Communication has been revolutionised thanks to electronic mail, which has become an essential tool for business.
Fast, cheap and simple to use, it enables us to work more closely with customers and suppliers, and bridges physical distances and time differences, enabling us to communicate day or night at the click of a few keys.
If you are adding email accounts to your website, or thinking of changing provider, consider the following points.
Most companies offer email forwarding and this service is often free when you register a domain name with companies such as 123-reg or Namesco
If you have an existing email account and change providers, you can reset forwarding from the old address to the new.
The disadvantage of POP is that if you use two different computers, perhaps one at the office and one at home or a laptop, your email will download only to one of these.
Even with web mail, POP accounts only allow you to access new messages, not old ones previously downloaded.
IMAP 4 (Internet Message Access Protocol) The big plus of this type account is that your emails remain on the server so you can work on the same emails from different computers.
The big disadvantage is that you have to be online to access your emails.
Web mail Google and AOL offer web mail services, which are accessed via a website-based account. This is a cost-effective option if you are on the move and need to read, send and receive your mail at different locations. Web mail can be tapped into from any computer linked to the Internet. You don’t need an email programme to work on/access your messages.
These accounts don’t look quite as professional unless you can use your own domain. Granite 5 offers POP, IMAP accounts and web mail accounts for clients.
Thunderbird This can be downloaded for free. Fans say it is more robust, more secure and faster to update. It also comes with a built-in spam filter. It offers alternatives for displaying and storing your mail and allows you to tag messages.
Apple Mail If you use a Mac, this comes as standard and is purpose built for Apple computers.
If you are a registered company, it’s a legal requirement to put your registration details on all electronic communications following an update to the Companies Act 1985. So add your place of registration, number and address of the registered office onto the signature at the bottom of every email.
Granite 5 offers two ways to tackle unwanted mail. A paid-for facility such as Profilter. This takes your mail and cleans it before delivering to your inbox. Profilter subjects messages to around 5,000 different checks and costs from £2.15 a month, depending on the number of users.
SpamPal
This sits between your email programme and inbox and checks your messages as you retrieve them. Suspect messages are tagged with a special header and put into a separate folder.
SpamPal is for Windows-based machines with POP3, IMAP4 and Outlook accounts. It won’t work with AOL, Hotmail or Yahoo.
Fast, cheap and simple to use, it enables us to work more closely with customers and suppliers, and bridges physical distances and time differences, enabling us to communicate day or night at the click of a few keys.
If you are adding email accounts to your website, or thinking of changing provider, consider the following points.
Use your domain name
Always try to use your own domain name in the email address. This looks more professional and, if you do change providers in the future, you won’t have to reprint stationery.Most companies offer email forwarding and this service is often free when you register a domain name with companies such as 123-reg or Namesco
If you have an existing email account and change providers, you can reset forwarding from the old address to the new.
Types of email account
POP3 (stands for Post Office Protocol) is the most common. It’s the simplest to set up and use. It downloads your mail on to the computer you are using and stays there until you delete it. With a POP account, you don’t need to be online to work on your emails.The disadvantage of POP is that if you use two different computers, perhaps one at the office and one at home or a laptop, your email will download only to one of these.
Even with web mail, POP accounts only allow you to access new messages, not old ones previously downloaded.
IMAP 4 (Internet Message Access Protocol) The big plus of this type account is that your emails remain on the server so you can work on the same emails from different computers.
The big disadvantage is that you have to be online to access your emails.
Web mail Google and AOL offer web mail services, which are accessed via a website-based account. This is a cost-effective option if you are on the move and need to read, send and receive your mail at different locations. Web mail can be tapped into from any computer linked to the Internet. You don’t need an email programme to work on/access your messages.
These accounts don’t look quite as professional unless you can use your own domain. Granite 5 offers POP, IMAP accounts and web mail accounts for clients.
Email software
Outlook/Outlook Express/Windows Mail This tends to come pre-loaded onto most PCs and integrates with other programmes such as ACT and Sage CRM software. The new version, with Vista, is called Windows Mail.Thunderbird This can be downloaded for free. Fans say it is more robust, more secure and faster to update. It also comes with a built-in spam filter. It offers alternatives for displaying and storing your mail and allows you to tag messages.
Apple Mail If you use a Mac, this comes as standard and is purpose built for Apple computers.
Holiday Message facility
Always try and use this. If people email you and you’re out of the office or away on holiday, email can be redirected if urgent.Signatures
If you’re a limited company, you should be using these. Signatures are a great idea, allowing you to add company contact details, perhaps a sales strap line and relevant business numbers.If you are a registered company, it’s a legal requirement to put your registration details on all electronic communications following an update to the Companies Act 1985. So add your place of registration, number and address of the registered office onto the signature at the bottom of every email.
Spam: the bane of our lives!
Spam is the big downside of email. If you have an email address on a website, SPAM can become a problem as robots trawl for addresses.Granite 5 offers two ways to tackle unwanted mail. A paid-for facility such as Profilter. This takes your mail and cleans it before delivering to your inbox. Profilter subjects messages to around 5,000 different checks and costs from £2.15 a month, depending on the number of users.
SpamPal
This sits between your email programme and inbox and checks your messages as you retrieve them. Suspect messages are tagged with a special header and put into a separate folder.
SpamPal is for Windows-based machines with POP3, IMAP4 and Outlook accounts. It won’t work with AOL, Hotmail or Yahoo.
