Why is it worth investing in professional email hosting services?

Email is one of the main means of communication for businesses and that will not change anytime soon. Yet, many companies, particularly small or new ventures, stick with free email providers, like Google Mail. This common practice can be more damaging than you think. So, here’s why investing in professional email hosting services is important.

Building trust and brand identity

First impressions count. A custom domain email address, like support@yourbusinessname.com is immediately perceived as a lot more professional than a generic yourbusiness@gmail.com address. It acts as a sign of credibility, showing that your business is a serious and established operation, with branded assets. Customer perception of you will heavily influence their decision to use your services or buy your products.

Not just that, a general email can also be viewed as unreliable and not secure. With so many cybercriminals sending phishing emails under fake brand domains, customers do not immediately trust everything they receive in their inbox. A professional business domain, on the other hand, is not something scammers can get hold of easily.

Enhanced security and control

Another huge benefit for professional email hosting is the higher standard of security you receive. Typically using strict security protocols and latest protection technologies, they offer various features to safeguard your data. For instance, business email hosting packages at IONOS offer robust spam and virus filtering, advanced encryption options, ad-free email platforms, and more. This not only minimises annoying scam emails, but also protects your company from malware and scams.

Furthermore, paid services usually guarantee higher server uptime and more diligent maintenance, leading to improved reliability. These professional emails are recognised widely by other platforms, which means they are less likely to be flagged as spam by recipient servers. It allows you to communicate consistently with your customers, without worries of lost emails.

Crucially, you also get full ownership of your data, with administrative control access to your email server. So, you can set your own storage preferences and manage user accounts, which is not always possible with free email providers.

Customer support

As a business, uninterrupted service is incredibly important, as any downtime can result in loss of revenue and unhappy customers. While free email providers may have support contacts, these are often tricky to find and will take a long time to get back to you (days or even weeks). Imagine being unable to answer your customers for a few weeks straight… It’s simply not acceptable.

Professional email hosting services usually offer a dedicated 24/7 customer support, meaning you will be able to solve any technical issues quickly. In some cases, you will even have access to a personal consultant, who can provide expert tips and advice on managing your email server.

An investment, not an expense

Some businesses see professional email hosting as an unnecessary expense. However, it should really be viewed as a valuable investment into your business. It can have significant effects on your brand’s reputation and email security, which is always at the top of the priority list.