Email is a central part of everyday operations for countless organizations. While email allows for quick and easy communication between colleagues and stakeholders, professionals often face pesky challenges when it comes to email correspondence etiquette and timing. Read on for all the ways the Outlook ‘Send Later’ feature is helping professionals optimize their outbox.

Email Overload & Tension

The fact of the matter is, email communication helps professional teams stay in touch and get work done in a streamlined fashion. However, sometimes email correspondence can become overwhelming. Even worse? Sometimes productive communication breaks down, tension builds, and conflict arises between team members. Let’s face it – there’s nothing worse than email overload – especially when half of those emails include petty arguments, finger-pointing, and heated miscommunication. To explain this challenge in more clear terms, let us set the stage. Imagine you get an email from a client or co-worker that has you a bit hot under the collar. Something they’ve said rubs you the wrong way, and you start furiously typing your angry response. The minute you hit send on that heated email, a barrage of emails going back and forth start flooding your inbox. Other team members and higher-ups are getting cc’d, and before you know it, communication has broken down, everyone is upset with one another, and an hour or two has been wasted on email arguments. Doesn’t sound like the most productive use of email or time, does it? Email is supposed to make communication easier, not harder. But the fact of the matter is, human emotion is always at play when teams use email in fast-paced professional environments. However, there is a way for you and your team to avoid these angry exchanges and email overloads. The best part? The solution is already built into Microsoft Outlook.

Outlook’s ‘Send Later’ Feature

We’re happy to let you know that Microsoft Outlook has proactively built in a strategic function called the ‘Send Later’ tool. Depending on your version of Outlook, the ‘Send Later’ feature is located as a drop-down option on the standard ‘Send’ button or positioned right next to it. Here’s how it works. Start by selecting reply on a message you’ve received or compose a new email. Type up your response, and instead of sending it immediately, select the ‘Send Later’ option once your draft is complete. Finally, schedule the time you’d like your response to be sent, and Outlook will automatically send out the email at your scheduled time. The great thing about this feature is that it can help you avoid landing in some serious hot water like the situation we described above. With ‘Send Later,’ you can go back and edit your response once you’ve cooled down, and you even have the option to delete the draft altogether and not send anything if that’s what you decide after reflecting. This helps you avoid unproductive email arguments where miscommunication results in minor conflicts being blown way out of proportion.

Multifunction Email Optimization

But wait, there’s more! Outlook’s ‘Send Later’ feature offers more than strategic management of accidental outbursts or knee-jerk responses. It can also be a secret weapon for time management, productivity, and efficiency. Many of the professionals we work with have started using ‘Send Later’ to schedule all their daily email responses to go out at specific times. This helps professionals avoid being constantly chained to their inbox, having their daily schedule ruled by tedious email correspondence. Overall, Outlook’s ‘Send Later’ feature is designed to improve your team’s approach to email communication in whatever way you see fit. We recommend this feature to all our clients, and since implementing it, they have reported increased levels of communication, morale, and time-management in their offices. If you’re not using ‘Send Later’ to optimize email correspondence in your office, now is the time to start. Have Questions? Need Support or Consultation? Our Microsoft Experts Can Help! If you have any questions about the Outlook ‘Send Later’ feature or any other Microsoft inquiries, our team of strategic technology experts can help! We’ve worked with countless organizations in various industries to implement and optimize Microsoft IT solutions that streamline productivity, communication, time management, and team morale. If you need a consultation about strategic Microsoft solutions, reach out to the team of IT professionals from initial.IT anytime. Give us a call at {phone}, drop us a line at {email}, or visit our website at www.initialit.net to chat with a live agent or book a consultation. We look forward to answering your questions and finding the right Microsoft solutions to change the game for your team.