How to manage email threads: best practices, examples and templates

Email threads streamline communication by organizing related messages in a single view. You can easily see all the messages in a conversation, allowing you to build relationships with prospects and nurture leads effectively.

However, email threads can easily get out of hand. Involving too many messages and people can lead to confusion or missed opportunities.

This article covers what email threads are, their benefits and disadvantages, and how to use them effectively in sales. You’ll also explore best practices and simple templates to set you up for success.

What is an email thread?

An email thread is a series of emails that records all responses to an original email message.

Here’s an example of an email thread between a sales rep and two decision-makers at a potential client company. In the first email, the sales rep follows up on a proposal:

In the second email, the client company asks for more information:

In the final email, the sales rep puts the client company in touch with someone who can answer their questions:

All recipients see the entire conversation in one location – including who sent specific emails and when.

As a result, it’s easier to nurture leads, avoid repetition and ensure communications are relevant and timely.

Is it always referred to as an email thread?

Other phrases are similar to “email thread”, although they don’t indicate a sequence of related emails, often in chronological order, under a single subject line.

Here are some common terms and their definitions:

Often, people will still use these phrases to describe email threads. Exercise caution before assuming what people mean – for example, ask employees to clarify why they’ve used any of the above terms.

You could also update team members on the definitions to ensure clarity in communication.

5 advantages of email threads

Email threads help streamline communication and keep everyone in the loop. Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why email threads are particularly useful in a sales workplace:

1. Organize related conversations. Email threads group all related messages under the same subject line or header, centralizing topic discussions in a single conversation view. Salespeople can quickly reference key details of past conversations with prospects or leads without searching through scattered emails.

2. Track context and previous communications. Threads save conversation history, ensuring everyone can see past discussions. Sales teams avoid frustrating prospects by repeating questions or proposals.

3. Reduce inbox clutter. Consolidate all related messages into one expandable view with email threads. Sales reps can quickly identify important deals without sifting through a crowded inbox.

4. Facilitate collaboration. Email threads provide team members and stakeholders with access to the same information. Keeping all replies in one place prevents communication silos and aligns teams on customer expectations, ensuring smoother collaboration.

5. Maintain a clear timeline of interactions. Threads display email sequences chronologically, making it easy to skip irrelevant emails or locate the most recent message. Reps can use this timeline to track deal follow-ups, deadlines and milestones, ensuring leads and prospects receive timely and personalized communication.

Are there any disadvantages to email threads?

Email threads can quickly get out of hand. Discussing multiple topics in a single thread and replying to the wrong people make it hard for participants to keep track of key information.

Let’s look at these challenges in more detail.

Losing track of key details

Email threads can quickly become lengthy and tricky to follow, particularly in extensive discussions with many participants. Tracking key points or decisions becomes difficult, leading to inefficiencies, delayed follow-ups and overlooked important details.

For instance, say a sales team reaches out to a potential email client, involving the client’s procurement team, legal department and IT manager.

The thread begins with a proposal from the sales rep and evolves into a complex discussion about pricing, contract terms and technical integration. They exchange over 20 replies, with each group addressing different email topics. A critical question from the client’s IT manager about integration requirements gets lost in the noise and goes unnoticed.

The delay in addressing the IT manager’s concern slows the negotiation process, causing frustration (on both sides) and potentially jeopardizing the deal.

Solutions:

• After every few replies, the sales rep can provide a brief recap of key points and action items

• Break the email conversation into distinct threads (for example, “pricing discussion” or “integration questions”) to keep the discussions focused

• Use face-to-face or virtual meetings to consolidate discussions, reduce back-and-forth email and provide a platform to clarify concerns

Struggling to keep up as a new participant

New participants will need time to catch up with long threads, particularly when joining a conversation midway through.

Imagine a solutions engineer joining an email thread to address a customer’s technical questions about integrating a software solution. The thread contains 30 emails discussing pricing, contract terms and technical concerns.

The engineer struggles to sift through the lengthy thread, overlooking key questions and preferences from the customer. Frustration and delays ensue.

Solutions:

• Provide an initial summary for new participants that highlights key points, decisions and unanswered questions in simple bullet points

• Use tags or color-coding to emphasize priority issues and key action items

• Encourage participants to summarize and recap the discussion regularly so newer participants don’t fall behind

Veering off course from the original topic

As email threads develop, it’s natural for new conversations and topics to arise. As a result, subject lines may no longer reflect the actual content of the email.

Imagine that a sales rep starts a single thread to discuss pricing. Over time, the thread evolves into a discussion about technical integration, onboarding timelines and support options.

The subject line remains the same, but the content has shifted, making it difficult for team members and customers to track relevant details.

Solutions:

• Start a new thread with a relevant subject line, referencing the original email for continuity and explaining that you’ll discuss the new topic in the latest email thread

• Ensure that all participants understand that email threads should focus on a specific topic to avoid overloading emails with unnecessary information

Overusing “reply all”

The “reply all” button lets you respond to everyone in the email thread. However, replying to everyone isn’t always necessary and can overwhelm participants.

Team members in the thread get notifications with every email, which clutters their inboxes and makes it harder to prioritize critical tasks.

