Don't confuse clients about who you are

We regularly deal with clients who have large businesses and websites that go with these businesses, but then we find that they use third-party email addresses such as Gmail, Outlook, and others. This just does not look good. Here are some reasons why you need a proper email address.

Solutions for email gremlins

1. You already have the domain – for example www.andriesoberholzer.com. The hosting option will accommodate email addresses for this name, for example contact@andriesoberholzer.com.

2. It looks more professional – this email address just looks so much more professional and it forms part of your branding. It is also easier for clients to remember, for example contact@andriesoberholzer.com, than firstname.lastname3675@thirdpartydomain.com.

3. Employees come and go – if your employees use private addresses, such as myname@gmail.com, and they leave, who takes care of the incoming email that still goes to this address? If the employee leaves you on bad terms, they can misuse their own email address and cause damage to your business. This is an issue we often come across when we deal with new clients.

4. The address belongs to the individual, not the business – remember that the third-party email address belongs to an individual, not the business, and claiming it after the demise (possibly death) of the employee, based on the grounds that it was used for business, is going to be a futile effort.

5. Free accounts carry hidden risk – third-party email accounts are free but they also carry risks. Clients will wonder how your business operates if you cannot afford to pay for a domain-based address. In addition, many service providers are starting to block certain email addresses because of spam generated. There is a saying in industry circles: If the product is free, you are the product. Nothing is free and you are essentially owned.

6. Your IT support cannot manage what it does not control – the web developer, or whoever maintains your Information Technology infrastructure, has access to the web server as well as the various email addresses, so that they can maintain them for you. This is not the case with private addresses.

7. Rather use job titles than first names – lastly, we would advise against using first names for email addresses, such as joe@andriesoberholzer.com. Let us assume Joe is the financial manager for our business. What happens if Joe passes away and Mary takes over his position? Does Mary really want to use the email address named joe@andriesoberholzer.com? Rather create addresses that are specific to the job title, such as finance@andriesoberholzer.com. Should Joe pass on and Mary take over, the current address can be used without interruption and confusion.

What to Do When Your Employees Are Still Using Private Email Addresses

We suggest that, where possible, the owner of a private address should add a forwarder on their own address to a proper domain-based address so that mail can be forwarded to the appropriate mailbox. Then, reply to the original sender, informing them that the third-party address should not be used anymore but the domain address instead. This can work, but still, if an employee leaves your company with official email going to their private address, you are lining up yourself for a technical headache. Do not delay. Deal with this issue today.

You Do Not Have to Use Outlook

Once you have a proper domain-based address, you still need a program to read it. Many people assume that program has to be Outlook, but a growing share of the email support calls we receive are Outlook problems rather than email problems. We cover the most common ones in Common Email Problems and How to Fix Them. Your domain email works with any standard mail program, so if Outlook is giving you grief, these free alternatives are worth a look:

1. Thunderbird (Windows, Mac, and Linux) – a free, open-source mail program from Mozilla, the organisation behind the Firefox browser. It connects directly to your mail server instead of routing your mail through someone else's cloud, handles several accounts side by side without one stuck account holding up the others, and includes a built-in calendar. Type in your name, address, and password, and in most cases it finds the correct server settings for you. There is also a Thunderbird app for Android phones.

2. Apple Mail (Mac, iPhone, and iPad) – if you use a Mac, you already have an excellent mail program. Apple Mail comes with every Mac, iPhone and iPad, costs nothing extra, and works very well with domain-based addresses. Set up your account the same way on each of your Apple devices and your mail, folders, and sent items stay in step everywhere. Apple Mail works extremely well for us and it forms the backbone of our communication strategy.

Whichever program you choose, set your account up as IMAP, not POP. IMAP keeps your mail on the server, so every device shows the same inbox, and nothing is lost when a laptop breaks or is stolen. To be fair to Outlook, if your business runs on Microsoft 365 with shared calendars and Teams, it is still the natural fit. But for a business mailbox on your own domain, you have a choice, and sometimes the simpler program is the better one.

If this is your situation and you need assistance, contact us.