Emails are a huge part of most people’s day, and from a business perspective, they do have a purpose. Email is excellent for documenting conversations and providing an easily accessible paper trail for meeting minutes, policy distribution and communication with clients or customers. It’s targeted too — only sending messages to specific, relevant personnel ensures that conversation remains on topic for productive comms. But despite its perks, is the email on the way out?

End of an era

Recent data suggests that legacy office communications technologies like email are losing their dominance — for the first time, a small majority of users are favouring real-time messaging over email. So, what’s the reasoning behind the start of the email’s demise?

Most employees opening their inbox each morning are faced with spam, newsletters and other irrelevant content. You’d imagine that after 50 years of emailing, there’d be a solution to these inconveniences, but this seems to have just become an accepted nuance of the technology. But it’s not just inconvenient — identifying urgent emails that need immediate attention among a sea of irrelevance is a challenge, and many go amiss, hampering business operations.

This is where certified mail comes in. It’s a service offered by postal services that provides confirmation of delivery and requires a signature from the recipient. This eliminates the risk of important emails being overlooked or lost in the shuffle of an overflowing inbox. But does certified mail require a signature and how does it work? The answer is yes. And, the easiest way to send certified mail is through postal services, where the sender can request a return receipt that includes the recipient’s signature upon delivery. However, some electronic mail services also offer certified mail options that provide digital signatures for added security and convenience.

Emails are a productivity killer too. According to McKinsey Global Institute the average individual spends 28 per cent of their working day reading, writing and responding to emails. Constant notifications interrupt employees, hindering people’s ability to complete deep-focus work, meaning it takes longer, and is more challenging, to get things done.

Real-time results

Yet despite its flaws, email is still the king of business communication. But with new players entering the communication space, that might change. The technological advancement of the last two decades has created a culture of instantaneity — in personal and professional spheres, people are increasingly expecting to get results instantly.

The same goes for messaging. Waiting two to three business days for a reply to an email doesn’t cut it nowadays. People expect instant responses, which real-time messaging platforms like Microsoft Teams and Slack can offer. With the en masse shift to remote working, these platforms have exploded in popularity, especially for internal communication.

Additionally, the entry of Gen Z into the workforce is shaking things up. As the first generation of digital natives — a generation bought up with technology and the internet — Gen Z has higher expectations from the technology they use and for most, email is too clunky. According to a survey conducted by SendGrid only 36 per cent of Gen Z feel email is essential for internal communication, favouring instant messaging.

Increase the options

Fortunately, you don’t have to rely on just one communication channel — but combining several must be done right. Most of the time, combining technologies typically results in disjointed setups with organisations using several separate vendors for different tools — video conferencing, instant messaging, email and telephony.

The key is to give employees the choice by adopting a unified communications (UC) strategy. UC offers the dynamic integration of all business comms methods into one platform. At Crystaline we offer complete UC installation, integration and support through products like which joins up mobiles, landlines, desktops, laptops and tablets so they work together seamlessly. Employees are flexible on which device they use and which comms channel they opt for.

While the email still holds a place in business comms, in the increasingly digital working world, it shouldn’t be the only option. With several channels available, each with their own benefits, businesses should adopt a UC strategy to give personnel the freedom to communicate, collaborate and share information in the most efficient way for them — be it email, instant messaging or phone calls.

To speak to our team of experts about how to adopt a UC strategy and to learn more about the products we offer at Crystaline, please .