Tips to Keep Internal Communications Distribution Lists Consistent

Do you use distribution lists to reach your internal audiences? Look up these tips to stay consistent.

Need: You may receive requests for creating lists and a few questions you may want to ask are:

–          Is the need justified?

–           Is there a DL already which exists?

–           Can they manage the need of collaborating and communicating by leveraging existing internal social networks?

 

Consistency: You may want to make the DL name consistent with company standards. For example, does it have a prefix of the group or company name or does it call out the location name?

Moderator: You can verify if there is a person identified as owner for the list. Is the owner a full time employee? This may help mitigate risks such as company or identifiable person information leaks. Does the moderator know his or her responsibilities in managing the list? You may want to either share a short note to that effect or point to a policy which exists.

Retirement: Is there a specific duration that the list has been requested for? Can the list be deleted after its usage to avoid storage concerns? A few questions on these lines can help you avoid unnecessary pressure on your infrastructure.

Client confidentiality:  Is your list including client IDs and therefore can it infringe on client confidentiality clauses your organization may have signed? If yes, then you may want to review the need for such lists.

Nomenclature: Is the list using nomenclature which is understood by your audiences? Are acronyms understood by people using it? Stick to your organization’s brand standards and nomenclature that helps audiences connect.

Have other suggestions that can keep e-mail distribution lists consistent? Do share them here.