Electronic mail or E-mail
E-mail is well known as a method of sending and receiving electronic messages. It has been available across the Internet for over 20 years. E-mails are typically written and read in a special mail reader program that in a large company is often part of a groupware package such as Lotus Notes, Microsoft Exchange or Novell Groupwise. Smaller companies or individuals may use lower cost or free mail programs such as Microsoft Outlook Express, Eudora or Pegasus mail. A relatively recent innovation is the use of web sites which provide free e-mail facilities and do not require any special software other than a web browser. Hotmail (www.hotmail.com) and YahooMail (www.yahoo.com) are the best known of these
One of the main business applications of e-mail is as a method of communicating with customers in a similar way to direct mail. Communications with suppliers and other partners can also be facilitated by e-mail. As an outbound means of communication from a business, it is significant since it gives an electronic means of updating a customer on new products and offers. This is not possible using the web site since this is a pull mechanism that is reliant on a customer consciously deciding to visit. E-mails will also be sent from a customer to a company requesting information such as product specifications or quotations. Autoresponders or mail-bots are mail tools that are used to automatically respond to these requests if appropriate. For example, an e-mail sent to products@company_name.com could automatically dispatch a summary of a company’s products.
Since, in the digital medium, e-mail becomes one of the primary forms of communication, it is important that processes are in place, and staff are trained adequately to make best use of it.