emails, avoid email overload, and easily locate important messages. With LeanMail, users can create custom workflows and categorize emails based on their urgency and importance, ensuring that critical messages receive prompt attention. This enables employees to work more efficiently, stay organized, and increase their productivity, ultimately leading to better business outcomes.

Here is a link to find out more about LeanMail and to register for our Free LeanMail introductory workshop.