Gmail is the gold standard for everyday business operations. Its many unique features and user experience can make it easier than ever to deliver exceptional-quality service to clients.
Still, there are some of us out there who haven’t made the switch from those old Hotmail addresses (remember those?) and aren’t aware of the benefits Gmail can provide.
So today, let’s go over a few examples!
Follow-up assists and reply reminders
Google has implemented an algorithm that carefully and securely analyzes your inbox, which is saving office workers around the world from many a headache. Follow-up assists and reply reminders are exactly what they sound like: Emails that Gmail recognizes as time-sensitive or in need of your checking in are tagged with an orange blurb after the subject line indicating how many days ago it was sent, asking if you want to follow up or reply.
This makes it easier to check in on clients and track how much time you’ve given them between emails, ensuring you don’t cross the line between making a touch point and driving them crazy. It also protects against forgetting about getting back to people in time.
Quick mouseover menus
If you’re handling many clients as most agencies and businesses do, it’s likely that you’re looking for ways to speed up your inbox cleanup strategy. If so, Gmail’s quick mouseover menus are here to save the day. Whenever you hover your cursor over an email in your inbox, several options will appear in place of the date on the right-hand side of the subject line. These include archive, delete, mark as read or unread, and snooze (more on that last one later). Before, you would have to open the email to click one of these options.
It might not sound like much of an improvement to some, but when you receive hundreds of emails a day, it can make all the difference in streamlining client services. Sort through and clean up that inbox of 1000+ emails at the speed of light – there’s no longer an excuse for it!
Quick access to attachments
As of a recent update, no longer do you have to open an email to get to attachments. Files now appear as buttons beneath the subject line in Gmail’s newly modernized refresh, enabling for you to just click to open and download to your heart’s content.
And speaking of content, it’s now easier than ever to search for that one buried email with the attachment you need – even a quick glimpse at your inbox indicates which emails have attachments, which themselves are colour-coded (orange for PowerPoint and blue for Word documents, for example).
Email snoozing
Often, you’ll be too busy to stop and keep replying to emails throughout the day – it’s a distraction that can take you out of a focused mindset, potentially reducing work quality. Email snoozing is a handy new feature that allows you to get things done without inadvertently burying new inbox messages.
To use this feature, simply hover over the date in an email in your inbox, click the clock icon and choose your snooze settings. So if you’re working on a big project that requires all your attention, snooze until tomorrow or next week without feeling pangs of guilt. This way, you won’t get as stressed and will be able to address client concerns at a time when you’re able to fully focus on their emails. The result? Thoughtful and considerate responses that they’ll appreciate more.
Gmail is a critical element of many agency and business operations when it comes to improving client service quality. With these helpful new features, it’s even easier to deliver the best service possible, as soon as possible. If you haven’t made the switch, now is certainly the time to jump ship and enjoy a wealth of improvements – for yourself and for your clients.
