Use a reliable service provider and streamline email accounts

No matter how great a system you develop, it's useless if frequent outages prevent email access. Find a reliable internet service provider (ISP) with consistent tech support and streamline email addresses and monitoring.

I recommend: Consult ISP Rank, a directory that lets users find and compare ISPs. MailCOPA by InterVations offers software that locates and centralizes multiple email addresses into a single interface.

Choose the right software or interface for your business

Email can be managed in ways ranging form simple Web-based inboxes to bundled software featuring calendar, time tracking, and messaging capabilities. What you use depends a lot on the nature of your business and your email load.

I recommend: Smaller enterprises will appreciate the free Web-based email at Yahoo! Mail (with business email upgrades), Google's Gmail, or Mozilla's Thunderbird. Microsoft offers web-based Office Outlook Live for an annual fee. Larger companies with multiple computers will benefit from bundled software like Microsoft Outlook via the Microsoft Office Small Business Edition or Qualcomm's Eudora.

Develop a system for managing and responding to messages

Get to know your software or Web-based interface and take advantage of its features. Use email filtering and folder systems to file messages by client or project. Make sure you back up email messages regularly in the likely event of a system crash.

I recommend: Productivity blog 43folders offers systematic and action-oriented tips on managing email messages. Peruse the message boards at EmailDiscussions.com to see how others address common issues. Computer retailer CompUSA offers training courses, including one for Microsoft Outlook, and online training sites abound, like UniversalClass.com, which offers a course on Eudora software.

Decide if you need to archive email and, if so, develop a system

Recent court cases have made email archiving mandatory for some regulated industries.

I recommend: Iron Mountain is one of the best-known companies to offer this service.