In the past, most people used personal email accounts for business purposes. However, with newer technologies and ways of communicating online, it is become more important than ever to have a separate business email account.
But why?
Is it worth it?
In this blog post, we will talk about 14 benefits of using a business email address.
What is a business email account?
A business email account is an email address that is used for professional correspondence. A business email address typically includes a company name, and it is used to communicate with customers, clients, and other businesses.
For example, a business email address might be something like [email protected], or [email protected]. Having a separate email address for your business can help you keep your personal and professional correspondence separate.
Business email address vs personal email address
A professional email address is typically a variation of your name, while a personal email address can be anything you want.
For example, if your name was John Smith, a professional email might be [email protected] or [email protected], whereas a personal email could be anything from [email protected] to [email protected].
To shed light on why the former is better for business purposes, let us look at some of its benefits.
Benefit #1: Professionalism
A business email account lends an air of professionalism to your correspondence. This can be important when trying to build relationships with other businesses or customers.
It shows that you are serious about your business and are committed to maintaining a professional appearance.
A business email can also be helpful in achieving your business goals.
You see, by keeping your correspondence separate from your personal email, you can more easily stay organized and focused on your work. This can help you be more productive and efficient in achieving your goals.
And that is why a professional email account is a valuable tool for any serious entrepreneur. It helps create a professional image and can make it easier to stay organized and focused on your work.
If you are not already using a business email account, it may be time to consider making the switch, especially if your business relies on appearing professional and competent to customers or clients.
Benefit #2: Credibility
An email address that uses your business name, such as [email protected], shows customers and clients that you’re a professional organization. This increases the credibility of both you and your company in their eyes.
How does it help?
When people see a professional email address they are more likely to trust you and your business. This can lead to more customers and clients, as well as repeat business from existing ones.
Imagine getting an email from a Gmail.com or Yahoo.com account vs a professional one; which would you be more likely to respond to?
First, the former appears more spammy, and less credible. Second, the latter looks more legitimate, which can encourage people to either do business with you or at least respond to your email.
Benefit #3: Security
Email is a vital part of business communication, and using a professional email account can offer several benefits for businesses.
For one, providers of professional email accounts typically have measures in place to help protect against common threats facing businesses, such as malware and phishing attacks.
When you use a professional email account, you can be confident that your messages are less likely to be intercepted by third parties or end up in spam folders. This increases the chances that your intended recipients will actually receive and read your messages.
At the same time, your recipients can rest easy since they can see clearly that the email is coming from a credible source. This builds trust and can encourage them to do business with you.
Benefit #4: Customization
Another benefit of using a professional email account is that it allows you to customize your messages to better reflect your brand identity.
For example, many providers offer customizable templates that let you add your company logo, colors, and other branding elements to your emails.
You can also use custom domain names with most professional email accounts, which further helps distinguish your correspondence from others’.
See, customizing your emails makes them more recognizable and therefore increases the likelihood that recipients will open them.
It also reinforces your brand identity every time someone sees one of your messages in their inbox.
As a result, people are more likely to remember who you are and what you do when they need products or services like yours down the road.
Benefit #5: Branding and marketing
Talking about branding, using a professional email account can also be a great way to promote your brand and market your business.
For example, you can include links to your website or social media pages in your signature line so that people who receive your messages can easily learn more about your company.
You can also use your professional email account to send out marketing messages and newsletters to customers and clients. This is a great way to keep them updated on what’s new with your business, as well as any special offers or discounts you may be running.
Above all, your email address carries the domain name of your company, which helps people remember who you are. In fact, research has shown that including a domain name in an email address can increase click-through rates by up to 45%.
Benefit #6: Customer service
Another big benefit of using a business email account is that you can usually count on getting better customer support from your provider.
Well, this is important because if something goes wrong with your email, you’ll want to be able to reach someone who can help you fix the problem quickly.
With a free email account, you might have to wait days or even weeks for a response from customer service. But with a professional account, you can typically expect much faster turnaround times.
In many cases, providers of professional email accounts offer 24/7 support so that someone is always available to assist you when needed.
Benefit #7: Collaboration and productivity
Another big benefit of using a professional email account is that it can help improve collaboration and productivity within your business.
For example, most providers offer features like shared calendars, task lists, and contact groups that let multiple users work together on projects more effectively.
Some professional email accounts also come with file storage capabilities, which lets you share documents and other files with colleagues easily. This can be a real time-saver when everyone needs to access the same information but doesn’t have it stored locally on their own computer or device.
In addition, many professional email accounts include mobile apps that let you stay connected even when you’re away from your desk. This way, you can easily check messages and respond to them no matter where you are.
Benefit #8: Access from anywhere
With a business email account, you can usually check your messages from anywhere. This is because most providers offer web-based access to their services, which lets you log in and view your inbox from any internet-connected computer or device.
