According to data provided by Google, more than 900 million people are currently using the Gmail service for their regular correspondence needs. However, to this day many of them do not know how to make this mail service useful and user-friendly to the fullest degree. So, let’s find out how to do it.
Rodolphe Dutel, a former employee at Google, has been carrying out an amusing mission at the corporation: he has taught its employees how to use Gmail in an optimal way. This year Dutel published a short but rather impressive list of improvements that are available to ordinary users.
It is possible to correct mistakes in a letter that has been sent!
Admit it, sometimes you have blushed with shame because of a letter that was sent in a rush. It contained a lot of mistakes, or inaccuracies, or lacked some information that you initially intended to e-mail. What should you do when this happens? Up to now, you have probably sent a hasty letter in pursuit of the previous one. But the solution turns out to be very easy! You just have to open the mailbox settings, select the General section, and tick the box opposite to Enable Undo Send. In addition, you can choose a time period from 5 to 30 seconds during which you will have a chance to notice a mistake and cancel the sent e-mail.
There is no need to write the same lines to the same people over and over again!
If your job involves sending out information, or you are ready to approach all of your interlocutors in the same fashion, all you have to do is create different drafts and use them when sending any given letter. If you prefer the personal approach, all you have to do is change recipients’ names. This option is located in the Canned responses bookmark in the Labs tab in the Settings menu. And don’t forget to place signatures at the end of your letters, as well as auto responders which should be activated when you go on vacation or during weekends.
You don’t have to receive all e-mails at once!
Imagine a time when you are overwhelmed at work. You just don’t have enough time to respond to all e-mails. They are important, and you are worried that you will fail to complete the current task as well as tending to other correspondence regarding important issues. A wonderful option that contains an extension for Gmail called Inbox Pause has been created specifically for such a situation. You just put the flow of incoming mails on hold and turn it on again whenever you are ready for it. All e-mails will contain information that you have just received this particular e-mail!
You can learn whether your e-mail has been read at all!
A special extension for Gmail called Sidekick has one more exceedingly useful feature. If you want to know whether an addressee has received or read your e-mail, don’t hesitate to install Sidekick. If you are looking for job or trying to sell something, this tool will be truly invaluable.
And finally, a tip from us: filter, mark, archive and delete immediately!
In order not to get lost in your own mail, learn how to sort all letters, notifications, and messages. It is possible to customize e-mail filters to keywords and addresses and to designate several folders for notifications from social networks and promotions. Mark your messages with different colored markers, so they can be promptly found and just as quickly deleted. Archive messages that won’t be of any use to you in the near future. And confidently delete all junk e-mails! (In case of need, you will be able to restore those e-mails at any time within a month).
Basically, take a hard look at the instructions, and you will find out that they hold a lot of tremendous new options.
This article was originally published in Youth Time print edition, 32nd issue. Click here to check the content of the issue, subscribe here, purchase one issue here.
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