Why Is Email Important in Business Communication?

Email is sent and received almost instantaneously, whether the recipient is a few doors down or thousands of miles away. Because of this, using email streamlines both internal and external communication, making it faster and easier to transmit and disseminate important information and allowing for almost real time status updates. In turn, the continuous flow of relevant information makes employees and executives alike more efficient and productive, enabling quick responses to any issue that may arise.

Email messages remain in an user's inbox unless deliberately deleted, and both stand-alone email software and webmail services offer a search function and filters that make tracking down a specific message only take a matter of seconds. This creates a virtual paper trail that is far more efficient than printed documents filed away in a drawer, making it extremely easy to extract important information from email communication.

Email is one of the cheapest ways a business can use to communicate, both internally and externally. Small businesses can simply sign up for free email with providers such as Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail; even for larger companies, the overhead cost of maintaining a dedicated email server is relatively low. The cost difference is especially striking when considering mass communication. For example, the cost of printing and delivering a set of marketing fliers or letter is many times that required to send the information through email.

Email allows companies to efficiently and effectively spread information about their products and services, both to existing customers and potential ones. For example, a clothing company could set up an email list to which anybody can subscribe, then send weekly emails to everybody on the list detailing new additions to the catalog. Similarly, a company specializing in business software might contact other companies directly by email to inquire whether they may find their services useful.