Internet Technologies/Email

Since the beginning of time, our innate nature creates a desire for convenience and a desire to find new ways to create convenience. The business world is especially guilty of this characteristic as efficient operations are necessary in order to provide a profitable book of business. Over the past few decades the internet has made a grand entrance and a lasting impression on the business world. Since then, it seems, that the internet, and furthermore email, has made an even larger impression on the way business is conducted. While, seemingly enough all effects are positive, there are reasons that a company should "second-guess" its decision to utilize email in such heavy and reliant ways.

While email is convenient and efficient to send a message, whether it be to someone in your clientele base, a sister company across the nation or to someone in the cubicle next to you, email can also create communication barriers that could have an everlasting effect on your business, especially concerning customer service. Email creates a way to send bills, eliminate phone calls and provide services to your customers without ever having contact with that customer. Eliminating your "one-on-one" contact with everyone involved in your business creates hazards such as dishonesty, miscommunication in unerstanding company policies, etc. Below are a few more adverse effects that email could have on a business as reported by Paul McFredrie, (http://www.mcfedries.com/Ramblings/email-pros-cons.asp):

Creates an impersonal environment Excessive involvement (can require more attention than you can give) Lax in security "Text-only" (can create massive and detrimental misunderstandings)

As duly noted, email has its obvious positive effects on our business world and definitely plays a large role in its success. However, we should always be aware of the problems that can be caused as well.