To be honest the easiest thing to do in my opinion would be to pin whatever mail program you want to use to the Taskbar. Then you will always have an icon on your taskbar for launching your mail program. What type of mail are you talking about? Are you talking about Outlook? Here are instructions on how do do so:
Pin an app to the taskbar
You can pin an app directly to the taskbar for quick and easy access.
Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search. (If
you're using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen,
move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search.) In the search
box, enter the name of the app you want to pin. Then, on the search
results page, tap or click the app to open it on the desktop.
On the desktop, press and hold or right-click the app's button on the
taskbar to open the app’s Jump List (a list of shortcuts to recently
opened files, folders, and websites), and then tap or click Pin this
program to taskbar.
Pin an app to the taskbar for easy access.
Here are some other detailed insctructions:
Find and start Office applications in Windows 8 or Windows RT
Office applications like Excel or Word have tiles pinned to the Start
screen by default. To start the application, tap or click the tile. If
you can’t see it, swipe from right to left to see more tiles.
Here are some other ways you can start an Office application in
Windows 8 or Windows RT:
From All apps With touch, swipe up from the bottom edge or down from
the top edge and then tap All apps. To start the Office application,
find and tap its tile.
With a mouse, right-click an empty area of the Start screen and click
All apps. To start the Office application, find and click its tile.
From the Search charm With touch, swipe in from the right edge of the
screen, and then tap Search. Type the Office application name and tap
it in the results on the left.
With a mouse, move your pointer to the upper-right or lower-right
corner, and then click Search. Type the Office application name and
click it in the results on the left.
From the taskbar on the Desktop If you don’t want to switch between
the Start screen and the Desktop to start Office applications, you can
pin shortcuts to your taskbar. To do this:
With touch, find the Office application tile on the Start screen and
swipe down the tile to select it. Tap Pin to taskbar.
With a mouse, right-click the Office application tile, and then click
Pin to taskbar.
An icon for the application should now appear in the taskbar on the
Desktop.
Sources:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/find-and-start-office-applications-in-windows-8-or-windows-rt-HA103581103.aspx
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/use-the-taskbar
Also if you want to get rid of the Windows 8 look/fell entirely and go back to a Windows 7 UI follow these directions:
Use Classic Shell. You can choose between Classic (Windows 2000), XP, or Windows 7 themes. This will change the Start Menu, Explorer, and Internet Explorer 9. To disable the Metro lock screen, hit Windows key + R and enter gpedit.msc. Go to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Control Panel -> Personalization and double-click on "Do not display the lock screen" in the right pane. Select "Enabled," then click "Apply" and reboot. Now type Task Scheduler into the start menu. Click "Create Task" in the Actions pane. Type a name and select "Windows 8" in the "Configure for" drop-down menu. Click the "Triggers" tab and select "New." In the dialog, select "On a schedule" from the "Begin the task" drop-down. Click "OK" and select the "Actions" tab. Once again, select "New." In Program/script, type C:\Windows\explorer.exe. Click "OK." Now if you are on a laptop, click the "Conditions" tab and deselect "Start the task only if the computer is on AC power" item. Click "OK" and the task will be created. Now reboot and you will see your complete new Windows 7 UI!
source: Get Windows 8 to Look Like Windows 7
Or here is another related post:
In Windows 8 (from the Consumer Preview up to the final release), there is no known way built-in to disable the new "Modern" UI.
If you feel comfortable using third-party programs and hacks to get rid of (or minimize the use of) Modern UI, you can try:
Start8, which will give you a start menu (you can choose between a Windows 7-style start menu or a Modern start menu) and allow you to bypass the Modern UI Start Screen altogether, but it won't altogether disable Modern UI, since you'll still be able to access the charms bar and the Modern UI task switcher.
You can use this Classic Shell skin to get a close-enough replica of the Windows 7 Start Menu. This will not disable any part of Modern UI, nor will it boot you directly into the Desktop, but it will give you a Windows 7-style start button and menu.
If you would like to do away completely with Modern UI, you can use this trick, which allows you to use the Windows 7 shell (explorer.exe) in place of the Windows 8 shell. This option will send you right back to the Windows 7 experience, but remember to read the "please read" section of that post to know just what you're getting yourself into.
You can use the Group Policy editor to disable the new lock screen. This won't let you use the Windows 7 or XP login screens, but it will allow you to skip the lock ("drag up to unlock") screen, and be sent straight to the screen where you enter your password.
source: How do I turn off Modern UI and get the old Start Menu back in Windows 8?