Maximize Email Productivity Using Outlook 2010 Quick Steps
Email continues to be one of the biggest (if not the biggest) productivity drains in an agency today.
I spend a lot of time helping agency personnel learn how to take back control over their email inbox. There are many strategies anyone can use to effectively manage large amounts of emails in their inbox.
I recently came across another email productivity tip that you should know about. In fact, I’m embarrassed that I have not paid more attention to this subtle but very useful tool that is built into Outlook 2010. Unfortunately, if you are still using Outlook 2007 this tip isn’t available to you.
Quick Steps is a new feature that was added to Outlook 2010. Quick Steps gives you the ability to apply multiple actions at once to an email message. Following is a quick summary on how to create and use your own Quick Steps for managing email messages.
How to Create and Use Quick Steps
You will notice the new Quick Steps section in the Ribbon. Some Quick Steps are included by default. Each Quick Step can be customized to fit your specific needs. To configure or change Quick Steps, on the Home Tab, click the dropdown arrow in the Quick Steps box and then select Manage Quick Steps.
The Manage Quick Steps window opens and here you can modify the default step. Simply highlight the step you want to change and click on the Edit button. Now you can edit the specifics of this Quick Step.
For example, you might want to always forward certain emails to your boss. Enter in your boss’s email address. You can also select to flag it, select the type of importance, and add extra text for it. You can also add an action to move the email to a specific folder in Outlook.
For those — like myself — who like keyboard shortcuts, you can also assign a shortcut key that will process the Quick Step when pressed. When you’re done making changes to the step make sure to save it.
After saving your Quick Step, you can test the step by opening an email you want to send to your boss and click To Manager from the Quick Steps box. The email will be opened so you can forward it, and add more recipients as well if you want.
You can also create your own new Quick Step. Under the Home tab click Create New from the Quick Steps box. Now you can choose actions for your new Step, create a name for it, and add text that will display when you hover over the new Step. Be sure to add a keyboard shortcut too. Now in the Quick Steps box on the Ribbon you will see your new Step and can use it for emails you specify.
Keep in mind that if you have multiple email accounts in Outlook, you’ll need to customize the Quick Steps for each account.
If you no longer want a Quick Step, just right-click on it and choose Delete.
There are a lot of customizations you can do with Quick Steps so be sure to explore all of the options available.
Outlook 2010 Quick Steps is a great new feature that will help you manage your email more efficiently.
Have you been using Quick Steps? Please provide some examples of steps you have created.
I approve many of our vendor payables, which come to me in an email. I created a “To Accounting” quick step so that when I click it a forwarded email opens with the text “Approved-LB”. When I hit Send I have it set to automatically delete. Two clicks and I’m done!
Laurie, thanks for sharing. This is a great example of how to use Quick Steps to streamline your daily work.
Great tip! I use Quick Steps literally hundreds of times every week. One very useful example automatically insert tags/text to the subject or body of an email before forwarding it to an online project/task manager (Azendoo, but there are dozens of such services and possiblities online). A one click method to queue the task for handling at a more appropriate time. Quick Steps are great for filing away messages based on topic, project, or any other repetitive task. Thanks!
Ben, thanks for letting us know how you use Quick Steps. I’m sure your example will help others think of new ways they can use Quick Steps.
I notice in your example there is an “Archive-Evernote” button. I’m assuming this saves the email to Evernote similar to the Evernote 5 button next to your Quick Steps section and then Archives the email. I have not been able to figure out how to do this on mine…Help? I see nothing about Evernote when I go to manage quick steps.
Tony, the way to directly save to Evernote is to use the Evernote button you mentioned. But that also means you have to manually delete the email you have sent to Evernote. To use a Quick Step you would forward the email to your Evernote email account. If you don’t know what the address is you can look in your Evernote settings. The Quick Step can then move or delete the email for you.
I’m not sure it’s that much faster but that is what that Quick Steps does. Thanks.
Enjoyed the Tip on Outlook Quick Steps! I get to my Quick Steps list by right-clicking any message in my Inbox, and picking from the context menu. Since I also use Outlook Tasks, my favorite Quick Steps are “Create a Task” (both with and without attachments) and “Add to Calendar.” Both real time savers!