Method to ensure timely response to email messages by using probability derived from past interactions (14-Jan-2008)

Method to ensure timely response to email messages by using probability derived from past interactions

Electronic mail (email) is commonly used within companies to request information or assign work items. A common work item scenario would be for an email sender to author an email message requesting information and expect for the email message recipient to respond in a reasonable time frame with an answer. The reasonable response time frame is variable to the sender/receiver but can typically be derived by the nature of the request, urgency associated with request, and ability of receiver to have time and impetus to return email with requested information. If the email sender doesn't set up a follow-up or reminder action to check back on this request and the recipient chooses not to reply -- the email request could be lost and never returned.

Take for example the following scenario:

Sender writes and sends an email message with "Normal" delivery to Recipient requesting information on Project XYZ
Sender does not set up any follow-up action in their email application
Recipient doesn't immediately answer email and it becomes lost in their incoming mail box or a email sub-folder
Sender doesn't realize that important email message request for Project XYZ was not returned

Now imagine the scenario if the sender's email software was enhanced to assign a probability of the recipient's past responsiveness on similar requests and automatically set a follow-up action for the sender:

Sender writes and sends an email message with "Normal" delivery to Recipient requesting for information on Project XYZ
Sender does not set up...