Communication Overload: How to Set the Right Response Time Expectations

If you remember the days of no email and mobile phones, then you are part of my tribe. If not, I’d like to provide a little perspective when dealing with executive life. 

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The number of communication platforms has exploded over the last 20 years, and it often feels like we work for big tech even when we are just doing our job. 

Here’s a quick video I made talking about the challenge of communication overload!

As a VP of Marketing, I’ve averaged over 100 emails a day and easily sent 30-50. These days, my clients are still using email but have also added Slack, WhatsApp, Text/SMS, and other messaging services. They are also fairly prolific on the major social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.). 

But how much communication is enough? How often should we respond, post, broadcast, or interact with our followers and social contacts? Who sets the expectation for how these technologies are used and their expected response time? 

Who’s in charge?

Many executives feel like slaves to their communications channels. There are so many platforms to check, and it’s easy to feel that constant anxiety about whether you’re missing critical parts of a conversation or if you’ve somehow fallen behind on an important task.

Worse still, the constant back and forth disrupts your ability to think (and therefore lead) effectively, as you are bombarded with notifications, pings, dings, and vibrations from your device or computer. A recent study illustrates this point: Slack users spend about 10 hours per week on the platform, and the average worker spends 28% of their work day reading and responding to emails. Another study shows that the average professional checks their email 15 times per day. 

I’m a big believer in making technology work for you instead of the other way around. If you are an executive, it’s your duty to help your team set the guidelines for what kind of response times are recommended for each platform that you decide to use. 

It might look something like this: 

• Phone calls: Phone calls are reserved for more urgent communications. Staff is expected to pick up during business hours or return voicemails within the day.

• Text messages: Texts are meant for things like trade shows, meeting status updates when running late, and rarely emergencies. The expected response time is as soon as possible, but texts are off-limits in the evenings, on weekends, and during holidays.

• Email: Email is the preferred method of communication for most work, including meeting summaries, reporting, and other long-form work. Emails must be checked daily so you don’t fall behind, and the expected response time is 24 hours or one business day. 

• Slack: Slack is the preferred platform for non-essential business and water cooler talk. The expected response time is one business day, and communication on this platform is not required 24 hours per day.

• WhatsApp: This platform is for international business conversations during events as designated by the manager. The channel should only be used during a key product launch or press event. Employees should treat the app like mobile phone and SMS/text messaging above.

Set the expectations upfront

Here’s how you might begin to set expectations with various people in business:

Clients

When working with outside clients, it can be great to set the expectations of response time. Often, people don’t expect the standard of response time we hold ourselves accountable to meeting. Instead, we can focus more on providing a better quality response and promoting a more sustainable pace of business. 

Bosses

One exception may be in managing your boss’s expectations. If you report to a CEO or other executive who has different preferences or even mandates changes to your policy, you must adhere to these.

Have the discussion and negotiate these terms at least annually so you’re on the same page. Mention the tradeoffs to rapid response and an all-hands-on-deck type of environment over the long term. Maybe less is truly more.

Employees

In the past, I’ve dealt with employees who were overly responsive on email (and I’ve been guilty of this as well). They’ve assumed if I sent them an email, I wanted an immediate response. In turn, they would often delay other work responding to my request. My personal style is I’d rather them prioritize their work and be less distracted by communication overhead than to get back to me immediately. But each manager handles this differently.

Most of us have plenty of stress and anxiety at work, and a big part of this comes from deadlines and the need to keep up with the constant flow of communications. Isn’t it time to make the technology work for you?

How has this article helped you change your view toward your organization’s communication expectations? I’d love to hear your thoughts!