Answering Emails

[ike]

@40-Tude

@ike

During depositions it is common to take a 10-15 minute bathroom break a few times a day, plus a lunch break. People often deal with email during those breaks.

Don’t you attorneys also track and bill time down to something like 5 min increments?

So if you’re at a client deposition and respond to an email during a 5 minute bathroom break, who’s that 5 minutes billed to? Gives new meaning to paying for crap.

The standard these days is six minute increments — tenths of an hour.

The time is billed to the client whose email you were dealing with, regardless of what you were sitting on while handling the email.

[BarryP]

@40-Tude

Vendors, clients, and others outside the company may be still waiting for a reply.

I don’t interact with any of them.

[40-Tude]

On topic, I just got an email reply to a note that I sent out awhile ago. Looking at the time stamps I sent it out my email on March 31st. So that’s 11 weeks to reply.

Email had to do with a product feature/question regarding video/data collection technology that I was evaluating. While it was personal/hobby related for me it’s work related for them. Needless to say, the lack of response (or delay) cost them the sale/purchase as I went with a different tool choice and the experience left me with an unfavorable impression of the company.

Timely responses matter.

[ironclm]

@40-Tude

Don’t you attorneys also track and bill time down to something like 5 min increments?

6 minute increments for me (0.1)