Maximizing Email for Your Firm
by Roman H. Kepczyk, CPA.CITP (June 20, 2004, Reprinted w/permission)

The role of most CPAs is to be information analysts and communicators. We take raw data from our clients in the form of W-2s, 1099s, trial balances, and receipts and turn this data into useful business information such as financial statements, tax returns, and specific business recommendations. Today’s digital environment requires that firms optimize the electronic tools at their disposal to create and disburse this information as effectively as possible. With this in mind, firms should realize that email is one of the most critical communication tools at their disposal and they must learn to optimize its usage. Below we outline many of today’s best practices for sending, receiving, and managing email, which firms should consider standardizing. As the vast majority of CPA firms today utilize Outlook for email, the commands provided within this article are geared towards Outlook users. For those using other email applications, the specific instructions should be found within that product’s help screens.

Maximizing email begins by having an email usage policy in place and educating users on not only proper etiquette, but also the risks involved with email. One of the strengths of using email is the ease in which a firm member can compose and send an email in seconds to virtually everyone they have an email address for. This strength can be a weakness if the email has misspelled words, uses unprofessional formatting or has inappropriate content (or attachments). When writing and sending emails, there are some standard defaults that should be set to promote a professional and consistent product from the firm.

Nothing looks as unprofessional as receiving and email with misspelled words. When computers are setup, they should always have a spellchecker turned on by default. Within Outlook, the spellchecker can be customized through the Tools>Options>Spelling tab. Users should be trained to work with the automatic spell checking feature so that it verifies their writing and so that new words or terms are added to the dictionary when appropriate.

Virtually all email products allow the utilization of custom letterhead that can include a background, logo, and standard signature line. Firms should decide on a single format and mandate that everyone adhere to it, to ensure consistency with client communications. In Outlook, this can be done through the Tools>Options>Mail Format>Stationary Picker tab. Please note that if you select a graphic for your background (such as a logo), it may repeat or “tile” itself when displayed on computers with larger screens, so this feature should be tested prior to being implemented.

When sending emails, it is also important to include a consistent signature line that has the sender’s contact information and the firm’s standard byline, which usually includes the firm name, and the sender’s phone number. In addition to this, most email products allow for additional signature profiles that have more information for specific audiences. Within our practice, we utilize a “contact” signature that includes a mailing address and fax number. Signatures can be created within Outlook using the Tools>Options>Mail Format>Signature command and inserted with the Insert>Signature command. Please note that if you utilize Word as your email editor, this feature is disabled.

Setting up distribution lists is also another feature that individuals can utilize to send content to specific groups such as the owner group, tax managers, automotive consultants, etc. rather than retyping all of the names on the list. To create a group in Outlook go to File>New>Distribution List and name the group. You can then either click on names from your contacts folder or copy and paste the names in from an existing email. Firms should not only train their personnel on creating these distribution lists, but also how to add and delete participants.

Collecting and updating email addresses within the firm’s contact management application should also be very standardized to ensure that the information is current. The most effective firms have found that capturing email addresses from organizers and training personnel to ask for changes in contact information during the interview works best. The firm should have a standard process and form to ensure that this information is updated in the firm’s contact management application (and tax practice management, or CRM application if used for marketing) as it is captured.

Whenever sending an email, it is also important to have a clear subject line that accurately depicts the contents of the email. This will help the recipient evaluate the email and determine if it should be opened. It is also helpful for the sender in locating a previously sent email, as most email products keep a copy of any sent emails which can be sorted by recipient/subject or searched utilizing key words in the subject line.

Another important sending feature is explaining to your users when to use the Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) feature of your email. BCC allows you to send an email to a number of recipients so they appear to be individually written from the sender to each specific user without the others being aware. This is important so you do not give out the email addresses of the other recipients without their permission. This feature can be used to effectively deliver firm newsletters or tax law updates.

Also, when sending email, realize that new laws (including the CAN-SPAM Act) could adversely affect the firm and label you as a spammer (which could lead to all of your email being blocked). It is important to ensure that you send out email to clients that are not viewed as unsolicited and unwanted.

The other half of the email battle is learning to manage and organize inbound email. The first step is to train personnel to set aside time each day to manage emails and to try to touch each email as few times as possible. If an email can effectively be resolved within a few minutes, the recipient should do so either by responding or passing the email on to someone that can. A determination to not do anything and delete the email is also just as important. For those emails that require additional time or are part of a larger project, a dedicated folder should be set up. Users should also be educated on how to save emails to specific client files utilizing commands such as File>Save As and going to the appropriate client folder.

Firms should train their personnel to set up appropriate folders to help group email so they can be handled effectively. Some examples of folders that should be considered:
•   Committees or Boards: Most CPAs serve on a number of community boards or industry committees that meet on a scheduled basis. In between meetings, all correspondence can be stored in the folder allowing the recipient to quickly scan all items dealing with that specific group.
•    Newsletters or Newsgroups: Many CPAs now get email newsletters or are members of discussion groups dealing with specific topics. These emails can be easily searched for key words or read when convenient to the recipient. Please note that many newsgroups allow for a “digest” mode so that emails from that list are grouped and sent on a predetermined schedule, rather than when each email is created.
•    Project or Task: Emails dealing with a specific project or task can also be grouped within their own folder. When dealing with a large client project, all emails from that client should be organized in their own folder. In some cases, specific tasks should be grouped. We utilize a folder (To Be Printed/Researched) for those emails that require Internet access or a printer to be completed.

Virtually all email products today allow you to set up email filters to automatically route emails to the appropriate folder. Within Outlook, rules can be set up through the Tools>Rules and Alerts command that can move emails based on almost any criteria that would identify them. In addition these rules can be used for specifying junk or inappropriate email and automatically deleting them or storing them in a spam file.

Most people work more effectively on completing tasks when they have adequate time to focus on them. In this light, a constant barrage of email interruptions usually is counter productive. Firms should consider setting the Send/Receive refresh rate to 30-60 minutes to minimize this. Within Outlook, this setting is found in Tools>Options>Mail Setup>Send/Receive. If the user is expecting an urgent email, the setting can be overridden by going to the Tools>Send/Receive command.

Users should also be taught to use the search feature within email. The Tools>Find command in Outlook allows users to look for key words in the subject or body of emails within all or any specific folders and will save significant time searching through documents. This feature can be used on deleted or sent email folders as well.

Email will continue to play a major role within CPA firms for both communicating with clients and organizing information and correspondence. Firms should make a concerted effort to standardize best practices and educate personnel to optimize this tool.

Roman H. Kepczyk, CPA, CITP is President of InfoTech Partners North America, Inc. (www.itpna.com) a consulting firm working exclusively with CPA firms on their internal technology utilization and their transition to a digital or “less paper” environment.

This article is reprinted with the publisher's permission from the Journal of Tax Practice Management, a journal published by CCH INCORPORATED. Copying or distribution without the publisher's permission is prohibited. To subscribe to the Journal of Tax Practice Management or other CCH Journals please call 800-449-8114 or visit www.tax.cchgroup.com.

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