An email thread is a running list of all replies that are followed after an original email. The back navigation of these emails are formatted in a chronological order varying depending on the email client or email platform that is used, traditionally the last email is on top. Email threads create and record conversation chains from an original email which is implemented to increase the ease of documentation and tracking past conversations. In 2019 it was reported that on average a single business employee receives and sends up-words of 10,000 emails a year.
Email threading is commonly put to use due to its ability to lower cost and increase speed when properly implemented. The amount of emails sent everyday continues to rapidly grow and having to navigate such massive and cluttered accounts results in increased time and money for litigation and eDiscovery. Consistency and a lower margin for error are another benefit due to attorney being able to see the whole conversation in one picture.
As technology continues to rapidly evolve, some third party litigation providers are having trouble keeping up with the evolving aspects of email threading.
Here are a few of the practical uses that come from properly implementing email threading:
- Cost-savings within document review.
- Increased efficiency and relevance of email content through removing duplicates, and irrelevant content while aggregating relevant content.
- Quality control through management and monitoring all documents included.
- Improving the digital utility and ease of use when managing multiple threads simultaneously.