Question: How do you determine which phone calls/emails you answer immediately verses those you do not? Do you stick to a strict rule?
Follow the 30-Second Triage Rule
"I have found that the most effective way to manage email is to only respond to emails that will take 30 seconds or less. Otherwise, I wait until the end of the day to handle more time consuming replies."
@justinspri
Stick to Urgent and Important
"Most emails and phone calls are not urgent or important, simply informative, so answering immediately is an easy way to have your entire work day disrupted. We respond immediately to clients with urgent and important requests -- particularly around launch time -- and the rest go into triage. Many never need a response or will be reference only. It's stopped the fake urgency and lowered stress."
@krazevedo
Determine Who the Hold Up Is
"Am I the hold up? They say that time is money. If the other party is twiddling their thumbs while they await my reply, I'll certainly do my best to get back to them ASAP. Additionally, keeping the momentum going certainly helps move projects along."
@FreeEbooksNet
Prioritize Prospects, Clients and Influencers
"Every business boils down to two things: Without clients you don't have a business, and without awareness you can't get clients. Responding quickly to prospects will reduce likelihood that they look elsewhere and shows great service/support. It will reduce fires while improving experience and trust. Giving influencers priority exemplifies the quality and reliability of your business."
@EnricoPalmerino
Deligate When You Can
"While an email or call may be addressed to you, there are ways to delegate a response to your team members. If a call is from someone simply inquiring about our services, the reply gets delegated to our team to handle. It's an easy formula to stick with so that people get fast responses and our team can take the time to properly qualify and keep up momentum."
@DoreenBloch
Stick to a Set Schedule
"I only answer emails if my calendar is blocked to review and process email. I believe handling email is the lowest leverage thing a person can do and it’s where people waste the most of their time. With phone calls, I don’t answer the phone unless the call is scheduled. Otherwise, I just let the person leave a message. Be proactive rather than reactive."
@seanpk
Answer if it Will Be Quick
"My rule is that if an email takes less than five minutes to answer, you should do it immediately. Otherwise, your inbox will keep building up."
@aatanacio
Prioritize Internal Emails
"I try to respond to as many emails as I can right away. No matter what, I always prioritize internal emails. My team is my biggest priority and I don’t want to be the one creating a bottleneck. So if I’m pressed for time, I will prioritize internal emails over any others. "
@kmlake
Curate to the Client
"More important than the actual call or email is the person behind it. I take time to learn each client's personality and then create a process around that. Does this person call me with each and every update? Do I only hear from this person when there is a problem? Based on these assessments I can curate my behavior to best suit that specific client. No two emails, calls or clients are the same."
@kimkaupe
Determine Whether You Know Them
"It all depends on who is calling. As a general rule, as long as I have the phone number saved in my phone book with a name and I am available, I will probably answer it. One thing is for sure: I will ignore blocked calls and unknown numbers. If you are purposely blocking your identity to the world, chances are I don’t want to speak with you."
@phildumontet
