Email sent to wrong person

[pcstru]

Does anyone have any recommendations for proactive measures to prevent email being sent to the wrong person. So far, all I can come up with is :

 

Turn off auto complete addresses.

Create a rule to delay sending.

Stress people should check very very carefully.

 

Using exchange with a mix of Web Access and Outlook 2007, 2010 clients and access via smart phones (should that even be allowed). Appreciate human error can never be fully covered by technical or procedural means, but I just want to make sure we are doing the most we can to prevent any potentially embarrassing (or worse) slips.

Edited May 1, 2014 by pcstru
Spelling on title

[GREED]

I think the last on your list repeated again and again is key.

[pcstru]

I think the last on your list repeated again and again is key.

Yes, but that's the problem with human error - to err IS human.

 

I guess we could add in that the organisation should probably have policy in place which says how a situation where a sensitive email goes to the wrong person should be handled. What measures must be taken etc.

[Oaktech]

"To err is human, to really screw things up requires a computer"

 

Compulsory email signature something like this:

 

DISCLAIMER: This e-mail and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. Any views or opinions expressed are those of the author and do not represent the views of Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust unless otherwise explicitly stated. The information contained in this e-mail may be subject to public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Unless the Information is legally exempt from disclosure, the confidentiality of this e-mail and your reply cannot be guaranteed.

If you are not an intended recipient, and have received this message in error, please notify [email protected] immediately.

Please note that the above Trust does not enter into any form of contract by means of Internet e-mail. None of the staff of the Trust are allowed to enter into contracts on behalf of the Trust in this way. All contracts to which the Trust is party are to be documented by other means.

[Zourous]

The student at the top of the address book use to get a lot of messages intended for other people (some confidential) so we created a group called "AAA" so the messages go there instead.

 

In fact if you have a name beginning with A, like I do, it is quite a common thing that once in a while you get someone calling you from their mobile because they've pressed something by mistake, or the funny ones where you can here people talking when they don't realise they've called you.

[3s-gtech]

We took all of the students out of the address book for that reason.

[GREED]

I think you are right, mistakes do happen everyone does it. The key is have policies in place to a) mitigate it is the first place and then policies on how to deal with mistakes.

 

I had a brilliant one when I first started for Follett, I send a reply announcing myself to a few and added also a distribution group... which went to all 10000 employees and associates including the CEO... nothing like first impressions!

[webman]

I think the benefit of autocomplete for contacts outweighs any possible gains from turning it off for the minority of instances when these things happen.

 

It really is down to human error if the incorrect recipients are chosen. Making staff aware that once a message is sent, it is delivered to the recipient's mailbox almost immediately, might just remind them to double-check who they are sending it to, particularly if messages are of a sensitive nature. But then - is email the best tool for communicating those?

[xenonive]

We have two address books one for staff and one for students the auto complete only looks at the default address book so staff will only auto complete for staff but they can see students if they switch to the second address book and manually click which students they need. Students get both staff and students as default so autocomplete works well for them

[pcstru]

the auto complete only looks at the default address book

Are you sure? I'm offered addresses from people who have sent me email or to who I have sent email, they aren't even in an "address book". If there is some setting to control that, or do we mean different things by "auto complete" and "address book"?

[xenonive]

There is a tool I use which I think is called Admodify on codeplex to set which oab (offline address book) and the base dn in Active directory for auto complete to search on under the exchange tabs of the program. If you want to drop me a pm with some contact details can give you more detail when at work tomorrow as currently on train with my mobile

 

Outlook will offer addresses up for any one that you have replied or emailed before not in your global or local address book but this can be turned off too via group policy or you can clear local contact list for outlook manually or with script

Edited May 1, 2014 by xenonive

[TechMonkey]

Import staff photos to Exchange and tell staff that if they have a grey silhouette they need to check who it is. Only issue with this is that it needs support from SLT to squash anyone who decides they don't want their photo added.

[cpjitservices]

Aslong as you have some sort of legal disclaimer saying something along the lines of 'this email is confidential and is intended for the appropriate recipient' I don't think you can go too far wrong. I think you'll be covering your back bottom at least.

This doesnt stop any error of course.

[pcstru]

Aslong as you have some sort of legal disclaimer saying something along the lines of 'this email is confidential and is intended for the appropriate recipient' I don't think you can go too far wrong. I think you'll be covering your back bottom at least.

This doesnt stop any error of course.

Disclaimers don't have any particular legal authority. You can't enforce terms on someone who you are sending unsolicited email to. I think they are a good idea but I think they should be more of an apology and an appeal to reason rather than bold claims stating you MUST do this and MUST NOT do that.

[Gibson335]

It's the old woodworking rule: measure twice, cut once. I advise everyone to read a mail twice before sending, check the recipient twice before sending, also to read a received mail twice before responding...saves a lot of confusion and/or embarrassment.

 

I once sent a mail to a friend saying work was driving me mad and I was on the verge of taking everyone out with an Uzi...only I sent it to my line manager instead :-(

 

I've heeded my own advice ever since.

[dohdoho]

Does anyone have any recommendations for proactive measures to prevent email being sent to the wrong person.

 

Hi, I have a tip called SafeSend if you are in a corporate environment. It is an Outlook Add-in that asks users to confirm external recipients. Attaching a picture. Link: SafeSend - Data Loss Prevention for Outlook - Home

 

[pcstru]

Thanks. So typically how much is it per seat for :

 

1-10 users?

10-50?

50-100?

100-500?

500-1000?

1000-5000?

[jamesfed]

We've got a Mail Tip setup on all of our student accounts notifying any staff member that sends an email to that account that its a student.

 

You can also use transport rules (assuming Microsoft Exchange) to only allow users to send to specific recipients if a particular line is in the subject e.g. if sending to an external contact you must included Release Authorised in the subject.

[Marshall_IT]

We've got a Mail Tip setup on all of our student accounts notifying any staff member that sends an email to that account that its a student.

 

You can also use transport rules (assuming Microsoft Exchange) to only allow users to send to specific recipients if a particular line is in the subject e.g. if sending to an external contact you must included Release Authorised in the subject.

 

How did you set up the mail tip and do you know if it would work with office 365?

 

One problem i have is most staff emails are sent from iPads which limit a lot of the features. I guess i could enforce the use of the OWA iPad app but it's just nowhere near good enough at the moment.

[jamesfed]

How did you set up the mail tip and do you know if it would work with office 365?

 

One problem i have is most staff emails are sent from iPads which limit a lot of the features. I guess i could enforce the use of the OWA iPad app but it's just nowhere near good enough at the moment.

 

PowerShell would be one way - Configure custom MailTips for recipients: Exchange Online Help (works on on prem and Office 365).

 

As you quite rightly pointed out the iPad does lack these features (as well as pretty much every other mobile OS out there) so only real option there would be a Transport rule to say only allow send if this bit of text is in the subject (or something similar). That works regardless of the device as the processing is done on the exchange server.