THE DIGITAL PRACTICE

The trouble with email

Improve office communication with a private social network

By Peter J. Polack, MD, FACS

“Did you make a decision regarding that issue I emailed you about?”

“Which issue was that?”

“It was the latest financial report.”

“No I didn’t see anything. You’ll need to resend it to me.”

“But then that will start a new thread and your response won’t be seen by the others.”

And herein lies a main problem caused by communicating with email. For the typical user, conversations occur in a linear fashion inside an inbox. If you miss the original message, and then receive a subsequent attachment, it becomes very tedious trying to jump back in.

GROWING PAINS

We have always had this problem, but it seems to have gotten worse as our organization has grown – 12 doctors going on 15, and about 150 employees. Creating groups helps keep messages visible to only those eyes authorized to read them, but the scenario mentioned above has become more commonplace.

I started looking at other communication tools that would be more intuitive than an email application, and many are out there. But I was looking for specific features: manageable cost, usability, stability and security. Of course, our administrator warned that a tool is only as good as its ability to be accepted by a majority of users.

A FAMILIAR FACE

Fortunately, most manufacturers offer a free version or trial so the only form of payment would be with our time. After speaking with our IT consultants, I decided to try one called Yammer, now a part of the Microsoft family. Microsoft has a free version that can be upgraded to one with more features if all users have an Office 365 account.

Its interface is very intuitive, if not down-right familiar. In fact, it resembles Facebook so much that you wonder if it doesn’t border on copyright infringement.

As the app’s administrator, I can create groups – Board, ASC, Marketing, Technology, and so on - and invite users. Only invited users can view the content. There is also a messaging feature and files can be uploaded and shared.

NO LOG IN

New conversations can be started and others can post comments as replies. Since the account is linked to the practice’s email domain – we didn’t get rid of email -- notifications of messages and comments are sent to your email address. Clicking on the link in the email notification takes you to the Yammer conversation; no log-in required.

Here is how our experiment worked out. Within 72 hours of my posting several issues, we had a ‘critical mass’ of users, including some who always seemed to miss those important emails. We have become more productive in areas requiring input from multiple stakeholders, such as making major board decisions involving marketing materials.

We now have a company-wide group for major announcements.

Using email was time-consuming and inefficient: someone was usually left out.

If you find that your practice’s email has similar shortcomings, consider looking into more inclusive communication alternatives. OM

Peter J. Polack, MD, FACS, is comanaging partner for Ocala Eye, a multi-subspecialty ophthalmology practice located in Ocala, Fla. He is also founder of Emedikon, an online practice resource for physicians and administrators. His e-mail is ppolack@ocalaeye.com