“Thank you for understanding”
With the websites I’ve created, I’ve detected hidden feelings towards the need of a business email amongst local business owners: you’re wondering why the “unnecessary” expense because you think a free email service is just as good. At the same time, you want to give your “hustle” credibility.
The Security Threat Of An Email Address Such As daleshardware@gmail.com
This is more than just the look of having a professional email. This is about creating the best atmosphere for trust to grow between the clients you want and the legitimate service you provide. When your email suffix lives at gmail.com (or any other free email service), you’re not only giving potential customers room to form the wrong opinion of you but also making email fraud a walk in the park.
OK, you’ve got all your ducks in a row but the customer contacts you at your-company@sample.com and it never arrives. The email is in another account also parked at sample.com under subtle variations of your company’s name, barely noticeable by the client or your account gets hacked and funds you were to receive, now sits in another’s bank account: A fraudster’s paradise!
Just recently, I was reading about a couple who were victims of email fraud in the UK. They transferred £120,000 into the wrong bank account because the destined receiver’s email was hacked. The account in question, was under a similar business name with subtle variations which unfortunately went undetected by the banking staff at the time of the transaction. Interestingly, the designated receiver (although they weren’t part of the scam), declined to offer any helpful information surrounding the security of their email system, leaving the victims with even more unanswered questions.
In my opinion, the intended receivers may be victims of their own simple-mindedness. It’s possible they don’t have proper security procedures in place and to prevent any possible loss of business, declined to offer any assistance. I’ve created visual brands for lawyers in Trinidad who generally use free email services. I know how cost can stack up when you’ve got a million things to put in place to send the right message, but the very high possibility of these security breaches will send businesses (if you’re into collaborating) running in the opposite direction, since it’s not only unsafe but also makes you look like you don’t have it all together.
Don’t Be Penny Wise and Pound Foolish
Local small service business owners are always looking for ways to cut cost on the seemingly unimportant things which can save them from great loss in the future. Shouldn’t it be expected of you, to care about the safety of the data exchanged between your business and your clients? If it’s not, it should be because it’s just part of being professional to be aware of the things that are imperative when you’re handling sensitive data online. Outside of that, you can appear uninformed and inexperienced. These aren’t the messages you want to send. Even if you aren’t a tech guru, all you need to know about your business email is the level of safety assurance you will be able to attribute to your customers and in the off chance something goes awry, the kind of tech support you’re provided by your service providers.
I use G Suite. The platform is very user friendly. Tech support is on point and I can automatically have all outgoing emails checked for sensitive information and automatically take action to prevent data leakage: either by quarantining my emails for review or by blocking an email from being sent and it doesn’t even cost me $30 TTD a month. That’s barely a dollar a day to afford my clients some confidential courtesy and possibly keep me from being sued.
So, the next time you’re wondering why it’s necessary to attach a business email to your brand new website, consider all the negative impact of not having one.
I am the Founder and Visual Brand Strategist at The BrandTUB **Get online in one day with The One-Page™ **Schedule a call if you need a different One-Page project **Sign up to receive these weekly articles in your inbox if you’re not quite ready to work with me yet.
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