E-mail has faced its challengers -- viruses, spam, regulations -- and emerged with its reputation bruised, but intact. Except among teens and young adults and inside certain fast-paced work environments, e-mail is staying ahead of instant messaging in terms of usage.

190

Assuming the survey results are accurate, this indicates that many companies do not yet recognize e-mail as an important mode of communication. Responding to an e-mail within one to five days is reasonable. Anything longer should be considered excessive and a sign that the company is not truly open for business on the Web.

175

A customer service person is usually expected to focus on a specific customer, a specific question, and give the best possible answer, ... If you're raising the stakes on that customer service person and saying, 'Okay, now you have to essentially keep clear in your mind multiple questions,' the risk of either inaccurate or incomplete information being sent to customers rises.

170

Internet e-mail is simpler and cheaper, but you won't get integrated calendaring, scheduling, database functionality or applications.

138

For the most part, companies are ready, ... But there are smaller companies and companies outside of the U.S. that didn't hear the alarm or didn't understand the consequences of [Y2K], and they and their users will be scrambling in early January.

137

While email has been bruised, it's emerged intact. What people are thinking now is not how I can get rid of email, but how can I remain connected to email through mobile devices when I'm out of the office.

119

It's not just instant messaging, but other collaborative technologies are challenging email.

113