Newsletter ArchiveSUBJECTs:Managing Your E-mail - Area Code Changes and Toll Free Numbers The Internet 800 Directory - http://www.inter800.com The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter This issue is for Friday, July 06, 2001 Table of Contents Intro 01. Managing Your E-mail 02. Area Code Changes and Toll Free Numbers Welcome to The Internet 800 Directory Newsletter. "You say it's your birthday, Well it's my birthday too" Today marks my 45th year in this world. At some point and I really can't remember when, this became a day of reflection. Last night, as I was reviewing my days on the earth, it was impossible not to examine how the Internet had impacted my life. In the last seven years, my computer went from a place where I played games, to a major component of my life. It has become my foremost form of communication, my center of information and my livelihood. With all the dynamic change of the last seven years, it's hard not to be excited about what the next seven years will bring. Chuck Arning (chuck@inter800.com) *01 Managing Your E-mail By Chuck Arning (chuck@inter800.com) E-mail is the most frequently used application on the Internet today. According to Ferris Research, there has been a 50% increase in commercial e-mail messages over the past year, with another 35 to 50% increase expected next year. With this type of increase in e-mail traffic it will be more important than ever to properly manage your e-mail. The first step is to make sure you have the proper tools. You should be using an e-mail client that has the ability to filter and sort your e-mail. Most of the major e-mail software programs have these tools and some are free (Outlook Express, Netscape and Eudora). So if you are using a program that doesn't have these features, upgrade. Next, set up a system of folders that you will use to organize your e-mail. Think of it in terms of a file cabinet and create files where your e-mails will be stored. As an example, you might create a folder for newsletters, one for orders and another for customer service requests. If its possible, you might even want to create different e-mail addresses for these different uses as well. Think about creating a to-do folder for items that require some action on your part, which you can't do right when you receive the e-mail. Outlook users you can open a task, set a due date and move the e-mail into it. Done correctly, your inbox should always be empty when you are done checking your e-mail. Once you have created your folders, set up your program to sort your inbound e-mail into these folders. With some programs, you can also sort and forward the e-mail before you have even read it. This could be used with orders that come in by e-mail where several people need to receive the e-mail to process the order. Most importantly by sorting your e-mail, it makes it easier to give priority where it is needed. Next set up filters for junk e-mail, I send them into a junk mail folder so I can review them before deleting. Filtering is not always perfect and I don't want to miss something useful. If your program has a preview window, use it. This will speed the review process. If you have any thoughts on this subject or any ideas that could be helpful to the others in this group send them to me (Chuck Arning) at chuck@inter800.com *02 Area Code Changes and Toll Free Numbers By George Paul (george@inter800.com) I'm sure that we are all aware of the incredible frequency in which new area codes are being added. If you have undergone this transformation, then you are well aware of the disruptions this can cause. Aside from changes to your printed material, web site and directory & search engine listings, it can also affect your toll free service. Most toll free numbers employ call routing. That is, when you dial a toll free number, your call is actually routed to a local number owned by the business you're calling. Usually, when a business originally establishes their toll free number, they choose the local number they would like the calls to ring to (although I have seen several situations where the service provider simply chooses for them by automatically pointing it to the business' main local number). We will refer to this number as the "POTS number". The disruption occurs when the area code of your POTS number is changed. If nothing is done, callers will initially receive a message saying, "the area code has been changed and the new area code is xxx", just like people calling with the old area code. Unfortunately, having the new area code does the toll free caller no good. The customer did not call your local number, so he/she cannot simply redial using the new area code. Eventually, the new area code message will be phased out, replaced by a "number has been disconnected' type message, or worse, your old phone number may be reassigned to another party. Your toll free service provider needs to be made aware of this area code change as soon as it becomes official. They can change your POTS number and thus re-route your calls to your new phone number, usually within a matter of minutes. This is not done automatically, even if your local phone company is providing your toll free service. You would need to call your toll free service provider and make sure it gets done. After the change has been implemented, I would recommend dialing the toll free number yourself to insure that it has been done correctly. Thanks for taking to time to review our newsletter for this week. If you know of anyone that might benefit from receiving this newsletter, send them to (http://www.inter800.com/news800/ ) where they can subscribe. 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