Tagging every e-mail as urgent tends to dilute the impact of the priority setting. Priority settings for voice mail and e-mail can be an effective tool, accompanied by precise subject descriptions and succinct opening lines. Not everything is urgent. As with just about anything else, consistency is essential in order for the above suggestions to work. There needs to be consistent involvement at all levels of the organization.
Many offices have a number of departments, all with different managers.
Any change in process will not succeed if these top people do not buy-in to the process and are not part of the effort to communicate the desired outcome to all staff members. An agency intranet provides a perfect venue for disseminating this type of information. It's easy to start building an FAQ site. As the agency's automation coordinator, simply review your own communications over a period of time and identify redundant questions. Once your FAQ site is ready, inform department managers and executives, so they can alert those who report to them that this new resource is available.