Ready to
Explode - Top Tips to Avoid Communication Overload
I frequently hear clients and
prospects lamenting that they
don't have enough hours in the day to do everything, never mind
marketing too! (Of course, that's before we start working
together), and that their work-life balance is out of whack. On
closer analysis, we often get to some root causes and the two
I'm going to discuss in this article are common culprits.
Recently I came across some interesting research (see http://www.gme
urope.info/socialmedianewsroom/
archives/377-The-real-working-day-just-3-hours-50-minutes.html)
where 1,000 UK business people were surveyed about their office
efficiency. One of the revelations was that the average time we
spend on constructive work each day only adds up to three hours
and 50 minutes. Apparently office workers are wasting in excess
of 20 working hours a week, 960 hours a year, costing UK
businesses 140billion in lost labour costs. Phew!
The survey also revealed that 51% of office time is spent
answering unnecessary phone calls and checking emails. Almost
three quarters of those surveyed admit to sending an email
rather than having a phone or face-to-face conversation.
Apparently close to 40% of office emails travel less than 100
metres between sender and recipient. Does that resonate with you?
If so, please take note of the following top tips to avoid
communication overload:
Phone Call Phooey
When did this trend to make ourselves (and demand everyone else
be) available 24/7 start? That's phooey as far as I'm concerned.
There are perfectly justifiable times during even the work day
when we should not take phone calls. For example: when in a
client meeting (that's just rude); when driving (dangerous and
illegal); or on public transport (inconsiderate to everyone
around you).
But what about when we are actually in the office? Let's face
it, at times we may be working to a tight deadline and really
need to avoid interruptions. Perhaps we're working on something
technical that requires 100% concentration.
- There is nothing wrong with turning off the phone and letting
voicemail pick up your calls. Just make sure that you have a
decent outbound message, that you don't leave the phone off for
hours on end, and that you return any calls promptly.
- If you prefer not to divert calls to voicemail then let your
PA or VA take your calls.
- Ban personal calls during work time.
And before you make a call, think twice. Do you really need to
make that call? Are you asking for help on something that could
be resolved by yourself rather than disturb someone else? Why
not 'google' the subject, look in the client folders, or open
the reference manual? This is a particularly common problem in
offices where one person is perceived as the 'go-to
know-it-all'. It's often easier to 'just ask Jim' than figure it
out ourselves.
Email Inefficiency
It is so easy to be sidetracked by incoming emails every time
that little popup arrives at the bottom of the screen, or the
envelope appears in the toolbar. Here are some suggestions that
work well for me:
- Don't leave your inbox open all day. Rather schedule specific
times that you will check emails and then close the programme
again.
- Disable the pop-up that alerts you of new messages even when
your inbox is closed.
- Create folders and set up rules so that email is pre-sorted
and you can prioritize what to read without needing to scroll
through hundreds of messages in your inbox. A simple start is
having a folder and rules for 'friends and family' so that
jokes, forwards, and Auntie May's holiday pictures are available
to view when you have time, but not distracting you from
business communications.
- Create a separate folder for key clients, another for
suppliers, etc.
- Hundreds of old, read messages in your inbox is untidy and
probably adding to your perception of overload. Be ruthless:
Delete them! If you think you might need to refer to them again
down the line move them into another folder, but get them out of
your inbox.
- Every month eliminate old emails from folders that you
honestly know you will never refer to again.
- Don't cc messages to people to whom the email is irrelevant. I
have colleagues who are brave enough to delete emails (without
reading them) if they are only in the CC line. They believe that
if it was important to them, it would have been directly
addressed to them.
- Don't send emails to colleagues in the same office if the same
message could be relayed in person. Plus we all need extra
exercise ...
Now that you've reclaimed all those lost hours be sure to put
them to productive use. Ensure that you only do what leads you
down the 'quickest route to the money', as my mentor is always
reminding me. Your work day should be split between working with
existing clients, and marketing to get new clients. Everything
else should be delegated or outsourced.
Vanessa Deakin and Zee2A Limited 2008.
By
Vanessa Deakin, Operations Director at Zee2A, works with
Professional Service Executives frustrated and disappointed with
their current growth rates, marketing efforts and business
profitability. She helps them to skyrocket their results and
break their own best records. To learn more or sign up for her
e-zine, please visit www.zee2a.com.
