The disparity between managing email and managing MS Teams often goes unnoticed, yet companies are paying a hefty price for overlooking it.

Consider Teams as your virtual neighborhood and Outlook as the broader world encompassing your neighborhood. While you can invite external parties to your Teams neighborhood, the invitation process is selective. In contrast, Outlook operates on a “come one, come all” basis; anyone with your email address can join the party. Despite spam protection acting as a gated complex, it’s challenging to distinguish between neighbors, well-meaning visitors, and manipulative marketers seeking your attention.

In general, most communications in Teams are internal, which doesn’t diminish their importance but underscores a difference in focus compared to customer interactions, particularly in sales and customer service.

Now, envision assigning a monetary value to each email in your inbox. While some emails enhance...

I reached out to a supplier recently to respectfully decline their offer. In the spirit of professionalism, I provided a rationale for our decision and left the door open for future opportunities. The reply I received was predictably intense—Eric (a pseudonym) had already displayed a forceful sales approach during our initial call. He was polished and aggressive, and after our conversation, when I commended his salesmanship, he quipped, “I haven’t sold you anything yet.” This gives you a flavor of his style.

Upon reading his charged response, I reflected on how I prefer to handle such situations. I believe in not souring a potential relationship due to a single negative interaction. I maintain this stance for two key reasons:

1. Negativity offers no value and gains no ground, especially with potential partners.
2. Valuable insights often emerge from customer feedback, once the initial disappointment settles.

Lately, I’ve been leveraging ChatGPT to fine-tune...