Which channel is for what, and what response time is normal.
Without an agreement about channels, people keep guessing: do I need to respond to this now? Every notification interrupts, even when the message could wait. A short team agreement about which channel is for what, and what response time is normal, brings calm and long blocks of time to work.
When to use it
Messages arrive through too many channels at once
Tip
Make the agreement together, in a twenty-minute meeting, and check after a month whether it works. An agreement that only exists as long as somebody keeps asking for it is not yet an agreement.
What you fill in
Team or department
Email: what for, and what response time is normal?
Chat (for example Teams): what for, and what response time is normal?
Phone calls: what for, and what response time is normal?
Dropping by someone's desk: what for, and what response time is normal?
Personal mobile and messaging apps: what for, and what response time is normal?
What is truly urgent, and how do you make that known?
Outside working hours
"Do not disturb" in the chat really means do not disturb
The first sentence or subject line says what you are asking, and by when
Anything agreed verbally, we confirm briefly by email
The tool runs in your browser. Nothing you type is saved or sent anywhere.
Example result
Made with the example in the tool. With your own details you get your own version, ready to copy.
How we reach each other: Customer Service team
Email
Anything that can wait, and anything you want to find again later. A reply within two working days is normal.
Chat
Short questions about today's work. A reply within a few hours is normal, not straight away.
Phone calls
Only if something will go wrong today, or after a quick message first: "Can I call you at 2pm about the quote?"
Dropping by someone's desk
First check whether someone has headphones on or is set to "do not disturb". If so, send a message instead.
Personal mobile and messaging apps
Not for work, except in an emergency.
Truly urgent
Urgent means only something that will go wrong for a customer today. Then you phone, and say in the first sentence what it is about.
Outside working hours
After 6pm and at weekends nobody expects a reply. If you want to send something then, schedule the message.
Also
• "Do not disturb" in the chat really means do not disturb.
• The first sentence or the subject line says what you are asking, and by when. For example: "Question, by Thursday: would you check the quote?"
• Anything agreed verbally, we confirm briefly by email.
