RSVP ASAP. (News Digest).

When asked how soon they responded to e-mails after receiving them, a majority of executives said they did it on the same day in order to avoid a backlog of unanswered correspondence.

SUBJECT RE: Your e-mail

I responded to your e-mail ...                 Percentage *

Immediately                                         47.6%
Within a few hours                                  46.3%
The following day                                    2.5%
When it became a priority                            1.9%
After assistants forwarded screened messages         1.3%
I avoid e-mails as often as possible                 0.3%
Other                                                0.1%

* Figures do not add to 100% due to rounding.

Source: Survey of 3,000 executive-level employees, Net Future
Institute, North Hampton, New Hamsphire, www.netfutureinstitute.com,
2002.