email manifesto
This is created for you, our clients and customers, to understand how we work and to consider your own email behaviors.
working hours
We respond to emails Monday-Thursday. You will not receive an email from us on the weekend that steals your time to recharge. If we are working on the weekend, we will schedule it for you to receive in the future. If you send an email on the weekend, expect we will not see it until Monday. If you receive an out-of-office response from us that we are on vacation, we are unplugged. If we receive one from you, we hope you don't answer us!
timeliness
Email is never urgent. We process our inbox twice a day. The majority of the time, we will respond within 24 hours. If it needs to be addressed more timely, you may text us at the number in our email signature lines. If we are waiting on something time-sensitive, we will greenlight you to arrive in our inbox until the time sensitivity is resolved.
notifications
We do not have our notifications on. We choose when we will process our emails and not react to rings, pings, or buzzes.
inbox pause
We work offline with Inbox Pause. If you respond immediately, we won't see it, so please don't think we are ignoring you. We sometimes schedule emails to go out at a different time than we write them, so the chances we just sent that email and are looking at our inbox when you get it are slim.
subject lines
Clear subject lines will help your email get read. If it is unclear it will be the last one we will open. If there is an action for us, feel free to add that in the subject. Example: Action Requested by 8/Aug: Complete conference application.
copy is FYI
If we are copied, it means we do not have an action to take and it is for our information only. You may see a series of letters and numbers in the cc email that we send to you, that's your unique code that links to our project management system.
bcc
We only use BCC when we are introduced to someone, and in the reply back, put them in the BCC, so they know we have responded but will not continue to be on the thread. Example: Thank you for the introduction, Lisa! Moving you to bcc to protect your inbox.
acknowledgments
We don't send emails with Thanks! Okay! Got it!. That's just another email for us to delete. We trust that you received our email, and you can trust that we have received yours. If it's something important like a contract, Marcey tags it and can tell if you opened it and when it was read. Yes, this is a real thing. The days of saying “I didn't receive your email” are over.
We strive to give our clients the high-touch service they have invested in, whether through face-to-face, phone, or video interaction. We give ourselves time to think, create, and strategize. These things can't be done by popping back and forth in email.
Marcey Rader and RaderCo have built a business helping people move beyond the inbox. Clients come to us with thousands of emails, feeling overwhelmed about what they might be missing and the balls they may be dropping.
Email is a tool. It is not a zone of genius, an escape from your most important work, or a place to have a real conversation. There are exceptions, like customer or tech support, where email response time is the primary role. However, those are exceptions, not rules, and there are still boundaries when not on the clock.
Essential communications arrive in your inbox, but it doesn't mean you have to be in and out of it all day. Now shut down your email, create something fun, or go outside!
Would you like guidance to create your own company manifesto and training for your team on communicating beyond the inbox?
