Email is Critical All the Time

GO WITH THE BEST EMAIL SERVICE YOU CAN AFFORD

Whenever we talk with a potential client we always begin with a thorough discussion about email. What is more important, a Web site or Email? From our perspective I would say Email. Email forms the foundation of a company. A company with a solid email plan, where everyone has their own email box (and knows how to use it), is making effective use of the Internet. Email is critical in today's business world. You can't get along without it, regardless of your field.

Of all the web has to offer, email is a big factor (perhaps 60 percent). Email is the lifeline of many companies. Businesses traditionally slow to embrace new technology are absolutely dependent on email. We know - we host email. The phone and fax has been overtaken by email. Email cuts the clutter and gets through every time. When you think Internet, think Email. The two are practically synonymous.

What constitutes a good email service?

Troubleshooting - Email is difficult and getting more so all the time. Spam protection abounds and your email getting to your customer is no longer a perfunctory matter. Maybe they've instituted tough antispam measures. Maybe you've been blacklisted. There are dozens of possible scenarios. In today's world you need an experienced email administrator you can call to diagnose tough problems. Will your ISP work with your client's email administrator to see to it your email gets though? No? Better rethink your service and find someone who will.

Reliability - An email service must be up and running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Interruptions, no matter how brief, are not acceptable.

A Good Scheme - An email includes a domain name (preferably one that matches your business name) and all employees must have boxes. So_and_so@yahoo.com (msn.com, sbc.com, aol.com) is not acceptable. Any Internet savvy individual knows this is a free box that has nothing to do with your company. This is not the image you want to portray.

Large mailboxes - Small boxes (under 10 megabytes) fill up easily and cannot accept large attachments. When your mailbox fills up bad things happens. Your prospects get a "mailbox full" rejection - not the message you want to send. And you don't get the email, meaning you don't make the sale.

An Email provider that will troubleshoot your machine - As a provider, the easy part is to run a working mail server. The hard part is to make sure the mail gets delivered into someone's box. We routinely work with people and stay on the phone until we've verified they can send and receive email.

An Optional Web Based System to get your email at home or on the road - You can't always be in your office to get your mail. And if you get it from home you run the risk of downloading all your mail so it won't be there when you return to the office. A Web Client (shown below) is essential to get your mail when you travel. You get your email anywhere and still have it available when you return to the office.

Email is like oxygen, you don't miss until it's not there. We are email hosting specialists. Many Internet providers shy away from Email hosting because they know how difficult (and time consuming) it is. We embrace it. We know there is no Internet without email!