Email has been one of the most popular forms of communication for as long as the internet has been around – particularly for business. But as technology evolves, new and more efficient ways of communicating have emerged – including instant messaging systems and workflow platforms such as Slack and Teams. Every day, more businesses realise the benefits of the alternatives. Here’s why:

Email kills productivity

Up to 15% of the workday is spent checking and responding to emails, and this can have a negative effect on productivity. How many days have you gone into a meeting only to come out and find 30 messages in your inbox, all demanding your attention? This leaves you tied up for a good portion of the day trying to action and prioritize the demands – not an effective use of time.

Too many emails

Recent research has shown that only a fifth of consumers have confidence in emails from brands – not hard to believe when you think about the masses of unwanted email in your inbox. Although GDPR regulations have given us more control, as companies must ensure they have an “opt-in” before sending marketing emails, there’s still a lot of junk to deal with.

New communication channels

Social media has become an easy way for companies to reach consumers and for businesses to reach current and potential clients – email is no longer the default. Businesses are also integrating platforms such as Slack or Microsoft Teams, preferred for their file sharing, chat features and collaborative working ability. With the rise of remote working, communication often needs to be instant. Video conferencing through platforms such as Teams enables users to schedule appointments and then chat with an employee while working on a shared document – no more back and forth via email.

Despite the drawbacks, email does have its place when used smartly. Here’s why we shouldn’t abandon it just yet:

Access it from anywhere

Email allows you to communicate with employees or customers anywhere at any time. Sometimes phone calls or video chats are not viable – particularly if there’s a time difference involved. It may not always be immediate, but email is a quicker solution than organising a call. Consider also that 68% of UK workers use mobiles to check emails – it’s the easiest way to keep on top of work when you’re in or out of the office.

Email marketing is a powerful tool

Email still plays a big role in helping businesses reach their customers – in the UK it has risen to its best performance since 2015. Email open rates have increased from 17.2% to 20.8% and email delivery rates are up to 92%, according to the Data and Marketing Association. For businesses of any size, it’s a way to reach a large group of people with personalised and tailored messages.

It’s cost effective

If put to good use, email can be one of the most cost effective communication and marketing tools your business can use. Used properly, it can be a personal and more professional approach than a blanket social media post, for instance.

Email has become an apart of people’s daily lives and some would probably be lost without it. It helps anyone track what they’ve purchased online, remind them of bills they need to pay and provide them with updates on things they enjoy.

So what does the future look like for email? As we’ve seen it does have its place, but we envisage that it will become a smaller part of the communications mix as businesses increasingly take advantage of unified communications platforms that handle group chats, social media messaging and internal communication.

Is your business looking to start a digital transformation? For more information about our unified communications and cloud solutions, please contact us.