Edison Redefines Email Software by Optimizing Communication Flows and Blocking Unwanted Mail

TL; DR: Edison Software prides itself on transforming email communication to incorporate simplicity, customization, and peace of mind. The unique design of Edison products allows consumers to regain control of their inboxes and block unwanted mail. Its OnMail email service helps consumers set work boundaries and modernize accounts, while Edison Mail enables them to streamline various email flows into one application to avoid spam and disorganization.

Email has been the backbone of online work communication for decades. Before we had advanced cloud platforms, such as Slack, Zoom, or Asana, email was our primary communication support system. But over the years, email’s complicated framework and lack of customizable features caused it to lose that status, although its use remains in the workplace.

Deterrents, such as spam and a lack of organizational functionality, have overshadowed email benefits and dragged down overall productivity and user experience. According to Chanty, spam accounts for 45% of inbox emails. And as email fatigue sets in, spam only exacerbates this growing problem.

Edison Software sets out to tackle issues of email fatigue with an optimized software offering that combats unwanted emails that swell inbox volumes and give consumers back their peace of mind.

“We’re giving way more flexibility to our consumers to customize flows of emails through their inbox, where they show up, and how to make it easier to not have to see everything on bucket,” said Jeff Pearsall, VP of Design at Edison.

Edison products OnMail and Edison Mail provide consumers with the customization and simplicity to streamline inbound communication, set boundaries, and reclaim control over their email inboxes. Edison allows consumers to combine their various email accounts in one app. OnMail is a modernized email service that offers innovative features, including a permission-based inbox, natural language recognition, and high-level privacy.

Edison Software recently merged with Yipit to accelerate its mission and help it free up time to work on more significant customer-based developments.

“We spent a lot of time with the sales side of things and also trying to understand how to make a business out of what we’re doing. And now we’re fully focused on what we can do for our consumers,” said Jeff.

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped many facets of our lives but has largely affected our communication. Our remote work environment has pushed us to move our internal processes online. This shift has caused employees to approach email in a more casual sense.

“In the past, email was primarily a business partner communication, and COVID is increasing the personal side of communication as well. So if you think about that, this is elevating the number of emails you get, and when that happens, it starts to get into the territory of productivity,” said Jeff.

With factors such as takeout orders and receipts increasing during the pandemic, the list of emails people find in their inboxes today has become more varied in number and category. Receiving too many emails in one inbox can be a distraction, especially when you combine your work and personal email accounts.

Edison Software helps consumers organize those emails and block spam to take back control of their productivity. Its features allow consumers to manage all of their accounts in one application and reduce the time they need to go through emails.

“On the Edison side, we focus on the spam blocking functionality, with a new suite of features that allows a user to block/unsubscribe and mark spam directly from a swipe,” said Jeff.

Its spam blocking feature provides simplicity and peace of mind for consumers with crowded email accounts. Jeff said Edison also allows consumers to block messages from an entire domain. So no need to worry about a spam account adjusting its email address to re-enter your inbox list.

“Edison Mail is all about blocking spam and keeping what’s important in front of you. So if you think of focused inbox, blocking domains and consumers in general, and all these swipe functionalities that we’re adding to help with that, that is the bread and butter of Edison Mail,” said Jeff.

According to Edison Mail, 85% of Americans say emails increase their stress levels, with 40% saying they received more email notifications in 2021 than in 2020. The correlation between these two factors shows how email volumes can affect a person’s mental health if it goes unchecked.

Researchers have also found that it takes up to 23 minutes to regain focus after switching from one task to another. That is why setting boundaries and silencing notifications are crucial.

“So what OnMail does on the inbox break is that it stops the flow of emails completely, so you don’t get push notifications. And you can turn it back on or can schedule it. So you can take a mental break and force yourself to not overthink that subject line,” said Jeff.

The unique characteristic of OnMail is that the team can control the server side of the email. By incorporating inbox breaks, Jeff told us that professionals can regain their free time at home and improve their productivity at work without the concerns of a pressing or disheartening email. This feature also helps decrease email fatigue.

But, OnMail doesn’t leave the sender without notification.

“There’s a bounce back to the person that sent you an email, and they get a bounce back saying, ‘this person will see this in a few hours. If it’s super urgent, try to contact them through a different method,’” said Jeff.

The lines between work and home life have become blurred, primarily because of the growing remote and hybrid work landscape. Jeff said the inbox break feature will help professionals set boundaries and hopefully influence others to respect employees’ working hours and off time in this new working environment.

Jeff said Edison Software was a pioneer in its space for a long time because the company was delivering a vastly different product from other traditional email providers. And that made it challenging to navigate the business side and continue to innovate its trail-blazing products.

Edison Software’s merger with Yipit helped ease those burdens of juggling both sides of the business coin, and the transition sounds to be running smoothly.

“So we think of the Yipit transition as a partnership in that sense, where they fully understand and are aware and appreciate the same style of security and privacy that we do in our business model,” said Jeff.

Jeff told us the Edison Software team had to allocate a lot of its time to sales and operational advancement before the transition. But now, Edison Software can focus on what it does best: creating new features that boost customer satisfaction and experience.

The support from Yipit also increases Edison Software’s ability to operate with agility and accelerate development. The team plans on releasing updates to improve Edison Mail later this year.

Edison Software looks to leverage OnMail capabilities to bring features, such as snooze and send later, to its Edison Mail platform. As of now, those features have been challenging to use because consumers interact with several different providers on Edison Mail, so the Edison Software team is working to simplify that interface.

“OnMail and Edison Mail are separate applications. And they will always be separate applications. But there are some benefits that we could start to help our Edison mail consumers with the inside of Edison Mail by allowing them to benefit from some of the advantages of OnMail alongside OnMail,” said Jeff.