Email FoldersPhoto from iStockphoto

If you’re like me and choose to accept more than one project at the same time, you probably faced the challenge of answering client emails in reasonable amount of time and also being able to get some work done. If you also have a blog (or more) and maybe a forum to look after, things can get even more cluttered!

I developed a system for dealing with incoming email, that seems to work pretty well for me. Nothing fancy! It’s actually a pretty low tech one, using folders in Mozilla Thunderbird. This is my email client of choice, but it works just as well with Outlook or even Gmail (especially with their new label system).

Before I go into any details about the folder system, I have to tell you a few things about how people can get in touch with me and how I deal with each individual new message:

Contact Form

I have a contact form on my blog that really started to take off a few months ago (probably cause I rank pretty well in Google for some WordPress related keywords) and that’s the main generator for all my work, along with client referrals. I chose to “outsource” this feature, so to speak, so I use Wufoo.

There are plenty of alternative solutions and at some point I might consider a change, but right now it’s something that works. So if it’s not broke, don’t fix it, right? I had trouble with Wufoo only once, but only because I was stupid enough not to RTFM. ;)

Bottom line is… get a contact form! If you’re a freelancer and don’t have a contact form (or other means of communication at least), it’s like you’re fishing without bait.

Sorting Messages

Ok, so messages coming from Wufoo land in my Inbox and they have a subject like “Quick Message [#462]“. Here’s my usual process:

  1. Junk messages and some project requests (no proper name, unrealistic budget, little info, too much info, “@yahoo email” guy who wants an AdSense blog, etc.) get deleted on spot.
  2. Uninteresting project requests that I know I won’t pursue (no matter what) usually get a friendly message immediately. Same goes for people who ask for help on a matter that is too time consuming or outside my area of expertise.
  3. Potential project requests that I’m interested in are stored for later, whenever I have outstanding emails that I need to reply to first. You can read about the storage system below.
  4. Messages that get a reply also get a relevant subject, instead of the initial subject that is ID based. Something like “PSD to WP Project” or “Custom WordPress Theme for YourWebsite.com”, etc. Makes communication easier later on.
  5. Every message from Wufoo gets deleted after it’s processed. If I need the original for one reason or another, I can always login to Wufoo and run a search.

Basic Folder Structure

I use only two main folders for storing work related emails: “Clients” and “Pending” and I will explain how each of them works:

Pending

When I can’t reply immediately, this is where I move all emails that need my attention. They can either be a Wufoo message from a potential client (like I mentioned earlier) or an email from a client I’m already working with.

The messages are of course sorted by date and the only method I use to signal that a more recent email should be processed sooner is to mark it with a star in Thunderbird. This is rearely the case and when that happens, it’s usually one or two emails tops. More stars would mean I have bigger problems! :)

Clients

As you can imagine, this is where emails from current clients are stored. Each client gets a subfolder with his name when we have a deal and the project starts (after an upfront payment is made) and the subfolder is moved to the “_Old” subfolder when my job is done (usually 1 week after the last payment is made).

Besides these subfolders there is also a subfolder called “_Potential”, where I move all project requests that have been processed from “Pending” and for which I get a follow up from the client.

Wufoo MailingSo as you can see, the workflow is Wufoo Message > Pending > _Potential and then the thread can be moved to either _Old or a brand new Clients subfolder.

Sometimes, when I get too many emails from the same client, I create a special “Pending” subfolder under his name, so that I don’t have to clutter things up in the general “Pending” folder.

Works for me!

This system allows me to quickly move stuff to Pending when I’m busy and I don’t want to rush a reply or process multiple email in a short period of time, by quickly replying and moving them to the appropriate client folder.

While I wrote this post, I processed more than 10 emails from 3 or 4 different clients! That way I kept my Pending folder empty. And trust me, there’s nothing like starting the day with a coffee and an empty Pending folder, knowing that you can focus on what’s important: work! ;)

What about you?

Some of you might find this system useful and maybe adapt it based on your own needs. Some of you will tell me your system is better. Some might use a low tech system like myself, some might use a smart online tool. Whatever the case, I would love to hear about it! I love my system, but I always keep an open mind about ways to improve it.

So if you have a quick tip, leave a comment! If you have quite a story to share, post it on your blog or whatever and give me the heads up about the URL. Retweets are always wellcomed, but in this case they are highly recommended, as it would allow me to promote this post to more people and encourage them to share their own story.