Many companies might not be on board with having a shared inbox as it can be a little difficult to keep under control. When the circumstances allow it, a shared inbox can really boost the success of any team. In order to make that happen, though, the inbox has to be in order and well organized for it to be functional.
This is something that might confuse you if you are not experienced with using a shared inbox. The good news is that there are many tips you can follow in order to make it easier for you and your team. Here are some of the best shared inbox practices you can put to use so that it doesn’t turn into a disaster.
1. Create separate tags for each category
One of the main things that will help you avoid mixing up emails is creating separate tags per category. Essentially, you should create as many tags as you need based on the content of the emails you tend to receive. Then, when each new email comes in, they should be marked with the right tag right away. This will help everyone know where to look when the time comes to answer emails.
This technique will help avoid mix-ups, aid communication, and help your team’s inbox stay more organized. Very few emails will slip through if they are categorized right away. As a result, the right person will get to the right email, and this will help everything run smoothly.
2. Turn on the notifications
Whether you tend to skip emails or not, turning on the notifications is important for catching up with new emails on time. This is something that you should discuss with your team and let them know that reading an email early is always best.
Everyone has obligations outside of work, and it is normal to not be able to open an email right away sometimes. This is especially true if you are working with a remote team. Here, it is a good idea to use a software such as Helpwise that can help your team stay in touch at any given time. Having the email notifications turned on will help other team members reply to an important email when the person in charge is not available.
In addition, they can notify their coworkers about important matters if they are taking days off or are not at the office. This can help you avoid difficult situations and problems and help the team work together a lot better. Making sure that emails are always opened will help the team accomplish its goals and never lose a client or business proposal.
3. Give each team member a particular job
Each team member of every team has certain responsibilities when it comes to different aspects of the group. In most cases, only one person is in charge of their own emails. In cases where the team has a shared inbox, it is just as important to split the obligations between them.
Since they will all have access to the inbox, each member should be in charge of different kinds of emails. For example, one person should handle product returns, another person should handle business inquiries, and a third should reply to questions. The tasks should be split depending on the number of people in the team and the types of emails you usually receive.
This will make keeping up with new emails a lot easier. In addition, every member will know which emails they will need to put in each folder for their teammates to have easy access to. Not only will this practice save time, but it will also make them communicate with one another better and therefore improve the work culture.
4. Use the right proofreading tools
Proofreading and editing your emails might not come to mind as something necessary when using an inbox with your team. A problem that often occurs is inconsistencies between each member who will type out emails. This can easily be resolved when they sign their names at the end of the email they sent out.
What can cause an issue is having many spelling and grammar errors in an email. Most customers will tend to correlate typos and other writing errors with a less reliable business. This can easily be avoided as long as everyone is willing to spend a few minutes correcting their mistakes.
Tools like Grammarly and Hemmingway Editor are being used by both professionals and students who try writing a paper. Not only are they easy to use, but they also are available for free!. This can easily solve the spelling and grammar issues and help make your emails appear more professional.
5. Forward/Assign important emails
In every group, the manager is the one who is in charge of certain actions. Just like anything else, certain emails need to be answered by the team leader. This is something that everyone in the team should be aware of, especially when having a shared inbox.
In most cases, the team leader will also have a personal account separate from the shared inbox one. Let’s say an email lands in the shared inbox and cannot be answered by your members, it can be forwarded or assigned to you. Forwarding emails to you can also happen when your members are in training or simply need your help.
This will help everyone feel better about receiving important emails in the shared account. Younger members can make mistakes, and important emails can be answered the wrong way or overlooked. By forwarding them to you, everything becomes significantly easier, and your team will be able to focus on different matters.
And to combat this, you can use Helpwise. Helpwise allows you to setup auto-forwarding rules that will automatically forward emails received in any inbox to any email id. Just setup some parameters and you’ll be on your way to having a well automated inbox.
Make the most out of a shared inbox
A shared inbox can be a great addition to any team that knows how to make good use of it. If it is not well organized, you might come across certain issues. The tips mentioned in this article will help you make sure everything runs smoothly. Having these details under control will allow your team to function well, even in difficult situations.
Which of these tips are you going to incorporate into your own shared inbox strategy?
Article contributed by Estelle Liotard
Exclusively for helpwise.io
