This is not just easier for clients to remember, but e-mail filters pick up on these addresses as well and pre-sort the messages into separate buckets. Misfires will happen, but the bulk sorting is done automatically.

In some environments (all Google mail supports this, as do a number of other big mail providers) cheap and easy aliases can be had by using a ‘+’ in the address: planning+cancellation@mycompany.com and planning+rescheduling@mycompany.com will work exactly like aliases, with the difference that they need not be set up beforehand; GMail just strips the ‘+….’ part out to figure out where to send a message, but retains the addressing, ready for filtering.

By enforcing this behavior throughout the company, it became possible for many people to apply filters to their inbound e-mail and seriously cut down on the volume of e-mail that needed human attention, without losing a single bit of disseminated information.

We operate within a Google Apps environment, so GMail is the norm. That has subject lines, followed by the first few words (with line feeds ignored). If the message does not start with “Dear so-and-so, I just wanted to write you a note about the fact that X has now gone into YZ mode”, but with “X has gone into YZ mode” the recipient never needs to open the message.

Obviously this example is a good candidate for a compact subject line followed by ‘EOM’ but the principle works for adding a ‘second layer’ of front loaded information that does not really fit a subject line.

Also, having the agreement for internal communication this way removes any discomfort about how to address some or other people. It allows people to get to the point the fastest way they know how to. And, little as it may seem, it saves on typing and thus time.