Google's Gmail is known for its customer-focused updates, and its lastest one will spare any employee who has dealt with the hassle of receiving numerous "out of office" emails from colleagues. The new update will warn individuals if they are sending an email to a colleague who's calendar has marked them as away.
The out of office alter update will be featured on both Gmail and Hangouts Chat, with a banner popping up on the bottom of your email notifying users when their colleague is expected to return. The new notification feature will only be available for users of Google's business tool suite -- G Suit.
Users should expect to see the update within the new few weeks and will also hopefully notice a decrease in emails upon their return from vacation.
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Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Out of Office Email Alert
- An opportunity for developers to build AI-powered plugins that detect and automatically respond to out of office email alerts
- Automated Inbox Management
- An opportunity for companies to develop tools that automate inbox management and reduce email overload for employees
- Calendar Integration
- An opportunity for software developers to create calendar integration features that automatically update email notifications based on a user's schedule
Where This Applies
- Email Management
- An opportunity for email management software companies to integrate out of office alerts into their platforms
- Productivity Tools
- An opportunity for productivity software companies to develop tools that reduce email-related distractions and improve employee productivity
- Artificial Intelligence
- An opportunity for AI companies to create intelligent email filtering systems that prioritize and categorize messages based on a user's availability
