If you’re unimpeded by a requirement that you use your agency’s/employer’s email portal, and you’re not already using Google’s Gmail system, you should seriously consider it. Gmail has many useful tools for sending and receiving email and the ability to integrate third-party add-ons. One add-on I discovered recently is Boomerang for Gmail. It has three useful and important features. It allows for:
- sending an email at a later time
- creating follow-up reminders
- reminding you that you haven’t heard back from someone you’ve emailed
Sending an email at a later time
Boomerang allows you to create an email and to schedule sending it at a later time. After writing your email, click the “Send Later” button. Use Boomerang’s built-in calendar picker or just type in language like, “next Monday” to tell Boomerang when to send your message. It will then automatically send your email at the date/time you designate.
Creating follow-up reminders
If you want to keep your inbox uncluttered, use Boomerang to move messages out of your inbox until you actually need them. To do this, click the Boomerang button when you have an email open, then choose when you want it to appear again. Boomerang will archive the message, then on the date/time you chose, it’ll bring back the email into your inbox. It can even mark unread, starred, or place it at the top of your message list.
Reminding you that you haven’t heard back from someone you’ve emailed
When you need to make sure you follow up on an email you’ve sent within a specific time frame after sending it, you can set it to remind you if you don’t get a reply.
I use this extensively, rather than clutter my to-do list or my calendar. It comes in handy when I’m waiting to hear back on scheduling hearing dates or other important matters so I don’t forget to follow-up.
| Boomerang Cost: Free Pros Cons |
No consideration of any kind has been accepted for this review. The opinions expressed herein are solely the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of NYSALJA.