E-mail is a vital form of communication, especially in the business market. Yet research shows that employees are distracted by the continuous flow of e-mails. In addition, it takes time; approximately 28% of our working time we spend reading and sending e-mails. Is e-mail it as desirable and indispensable as we think?

Research by Mimecast found that employees spend much time on e-mails that are not business critical; only 39% of the e-mails in an inbox has business value. The work is often interrupted as soon as an e-mail arrives. 70% of the e-mails are answered within six seconds and 85% within two minutes (Jackson et al). After reading and / or replying to the e-mail it takes 64 seconds to be focused on work again. E-mail thus inhibits the productivity of the employee. But how can we adapt our e-mail usage and what are good alternatives?

First, it is advisable to open the mailbox only at fixed times, so you will not be interrupted with every new e-mail. Disable any messages from the mail program. When we look at the available alternatives, such as Skype, social media, whatsapp and telephone, it is questionable whether the problem is not shifted. These resources also provide an information overload and interrupt work.

There are certainly good alternatives for internal communications within an organization. For example you can use an accounting or CRM system to communicate. Also in CICERO LawPack you have several options. First of all, regarding the extensive workflow; tracking and see tasks of each other and creating and scheduling tasks for other users. Because of the integration with MS Office (including Exchange and Outlook) you can also exchange all agenda items and tasks. CICERO LawPack is also externally accessible as a web portal for communication / collaboration with your customer or client. In addition, through the integration with SharePoint it is possible to share, organize and manage your data online.

With CICERO LawPack you have enough alternatives for e-mail. Are you already taking advantage of all opportunities within CICERO LawPack?