- 80% of respondents said email is now the most effective method for someone to contact them, yet only 19% have dedicated email archiving systems in place 

- 44% of respondents are still dependent on user inboxes or MS Exchange/Lotus Notes as an email storage method 

- 10% of respondents still resort to paper based archiving of electronic documents 

- Eden project is voted best modern architectural design in Britain 

The widespread acceptance of email as the most important business communication tool has done little to encourage Construction firms to invest in email archiving technology, according to new market research by Union Square Software. This means that many companies have little control over contractually important emails which are typically residing in user inboxes.  

Union Square Software’s findings, launched today, indicate a worrying trend amongst Construction firms to under invest in email archiving systems despite email communication being central to all areas of business operation. 

The market research survey of over 120 Managers and Directors across the construction industry found that only 19% of those surveyed could profess to be using any form of dedicated email archiving solution, and 18% admitted to their organisation relying solely on user inboxes to store email despite increasingly stringent compliance regulations.

According to Will Yandell, a director of Union Square, “This research demonstrates that a large proportion of the construction industry is failing to manage and retain contractually important email. With many contractual details now being  routinely agreed and confirmed in email messages, the pressure is on the directors of any organisation involved in the construction sector to consider carefully the legal responsibilities for looking after, and being able to produce, full email audit trails for more than a decade after an email was first sent.” 

This is in spite of an awareness amongst 93% of Managers and Directors that their organisations are forecasting revenue growth, and an acceptance amongst 85% that they are either happy or very happy with the level of investment their employer is making in IT.

Yandell continues, “It is startling to see how unquestioningly email is accepted as the most important form of communication a business has at its disposal - both internally and externally – yet businesses are either reluctant to invest in the correct management tools or are not aware they need them. In a climate where compliance and industry regulations will only become more important it is essential to raise awareness of the deficient provisions many businesses have made for their email management.”

Other findings from the market research revealed that construction firms believed the Eden project to be the best modern architectural design in Britain (51%), closely followed by the London Eye (47%), the Tate Gallery (41%), and Wembley Stadium (38%).  When asked about the Olympics, 68% of respondents believed this will have a positive impact on the United Kingdom. However, when quizzed on the impact that Gordon Brown’s government will have on the construction industry, 21% believed the new government would have no impact at all. Equally when asked to give a view on the likely success of Stephen Timms, the new construction minister, nearly a third (29%) claimed that the appointment was irrelevant as they believed it did not matter who held the post.