Lotus Notes

I have just started working somewhere new. They use Lotus Notes as an e-mail solution instead of Microsoft’s ubiquitous Outlook.

It has some novel customer focused features:

1. E-mail addresses often contain random X Y or Z middle initials. Users can have multiple addresses with these random initials in. This helps confuse senders.

2. Large files are batched up and sent overnight. This allows users to re-live the experience of using stamps and envelopes.

3. Really large files are not sent. A handy note pops up the following day asking if you really meant to send the file. Very helpful for users who don’t know what send means.

4. It has an out of office feature that tells you people are out of the office approximately 4 hours after you sent an E-mail. This allows users to think that urgent issues are being addressed when they aren’t so providing a reassuring feeling of security.

All of which begs the question why did a group of highly skilled IT and purchasing professionals choose it.

I hope Lotus / IBM are paying us (a lot) to use it.

Image by Alexander Kluge