In today's digital world, businesses rely increasingly on effective communication and professional conduct in the online space. If you want to build a successful and sustainable business, you need to understand why using a professional email address is a necessity, not a luxury. Here are some of the pitfalls you may encounter when using free email services:

1.     Lack of professionalism: If you use free email accounts like Gmail or Yahoo, it can lead to a decrease in your professional reputation in the eyes of your clients or partners and reduce their trust in you. When they receive an email from a free email address, they may get the impression that your business is not serious or not well-established enough. Using a professional email address that utilizes your own domain is not a costly investment, and the absence of one does not reflect well on your business. In today's digital world, such services are available to everyone. If you are a serious business, you should definitely consider this option and invest in a professional email address that better reflects the identity of your business.

2.     Storage limitations: Free email services often have limitations on mailbox size, and if you exceed the limit, you may be restricted in your ability to receive new emails. This could cost you a potential client or financial losses. Today, a significant portion of communication is done via email, and if your business is thriving, your mailbox can fill up quickly. This means you must constantly monitor your storage space and delete emails. Not only is this tedious, but it can also lead to unpleasant consequences if you accidentally delete an important email because free providers, and even some paid ones, do not allow data loss prevention policies (accidental or intentional). In some industries, this could even lead to legal disputes due to requirements of different standards and regulations for data storage and processing. In most cases, this data needs to be accessible for a certain period of time.

3.     Lack of control and low-quality data protection: Free email services do not guarantee the security of your data and can pose a risk to the confidentiality of your information. For example, hackers can gain access to your mailbox and steal personal data or important financial information. Additionally, you do not have full control over your mailbox or the network that processes them, which can increase the risk of hacking attacks or other security breaches. You don't have the ability to implement security policies for incoming and outgoing emails and must rely on the provider's basic policies, which in most cases are not sufficient.

4.     Limited customer support: Free email providers usually do not offer a wide range of customer support services. This can be troublesome when you encounter technical issues or have questions related to data protection or other aspects of your business. It can be difficult, if not sometimes impossible, to reach a human support representative from a free email service provider. At best, you may encounter a chatbot or be directed to articles explaining how to resolve the issue on your own. When the service is disrupted, the lack of access to customer support can cause difficulties as there is no one to inform you of the reasons or provide you with guidance.

5.     Sending limitations: Most free email services have limitations on the number of emails you can send per day, which can restrict your ability to communicate with clients or colleagues. Such limitations can lead to the loss of clients and money. How foolish would it be to lose a client simply because you reached the email sending limit for the day and couldn't send more.

You may be wondering, what is the solution to these problems? Do you think it will cost a lot of money? The solution is Microsoft 365, specifically Exchange Online. Microsoft 365 is an integrated cloud service, also known as Software as a Service (SaaS), that includes various applications for a monthly subscription. Exchange Online is the professional email service within Microsoft 365. The price of Exchange Online plan 1 for one mailbox is 3.70 euros per month. By purchasing this license, you will be able to use your own domain and create shared mailboxes. (If you want to learn more about the capabilities of Exchange Online, you can read our blogs on the topic.) In this series of blogs, I will show you how to start your subscription and configure your mailbox with your own domain.