How Do I Use Email to Organize My Business?
Your business’s branded email is more than just a communication tool. It can help you stay organized, project your brand’s image, and manage client relationships more effectively. Using different email addresses to separate operational categories like general customer service, billing questions, and marketing helps you reap all of these benefits and more. Let’s explore how this approach can improve efficiency and productivity.
benefits of using multiple email accounts
Creating and effectively using multiple email addresses (that is, multiple email aliases attached to your company’s branded domain name) can lead to some immediate benefits. Businesses of any scale can see boosts in productivity across the board and more efficient task handling with this strategy, but some of the most impactful benefits are:
Organization
Using different email inboxes to separate functions within your company gives yourself and and your teammates dedicated spaces to handle specific tasks. Think of each inbox you establish as a separate building where certain tasks, inquiry types, and chores reside. Now compare that to one giant warehouse with all of your responsibilities overlapping each other and important conversations being buried. Separate inboxes help to prevent this chaos, allowing you to see what you need when you need to see it.
Uninterrupted workflow
When all hands are required on deck to handle critical tasks like pricing updates, you don’t want that same team to be pulled away to handle less pressing marketing questions. Let your experts focus on their area of expertise and block out unnecessary distractions. This way, the high-priority projects are handled seamlessly.
Scalability and continuity
Right now, you may be the only one working in your company, but as you bring on other employees, you can hand off specific inboxes without interrupting your organization and customer experience. If your staffing changes, there is no need to create new personalized email addresses, you can simply provide the same, categorized email address to the new employee without ever worrying that client correspondence was lost in a switch.
Professional perception.
Not only do multiple email addresses at your personalized domain help you stay organized, they also makes your communication appear more professional and credible. A consistent brand image in your conversations with clients signals reliability and stable structure. While it might seem subtle at first, your communications with clients leave a lasting impression right from the start. This leads to more return business, better word-of-mouth marketing, and an easier time gaining the trust of future clients and partners.
Business category email addresses
Most of our clients will use email to split up different functions of their business, either by department or by the nature of the tasks being handled. Through our experience helping new businesses grow and working directly with business owners, we’ve seen some creative uses for separate email aliases. That being said, some common examples stand out:
Administrative email addresses – This is likely the first email address you’ll start with. An administrative email (like [email protected]) used primarily for internal communication can set a great foundation for your operations.
Customer service email addresses – A customer service email is one of the classics. While the exact wording can vary by company ([email protected], [email protected], etc.), an email your clients will recognize as coming from your general support team is a must-have. Even if you’re the sole owner and operator, this displays a more professional appearance to potential and existing customers.
Billing email addresses – A billing inbox isn’t just for large organizations. Keep conversations about money in one space so you can manage your revenue efficiently and respect client billing concerns quickly. You can also link this email your POS system, so that notifications coming from that system are easy to keep tabs on. Some popular formats for this address include [email protected] and [email protected].
Marketing email addresses – If your business will rely heavily on collaboration with brands and other companies, a marketing email is perfect for communicating to those parties that you mean business. You can even create separate email aliases for sponsors versus marketing affiliates. Try examples like [email protected] or [email protected] if you need to get ideas flowing.
Individual email addresses – Another option to consider would be personal emails (like [email protected]) for key team members. These email aliases, which are customized to represent one human, could be created for individuals who handle unique tasks within the company. This could also be a secret weapon for clients who need some one-on-one attention.
Newsletters and notifications – Some pros set up a specific inbox exclusively to receive automated types communication. They might use this email address to set up socials, so they never have to worry about endless notifications burying actual time sensitive client inquiries, or it might come in handy for subscribing to newsletters and webinars. Most of us want easy access to those emails when we have time for them, but they can be distracting when you have paying customers to respond to. Setting up a [email protected] type email address can be a great solution.
Northwest’s email hosting service allows you to create up to 10 email aliases, plus an administrative account, all for the same price. Don’t let these benefits sit on the shelf unused.
Inboxes for now, impacts forever
As deceptively simple as it may seem, creating and using multiple email accounts for your business can be a power move towards organization that will benefit your company in the long and short-term. Whether you deal in advanced software, design massive buildings and structures, or simply provide pest management, getting the most out of your email is a small step that can make a big difference.
If you’re just getting started with building out your online presence, or you need to register a domain name so you can set up your first business email account, you’ve made it to the right spot. Northwest Registered Agent can not only help you start your business and maintain your compliance, we can set you up with a custom domain name and a company email account, and even host your business website.