Question

What are some advantages and disadvantages associated with communicating by email?

Answer 1

Introduction

Email is an important method of doing business communication at workplace. It is still among the most commonly used communication tool which is best, easy, cheap and fast, accessible and easily replicated. Nowadays, it is hard to imagine a workplace that does not rely on email for doing external and internal communication. Apart from having certain advantages of email communication there are also some downfalls which sometimes bring challenges to send information via email.

Advantages of Email communication

• Fast Communication for Client: When we need to get an important message from client or any other business associate who is located hundred miles away from us, one of the fastest way to send information is via email. We can also send attachments like important documents, presentation etc to have the clarity over an email.
• Portability and Availability: While using email communication is common these days. There is an option that email messages can be archived into folders on your laptop, computer or even in a mobile phones so that it prevents from having to keep file folders filled with papers. Emails can also be easily be dragged around unwieldy file folders.
• Reduces mailing and shipping cost: Apart from the internet connection, email is free. We can send as many email messages including videos, documents, files etc without paying anything. Therefore, it significantly reduces the cost of shipping and mailing as well as it saves time.
• Reduces the cost of paper: Email communication is environmental friendly as it is paperless. Not only by this we are reducing the cost of paper but also we are actually reducing the damage paper usage does to the environment.
• Permanent: The biggest advantage of email communication is that we can keep record of all the messages sent or received with all the details of attachments.
• Emails can be prioritized: Emails can be easily prioritized in the mailbox with marking them as Important, starred, urgent etc which helps to identify what action needs to be taken on an email without delaying.

Disadvantages of Email communication

• Vulnerability to Loss: It takes minutes for someone to access all the important information on email and destroy them. Also, the emails and important information can be lost of the hard disk of the computer or laptop is crashes. So it is important to have a back up of important emails that you want to save it for future reference.
• Easily accessible: Never consider emails to be private as it is easily accessible because emails are send over networks so it is possible that anyone can could gain access to them or receive them by mistake. It can be hacked by an outsider or email can be send to an incorrect email address. So, always be careful before sending an email because it contains sensitive information and messages.
• Difficult to Interpret Emotions: It is difficult to interpret the emotions in an email because it seems like a conversation that happens quickly. Sometimes, sender uses slang terms and tries to carry on conversation over an email. This can lead to misinterpretation of the emotion behind an email. So, to avoid this it’s better to reread the email before sending the replies.
• Disruptive in nature: Going through each email can be very disruptive at times at work because it requires lot of time. S it is very important to set an email alert system in a mailbox to avoid such disruption.
• Spam: Unsolicited email can affect the email system if the firewall or anti-spam software is not installed. Other internet and email security such as malware, social engineering etc may arise, especially when using the cloud or remote access.
• Viruses: The attachment in an Email can contain viruses. So, it is best to be aware of this possibility so that we should be careful before opening a message from an unknown people or when downloading the attachment.