Is it handy or horrendous? Well, sometimes it can be both. We’re talking about the “reply all” function of your e-mail. It can be an effective way to communicate with your colleagues and a way to keep your supervisor in the loop without a lot of in-person meetings.

But there are a couple issues with the “reply all” button. Some people get “cc” happy, opting to include everyone even remotely connected with a project or question on the e-mail thread. The result can be a chain of e-mails flooding your Inbox that really aren’t applicable to you. For some, it creates an electronic paper trail, which can admittedly be useful when your boss says, “I didn’t say that!” and you can produce the e-mail showing she did in fact give her approval.

Even worse than an Inbox full of e-mails debating the best time for a meeting is the accidental use of “reply all.” Just about anyone with an e-mail account can offer up a story of sending something they wished they hadn’t. It’s bad enough when an inappropriate e-mail goes to one person – it’s a thousand times worse when it goes to half the staff.

A recent article in The Wall Street Journal highlighted some real-world examples of “reply all” missteps. We read it with a chuckle and the sobering thought, “There but for the grace of God….”

If you’re lucky, your colleagues will laugh it off as a stupid mistake, but certainly there are times when an offense e-mail can result in lost business or ruined relationships.

The best way to avoid a “reply all” blunder is simply to pause and look at the “to” line of your e-mail. It will take less than a second but could save you some serious problems.

We’d love to hear your “reply all” stories. Share and we’ll select one random person to receive a Sprit Telecom goodie. 

Cloud computing – it’s likely you’ve heard that term or read about it in a tech or business publication. Many of us engage in cloud computing in ways we may not even realize. Think about programs you use that are accessible from any computer as long as you have your username and password, such as Gmail. Google Documents or online photo sharing sites like Shutterfly or Flickr. Your e-mail messages, Excel spreadsheets and photos aren’t housed on your computer, they exist in the “cloud.”

Those are more simplistic examples, but do illustrate the concept of working in a web-based world whether accessing your holiday photos or running a sophisticated piece of software for your business.

Cloud computing has even gotten the attention of the U.S. government. According to a March 7 article in The Washington Post, the TechAmerica Foundation is leading the effort to create a commission that will “make recommendations to the federal chief information officer and the commerce secretary.”

The Obama administration is pushing government agencies to use cloud computing whenever it can as a way to reduce costs and increase efficiencies. According to the article, “The commission is expected to address the way the government should deploy cloud technologies and consider policies that could advance the cloud-first initiative.”

What are your thoughts on cloud computing? Are you using it in your business to save money? Do you have any concerns?

If you think your employees are happy, you might want to think again. A survey released last week by MarketTools Inc. reported about half of all employees have considered leaving their jobs. Also, 21 percent have applied for another job in the past six months.

The survey came out just in time for Employee Appreciation Day on March 4. Hmm, seems many employees aren’t feeling the appreciation.

The problems? Leading the list was salary (47 percent) followed by workload (24 percent), lack of opportunities for advancement (21 percent) and the employee’s supervisor (21 percent). MarketTools, which provides software for enterprise feedback management and market research, polled 451 adults in February 2011.

The survey also found the overwhelming majority of the employees’ companies don’t have a program to regularly solicit employee feedback. So, if your employees are unhappy, there’s a very good chance you don’t know about it and haven’t even bothered to ask.

Let’s hear about your office – do you solicit employee feedback? If so, what do you do with it?

The next time you’re in a staff meeting and catch one of your employees staring out the window in a daydreaming daze, don’t take offense. This employee could be coming up with the most creative idea your company has ever seen.

A recent piece by Jonah Lehrer in The Wall Street Journal highlights the benefits of not paying attention. Researchers have drawn a connection between daydreaming and creativity. Turns out being distracted by a YouTube video or what’s going on in the cubicle next door is a good thing.

Lehrer cites a study of 86 Harvard undergraduates that measured their ability to focus and drown out outside distractions, such as a humming AC unit or a side conversation. The results: those who had a hard time staying focused were seven times more likely to be rated as creative.

“According to the scientists, the inability to focus helps ensure a richer mixture of thoughts in consciousness. Because these people struggled to filter the world, they ended up letting everything in. They couldn’t help but be open-minded.”

Would it be worth applying this information to your business? Should you build in some leisure time for your employees to be “distracted” from work giving their brains a chance to open up and be creative?

In 1876, when Alexander Graham Bell secured his patent for what is now the telephone, he probably didn’t imagine how the telephone would impact our lives. Today, telephones are such a critical part of our lives we carry them in our purse and pockets. At work, our desks our outfitted with telephones and we make sure everyone has our number.

But in some cases, an inadequate office telephone system can be more of a hindrance than a help. For example, in today’s world, the ability to have your calls forwarded is a key component. You need to be able to check voice mail remotely – and in some cases, you might prefer to have your messages sent to your e-mail.

One of the things we do at Spirit Telecom when meeting with potential customers is take the time to truly understand their business needs. It’s important to assess how a company is using its phones, the problems it may be experiencing and to take a look at future phone needs. Every business is different so an off-the-shelf phone system may not meet a business’ unique needs.

When shopping around, look for a company that provides some of the following features:

• Call forwarding
• Remote office
• A Web portal so you can easily customize features and manage your phone system needs
• A secure, private network
• HD quality voice

What phone system features are most important to your business?