In addition, many professional email accounts come with mobile apps that let you stay connected even when you’re away from your desk. This way, you can easily check messages and respond to them no matter where you are.
Being able to access your email wherever you are can be a huge time-saver, as it allows you to quickly take care of important correspondence without having to wait until you’re back at the office.
Benefit #9: Greater storage capacity
Another big benefit of using a professional business email service is that you’ll usually have more storage space than what’s offered with a free account. This is important because it means you won’t have to delete messages as often, which can save you time in the long run.
In addition, having more storage space lets you archive older messages so that they’re still accessible if you need to reference them at some point. This can be helpful for things like keeping track of customer orders or project deadlines.
Depending on your needs, some professional email accounts offer unlimited storage while others provide several gigabytes (GB) of space — typically much more than what’s included with a free account.
Benefit #10: Backup and Archiving options.
When you’re using a business email account, your messages are stored on the company servers. This means that if something happens to your computer or phone (or heaven forbid – both), all of your emails will still be there and intact when you log back in from another device.
Sadly, it is hard to appreciate the role of backups until a loss occurs. Some individuals and businesses never realize the importance of backing up their data until it is too late.
Businesses are legally bound to keep records of customer communications for a certain period of time. Depending on the country and industry, this can be anything from 3 to 10 years.
Email servers usually have built-in options for emails to be archived automatically. This means that even if you accidentally delete an email, it can still be recovered from the server at a later stage.
Benefit #11: Ads-free experience.
If you’ve used Gmail, Outlook, or any other free email service provider, you know that ads are a part of the package. However, when you use a business email account, there are no advertisements in your inbox – just your messages.
The reason why these free services can afford to give you a free email address is that they sell ad space in your inbox. By using a business account, you eliminate the ads and get a clean interface that’s focused on just your messages.
Benefit #12: Easy-to-use interface.
When you use a business email account, the interface is designed to be simple and easy to use. This means that you can quickly find the messages you’re looking for without any clutter getting in the way.
Free email providers often stuff your inbox with ads which makes it more difficult to find what you need.
Benefit #13: Email Alias.
If you don’t know what this is, an email alias is basically a second (or third, or fourth…) email address that you can use with your business account. This comes in handy if you want to sign up for newsletters or other services without giving away your primary email address.
You can easily set up an alias and have all messages forwarded to your main inbox – this way, you can keep your primary email address private and only give it out to people who need to contact you directly.
For example, you could have the alias “[email protected]” and use it to sign up for newsletters. Then, all messages sent to that address will be forwarded to your primary inbox but they’ll be sorted into a separate folder so you can easily skim through them later.
Benefit #14: Shared Contacts.
If you’re using a business email account, chances are that you’re not the only one who needs to access your company’s contact lists. With a shared contacts feature, you can easily give other people in your company access to the same contact lists that you have. This way, everyone is on the same page and there’s no need to keep sending each other updated versions of the list.
Read also: 14 Business Email Hacks To Make Your Life Easier.
What to look at when buying business email hosting?
When it comes to email hosting in the UK, there are a few things you should take into consideration before making your purchase.
In a nutshell, first, you’ll need to decide how much storage space you’ll need. Then, you’ll need to determine which features are most important to you and your business.
Lastly, you’ll need to compare prices and options from a few different providers before making your final decision.
a). Look at the simplicity
When you are in the market for email hosting in the UK, there are a few key features you should look for to ensure you are getting the best possible service.
First, you want a provider that gives you complete control over the settings of your email. This includes things like spam filters and mailbox sizes.
And considering you are not a tech wiz, you also want a user interface that is simple and easy to use. Too many bells and whistles can just complicate things and make it harder to get your work done.
b). Consider support
When it comes to email hosting, consider support as one of your main priorities. After all, if something goes wrong with your email account, you’ll need someone to help you sort it out.
Look for an email hosting provider in the UK that offers 24/7 support via phone and live chat. That way, no matter what time of day or night it is, you’ll always be able to get the help you need.
c). Flexibility and migration
If your needs change or you decide to migrate to another email service in the future, you want to be sure that your email hosting provider can accommodate those changes.
Most email hosting providers offer some form of migration assistance, but it’s always a good idea to check beforehand to see what kind of support they offer and what restrictions there may be.
Some providers may only support migrating from certain types of email accounts, or they may charge a fee for their assistance.
In general, it’s best to choose an email hosting provider that offers as much flexibility as possible, so that you’re not locked into any one particular service.
By doing your research upfront, you can avoid any headaches down the road if your needs happen to change.
Conclusion
The bottom line is that there are many good reasons to use a professional email account for your business. From increasing credibility and security to improving collaboration and productivity, the benefits can be significant.
So if you’re not already using one, now might be the time to make the switch.