Messaging consultancy Expert Messaging launched a new charter (PDF) today designed to encourage business users to better utilise their email tools, and thereby improve productivity, reduce stress and potentially free up corporate server space.

The firm monitored around 4,000 people from 150 UK organisations over an 18-month period, finding that users hoard an average of 2,769 emails each, and nearly three-quarters spend at least an hour a day dealing with emails.

The research also found that nearly half of all emails do not help business users with their jobs, while roughly two-thirds of the emails people send are replies, forwards or copies of emails sent by others.

"Email is a blessing and a curse," said Expert Messaging managing director Bob Hallewell. "It can be three steps forward and one step back, but my idea is to take three steps forward and stop. We haven't really got up to speed with it yet and as a result it dominates our lives."

Hallewell argued that a lack of standards means that people communicating via email have different expectations of each other.

"There are no right or wrong answers; the problems arrive from the mismatch, " he added. "The charter gives 10 points for people to consider how their emails may be perceived at the other end."

By doing things like sending emails only to people who will find them useful, making sure the tone is correct and including the right amount of information, users can boost productivity and efficiency, save time, reduce stress levels and cut the amount of email traffic on servers, according to Hallewell.

"We're not saying there is a standard way to send an email, but if you consider these steps then you are gong to get better responses from whoever you're emailing," he said.