Email is Critical All the Time
Email is NOT the place to try to save money
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 for 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?
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. |
