Case Study: Setting Up Systems to Beat Email Overwhelm

A common problem facing many employees of small businesses (and large ones as well) is being overwhelmed by the volume of email and getting buried in an overflowing inbox. The challenge that most people have managing work email is that they lack a proper system for organizing their inbox. This NYC Professional Office Organizer was called in to help a client both organize their workspace and to also create systems for effectively managing their inbox.

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

My client, a Residential Contractor had a couple of team members who were struggling to stay on top of the constant flow of emails landing in their email inboxes. Their workspaces were not organized and didn’t support their daily tasks. They enlisted my help to create systems for addressing their email issues and to identify ways to more efficiently use and organize their workspaces.

PROCESS & RESULTS:

As this was a very busy office, the staff needed a system for making sure that all email messages were processed. An email processing schedule was set up so that emails would be checked 4x/day at scheduled times. This way all new messages received would be quickly reviewed and appropriate action taken. In addition, tasks that were delivered by email were added to the to-do lists and an acknowledgement sent out advising when a response would be sent.

We also identified the priorities concerning the workspaces and organized the desk spaces so that the team could maximize efficiency. The filing system needed an overhaul. Files that were used frequently were moved to prime real estate so that they could be accessed more quickly. In addition, files were setup for papers that had piled up and the prior year’s files were moved to the archive.

WHAT THE CLIENT SAYS:

“I am so glad we decided to work with Stephanie after we received a great recommendation to do so! We worked with Stephanie to organize some of our workspaces as well as our emails and working with her was truly a pleasure and very easy. She was quickly and efficiently able to organize desk spaces, set up filing systems, and systems to organize emails. The systems we have in place allow our staff to be organized and effective in their daily tasks, which in turn allows us to be more successful as a business. I would not hesitate to work with her again and to recommend her to anyone who needs an organizational expert!” -Vice President

Ready to talk to this NYC Professional Office Organizer about getting your emails under control? Reach out to me today!