The Features You MUST Check Your Email Software Incorporates Before Engaging a New Provider for Your Small Business
If you’re in the process of getting a small business up and running, then it’ll feel like you have a million things to sort out right now. While choosing email software for your enterprise may not seem like the paramount task of all, it can actually play a huge role in the ease – or otherwise – of your business’s day-to-day operations.
It’s worth taking some time to consider carefully and compare your options when it comes to email software. There are several elements that it’s vital a provider incorporates, no matter what type of small business you run, and we run through these below.
Security
First up: security. You need to ensure that your email platform is as secure as possible to keep both your business data and the details of your customers safe. End-to-end encryption should be deployed by the provider as standard. This process means that all data sent to and from the server is encrypted, so even in the case that hackers intercept it, it’ll be unreadable. ProtonMail and Tutanota are a couple of examples of email software that regularly conducts audits on its encryption and other security processes to ensure they’re as robust as possible.
Scalability
If you have plans for your small business to one day develop into a larger enterprise, then the email software or service you choose now needs to be scalable in order to grow with the needs of your business. To this end, find out whether there are membership tiers you can upgrade to when the time comes that’ll allow you to, for example, add additional inboxes and get access to more advanced features and tools. Ensuring this before committing to a provider could save you the hassle of switching services in the future if you find your business outgrows its existing software.
Tools and Features
To hit the ground running with your small business, your team needs to have access to the digital tools they need to work productively – and, therefore, profitably! For remote and hybrid teams especially, this means choosing email software that incorporates plenty of collaborative tools, such as email chat, video conferencing, and the facility to work together on documents remotely in real time. Schedule send, snooze, priority inboxes, and effective filtering tools are also features that you may want to look out for in any email software you’re considering.
Ease of Integration
Some email providers are designed to work seamlessly with other digital tools that your small business may use, such as calendars, to-do lists, or project management software. This can make a real difference to day-to-day productivity, and so is an important consideration when choosing a service.
Storage Limits
Before signing your small business up for a plan, you need to check the email provider’s storage limits to be sure they’ll meet your needs. If you reach your limit, not only will you be unable to store any more messages, you’ll likely run into problems in both sending and receiving new messages. To save yourself the hassle of having to frantically go through your inbox on a mass deleting spree on a regular basis, check that the email software has a sufficient storage limit.
Spam Filter
A spam filter is a must-have feature for any business email software: as well as preventing your inbox from getting clogged up with junk messages; it’ll also put your enterprise less at risk of a cyber-attack. Malicious spam messages can look deceptively authentic, and before you know it, you’ve clicked on a link within the message, and a virus has gained access to your device. Choose an email provider with a robust, reliable spam filter to remove these messages automatically.
Customer Service
As a new business, it’s crucial that you build your customer base by providing consistently positive customer experiences. This means that if there’s a problem with your messaging service, it needs to be fixed promptly to prevent, for example, potential new clients from being unable to get through to you. It’s vital to ensure that the email platform you choose has a high level of customer service and that this team can be contacted in a variety of ways – and on a 24/7 basis if required.
The Importance of Choosing the Best Email Software for Your Small Business
As the owner of a small business, you need maximum value for money from your email software, which is why it’s vital to choose the service that’ll effectively give you the most bang for your buck. Think carefully about the ways that your messaging platform can support the rest of your business’s processes, and use the guide above as a checklist to choose the best option for your needs.
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