Only read and answer emails a couple of times during the day. For the rest of the day keep your email client closed and notifications off.
You can even add a little notice in your email signature that this is how you operate.
You can even add a little notice in your email signature that this is how you operate.
I would prefer to receive fast email replies with a lot of value, rather than an automated response which would make me think i am using the services of a large bureaucratized corporation that treats me like a small fish..
If a client has an emergency, they can call me. My phone hardly ever rings.
To answer your question - no, I don't charge for emails unless the volume is excessive (> 10/day or so, not counting notifications from PM systems and the like). At that point, I just bill them an hour for "Communications and Project Management" and call it good.
There are not many issues that justify a "NEED A REPLY THIS VERY SECOND" response. You should find that most of your clients aren't sitting at their inbox awaiting your reply, but also get on with their other work. For emergency situations, an emergency number to call if they need a response might be the answer, but stress it's use only for dire emergencies that are costing them real money if not fixed immediately.
This means you can have dedicated time focused on emails, allowing you to form better replies. Cutting back to 3 times a day would be even better. One when you start, once at your lunch break, then once at the end of the day. With an 8 hour work day, 3 times a day is still only a 2 and a half hour maximum wait time.
A 4h reply is good. A 24h reply time is standard. A 48h reply is not unheard of.
Why should programmer be different?
1. Receiving email replies fast.
2. Receiving the work you are paying for finished fast.