Why should you pay for professional email accounts?

Whether you’re setting up a startup, building a freelancing career or leading a mature organisation that has yet to embark on a digital transformation – sooner or later, you will have to choose a mail service provider. So what should you consider when comparing offers? Not only to the price. Your decision will affect the company’s quality of cooperation and communication in the coming years.

The sheer volume of offers from different online mail service providers can be a headache. Therefore, we present essential advantages and criteria for choosing paid mail to help entrepreneurs make informed decisions.

Why is it worth investing in email with a custom domain? 

Electronic mail is the primary office work tool employers provide to their subordinates. Why is an email with a custom domain better than a free mailbox?

Employer branding

Companies must take care of their image not only on the outside. Part of their branding efforts should be directed at current and potential employees. A reputable employer can count on a large number of applications for new positions as well as the loyalty and commitment of employees. A good employer branding strategy is based on transparency, high organisational culture, and streamlined communication, but not only. Work tools also influence the company’s reputation as an employer.

Would you recommend an employer who requires you to use your private email box for job duties to a friend? Imagine you must start each email by explaining that you’re writing on behalf of the company, although this information should be included in the email address. You would be constantly aware that your performance is partially undermined by the company’s savings on email accounts. In addition, deep down, you feel that since professional work tools do not fit into the budget, you cannot count on significant increases or bonuses. Such a work environment would not seem advantageous for your professional development. 

Credibility

An email address is a digital showcase of a company, especially in remote working conditions, when most communication takes place via the Internet. An excellent first impression is essential not only for large companies but also for freelancers.

Suppose that after placing an order for translation, you find two offers in your inbox – one from the address [email protected] and the other from [email protected]. Anna’s proposal is as good as Jack’s offer, but her advantage is that the address immediately displays her website’s domain. Thanks to this, you can quickly learn about her specialisation, view the portfolio and read customer reviews, which gives you immediate confidence in her skills. 

Ads and spam

Most free mailboxes are free only because providers monetise users’ attention by selling ad space to marketers. Paid email is not only an address in the corporate domain but also a guarantee that intrusive ads, spam, or even spoofing attempts will not distract employees.

Control and security

The employer should always supervise the company’s and customers’ data that employees process as part of their daily duties. The only method of maintaining control over business correspondence is to equip the employee with a professional email account. By choosing paid email for companies, you gain access to the administration panel, where you can, among others:

• Add and remove user accounts, 
• Manage company domains,
• Create aliases of email addresses,
• Set up email groups,
• Manage connected devices,
• Run two-step verification,
• Set up security alerts,
• Define the rules for archiving correspondence,
• Recover data deleted by users.

Learn more about archiving and eDiscovery:

• How and why should you retain your employees’ business emails?

What features should a paid email service have?

We already know how important email with a custom domain is for the image and proper functioning of the company. It’s time to discuss features and additional benefits that your mail provider should offer:

• Subscription-based payment system – no upfront investment, you only pay for as many accounts as you need, and you can withdraw at any time.
• Easy to scale – you choose the email service provider right after setting up the company, but remember that it is a decision that will last for many years. Pick a provider that makes it easy for you to increase (or decrease) the number of accounts or storage space. The email system should seamlessly grow with your business.  
• Office application package – file editors are often available with company email. Nowadays, the most reliable, mobile and accessible tools are offered in a SaaS model in the cloud.).
• Calendar and additional communication tools – email correspondence is still the primary communication channel. Still, applications that enable synchronous information exchange, like chat and video conferences, are also needed.
• Adequately large cloud space for files – a convenient place to store correspondence and business files. By choosing cloud storage, you ensure that employees can work remotely from any mobile device.
• Availability of all functions from anywhere in the world – this feature of office software is critical in the era of remote work. Make sure that the email provider offers access to mobile and web apps.
• Advanced security control options – data protection in the company should always come first, so it is worth choosing a service that provides administrators with a comprehensive but easy-to-use email system control tool.
• Technical assistance – before making a decision, make sure you have direct contact with someone who will be ready to help you in case something goes wrong. Well-known global email service providers, such as Google Cloud, have a network of local partner companies to support customers. One of the official Google Cloud partners in the UK and CEE market is FOTC.

Which corporate email should you choose? 

We can wholeheartedly recommend business Gmail – a solution we provide to other companies and use in our team. Google’s paid email is called Google Workspace. A Gmail account in a company domain is just one of the dozens of reliable tools your employees get access to, thanks to this service.

Find out more about Google Workspace in the articles on our blog:

• Google Workspace – security and legal compliance
• Google Workspace vs Free Gmail – what will work for a company?

And if you already have Gmail on your own domain or in the free version, learn about the best way to keep your correspondence in order:

• How to implement and maintain Inbox Zero in Gmail?

As an official Google partner, FOTC implements Google Workspace, configures the email system at the customer’s request and offers full technical support. Contact us, to see all packages and available discounts.