Approx. 6 Minute Read
Managing email accounts can drain your time and energy, but what is the actual cost in numbers? To explore the impact of email overload on employees and businesses, Mailbird conducted an annual survey.
This survey reacheded out to 130 professionals via Typeform and collected information from 120 more through HARO, totaling over 250 professionals worldwide by mailbird. They investigated how many relevant emails the respondents received weekly, their inbox management strategies, and how these affect their productivity.
Key Highlights:
Email Volume: Nearly 40% of respondents receive between 61-200 emails a week, with only 10% or fewer being business-critical.
Time Spent: A third of respondents spend three to five hours weekly managing their inboxes, wasting around 10.8 hours on unproductive work.
Inadequate Management: 61% believe their email management methods are inadequate, yet only 20% think tech solutions are helpful, and 60% lack time to learn non-tech alternatives.
Training Deficiency: Only 5% of businesses provide detailed training on email management or business-critical communication.
Key Statistics on Email Overload
We surveyed professionals about their email management practices and productivity impacts. Here are the top statistics:
1. Weekly Email Volume
40% receive 61-200 emails weekly.
20% receive fewer (0-60 emails).
34% receive more (201-5000 emails).
2. Time Spent Managing Emails
35% spend 3-5 hours weekly.
28% spend 2 hours or less.
37% spend 6 hours or more.
3. Business-Critical Emails
30% report 10% or fewer emails as business-critical.
26% say up to half are business-critical.
10.8 hours of weekly unproductive work on average.
4. Stress from Unchecked Emails
71% experience no stress if emails are unchecked for a few hours.
44% feel very stressed after two weeks.
5. Concerns When Not Checking Emails
49% worry about missing business-critical information.
26% are concerned about missing new client communications.
59% are least worried about missing industry news.
6. Email Management Best Practices
75% regularly unsubscribe from infrequently read newsletters.
10% use a "Reply by XX Date" folder.
7. Effective Email Management Practices
60% find unsubscribing from newsletters helpful.
49% benefit from setting up email filters.
8. Email Volume Compared to Previous Year
41% report receiving the same number of emails.
40% see an increase.
9. Adequacy of Current Email Management Tools
43% find them adequate.
34% have no opinion.
10. Improving Email Management
40% believe better practices are key.
31% are content with current solutions.
20% prefer tech solutions.
5% favor labor solutions.
11. Barriers to Better Email Management
60% cite time as the biggest barrier.
12. Productive Energy on Email Management
43% spend some productive energy on emails.
17% spend very little.
13. Sufficiency of Company's Email Management Practices
62% say current practices are sufficient.
38% disagree.
14. Email Management in Employee Handbooks
63% say their companies do not cover email management adequately.
15. Business-Critical Communication in Employee Handbooks
59% report inadequate coverage of what is considered business-critical.
Conclusion
Email overload significantly impacts productivity and stress levels in the workplace. Effective email management practices and adequate training are crucial for reducing the unproductive time spent on emails. Companies need to prioritize training and adopt efficient email management strategies to enhance productivity and reduce stress.
Reduce Email Overload with Mari
What if:
You would never have to open your email app ever again?
You receive the most important information on demand, as a daily summary, or as soon as it lands in your inbox?
Someone deletes unnecessary emails for you?
Someone answers Frequently asked questions, in your received emails?
Imagine a world where you never have to open your email app again. Introducing Mari, your personal email inbox manager, designed to transform the way you handle your emails. With Mari, you receive only the most important information on demand, whether as a daily summary or immediately as it lands in your inbox. Mari not only deletes unnecessary emails but also answers frequently asked questions, ensuring your inbox remains clutter-free.
Mari leverages advanced AI to prioritize and streamline email communication, learning your preferences to deliver a personalized email management experience. By handling routine tasks and filtering out the noise, Mari allows you to focus on what truly matters, enhancing your productivity and reducing stress. With Mari, experience a smarter, more efficient way to manage your emails, giving you back valuable time each day. Say goodbye to email overload and embrace the future of email management with Mari.
Personally, i have already managed to reduce my open rate for Gmail at my day Job by 80%. I preferred to only receive the important information in Slack, so I do not have to context switch/ switch applications every 10 minutes.
If this is interesting for you, please schedule a call so we can reduce your time spent in your Inbox as much as possible!
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