“Reply all” can also result in sharing sensitive information with unintended recipients. For example, instead of sending private information to the HR manager (like someone’s personal phone number or salary information), you accidentally share this information with the entire email thread.

Solution:

Before you hit “reply all”, ask yourself the following questions:

• Does everyone in the email thread need to hear this information?

• Can you reply directly to one person instead of everyone?

• Is everyone “allowed” to see this response?

Answering these questions will help you send emails to the right people. Take a look at these handy reply tips:

3 best practices for using email threads effectively

Although email threads have their challenges, there are best practices you can follow to mitigate hurdles and manage them better.

For example, it helps to know when it’s the right time to use an email thread and whether email threads are the best communication method for your colleagues.

Let’s explore these best practices in more detail.

1. Know when to start an email thread

Sometimes, more effective communication methods exist than email threads. For instance, consider a sales team creating a sales pitch for a new client.

The email thread grows to 25 messages, with team members suggesting ideas, critiquing suggestions and debating pricing structures. The conversation becomes fragmented, and some vital ideas may be overlooked.

A face-to-face or virtual meeting would be a better choice in this case.

Here are a couple of situations where an email thread may be useful.

To discuss a new topic or subject that’s unrelated to the current conversation

Imagine you’re in an email thread with colleagues when a new topic emerges. Creating a new email thread could be a good course of action. Focusing each thread on a single topic makes it easier for recipients to follow, ensuring they don’t miss key information.

Here’s an example:

Creating a new thread also helps recipients locate discussions about a particular topic without sifting through unrelated details, saving them time.

To keep a team or group updated about a project or event

A new email thread provides immediate context, letting team members know exactly what’s happening with a specific project or event. With this new conversation thread, updates are easier to identify.

Here’s an example of how the first update email might look:

This email thread also consolidates updates in one place, making it easier for the group to review progress, reference previous updates and stay aligned.

2. Determine if email threads are right for your audience

Email threads are ideal for some demographics but not for others.

Think about younger professionals as an example. They’ve grown up with faster, more dynamic tools at their fingertips – like messaging apps or collaborative platforms. For this demographic, lengthy email threads can feel inefficient and overwhelming.

Take the IT firm Wipro as an example. Thierry Delaporte, chief executive, says he uses Instagram and LinkedIn to talk to staff:

In the same article, Farhad Divecha (owner and managing director of the digital marketing agency Accuracast) says that instant communication platforms are better platforms for keeping in touch with younger employees:

There is also a certain “email etiquette” within threads that young people entering the workforce need to learn.

For example, one must ensure that email threads follow the same topic of conversation. Struggling to identify these “rules” can lead to stress during an already stressful time (working in their first professional role).

There are a couple of ways to use the proper method of communication for your audience.

The first is to understand their ideal communication methods. Identify recipient demographics and research studies that indicate which forms of communication they prefer. Reliable sources like Statista, for instance, show that millennials prefer email communication (79%) considerably more than Gen Z (57%).

The second is to offer an alternative method of communication when sending your first email. Here’s how that email message might look:

3. Use automation to streamline email thread management

Automation maintains consistency when managing email threads, ensuring you don’t miss opportunities. For instance, if a prospect doesn’t reply to an initial email, you can schedule an automated follow-up email to keep the conversation active without manual intervention.

Here’s how that email thread might look:

By automating this follow-up, sales reps can spend more time on other tasks, such as qualifying leads and closing deals.

You can use email marketing software to automate parts of your email thread. With Pipedrive’s Campaigns feature, for example, you can create triggers based on changes to your Pipedrive data (for instance, if a deal moves to a specific stage in your sales pipeline).

Manage email threads with ease in Pipedrive

Pipedrive’s sales CRM can support and centralize your email thread management – from starting new email threads with outbound prospects to closing deals with qualified leads.

Here’s how different Pipedrive tools can help you build and manage your email threads with ease:

• Integrate your email account with email sync (available on Advanced and higher pricing plans). Any emails sent and received through your email account will automatically appear in your dashboard. Pipedrive determines which contacts, leads and deals your email conversations belong to based on the recipient’s email address.

• Use Smart Bcc to manually import email threads from your email inbox (like Gmail or Microsoft Outlook) into your Pipedrive CRM inbox. Then, you can link the thread to any relevant deals, leads, projects or contacts in your Pipedrive account.

• Create emails directly in the CRM with the intuitive email builder (pictured above). Choose from a range of email templates, using the drag-and-drop blocks to rearrange the layout to create your own custom templates.

• Get email notifications and updates from the AI Sales Assistant. Track email opens, monitor discussions and receive recommendations on the next steps to nurture leads and finalize deals.

Find out more about tracking and managing emails with Pipedrive.

Email thread FAQs

Final thoughts

Email threads are an effective way to streamline communication around a specific topic. They keep everyone in the loop, centralize key information and ensure all participants are part of the conversation.

By following best practices and using the right software, you can overcome the everyday challenges of email threads. Pipedrive’s email features help you monitor your threads closely, ensure they stay on topic, automate replies for timely follow-ups and spot key opportunities to nurture leads and close deals.

Sign up for a free 14-day Pipedrive trial to see how the tool supports your email processes and sales activities.