Riverbank It management

I recently overheard someone lamenting the demands of e-mail, that people now expected an immediate reply. A few years ago, they said, a reply next day was what was expected. We have become a "now, now, now" society.

One reason for this feeling is that e-mail can now follow you around on your mobile phone, whether it's a BlackBerry, an iPhone or a Windows phone. That leads to another strongly expressed view from some people that they don't want to be hounded by their e-mail - "it's bad enough in the office" is their view.

It's all a question of perspective. Having access to your e-mail wherever you are is a good thing, as I'll explain, but feeling hounded by your e-mail is a problem only you can deal with. No-one forces you to read your e-mail immediately it hits your inbox. If people really do need a reply right now, they wouldn't send an e-mail. They would phone you or send an instant message.

The great benefit of mobile e-mail is simply that you can be closer to your customers. If you are more responsive to your customer you are more likely to win their business, and more likely to retain their business. It's a simple as that, and it's business-critical.

You have a great deal of choice in how to access your e-mail. Assuming you have a Windows network with Microsoft Exchange as your e-mail server, you always have one single database containing all your e-mail. The benefit of that is that however you choose to look at it you always see the same information. No duplication means reduced management effort and smoother working.

Let's look at some of your options for accessing your e-mail.

Mobile e-mail

E-mail on your mobile is what most people now demand. It's convenient and it's with you all the time. But there are limitations. Some attachments won't open because you don't have the relevant software on your computer. You haven't got a full-size keyboard so typing almost anything quickly becomes tiresome.

Outlook Anywhere

If you are using your computer away from the office network but still have an Internet connection, Outlook can be configured to connect to the office mail server via the Internet. You then have a live e-mail connection, and Outlook will work exactly like it does in the office.

Outlook Web Access

If you are working from an Internet café or hotel lobby computer Outlook Web Access (OWA) is a good solution. OWA enables you to work on your e-mail via a web browser. It gives you an Outlook-like interface for your e-mail, diary, contacts and so on. Just how Outlook-like the experience is depends on the version of the Exchange mail software on your office server, the speed of your Internet connection and the web browser you are using.

Outlook offline

Even if you have no Internet connection at all you can still use Outlook on your own computer, and have access to an offline copy of everything you need. Just work with it in the same way as you would if you were online. Outbound e-mails are stored in Outlook's outbox, and are sent automatically when you next connect to Exchange.

The message is clear - you can have access to your e-mail whenever and wherever you want. It's up to you to manage it and to exploit the opportunities this flexibility presents.