Email: What you do next is important.

Every business uses email one way or another. The first important step for any business is to take security seriously, and install Anti-Virus and Malware software. See a description of the messaging service

The next step is to train the person responsible for opening emails in the correct procedures. Failure to take basic security seriously, will open the company to possible lasting damage, and loss of customer trust. An old saying “Trust is good, control is better”.

Trust is vital

People need to trust that a business to take security seriously, this is very important. If your website starts with https:// that is a major requirement for building trust. Because it means communications to the website is more secure. An additional benefit is, Google will rank the business website higher in any search results.

The Email Auto Reply is a good idea

Many companies have failed to use a basic facility of email, which is the auto-reply function. This is the opportunity to automatically reply to all incoming emails, with a message, sent back to the original email address. Why is this important during Covid-19?

With many companies closed and staff laid off, there could be the possibility that nobody at the business premises is reading the emails. There may be orders, requests for information, or contact to staff within the business. There is the additional emails used that are not public, what is happens when there is nobody to reply?

This is also a good idea for normal times. Very frustrating when completing a form (Maybe a thank you message) or sending an email, and nobody replies. At least a return message shows the business cares about its reputation.

A typical email auto-reply message

Email auto-reply

A return message can solve lots of problems.

“Thank you for your message. We are closed due to Covid, but have ensured that your enquiry will be acted upon when we re-open, which currently is expected to be 12th April. Normal facilities and additional information is available on our website at “www.something?.co.uk.””




Firstly this message confirms the companies interest in customers, and updates them on where additional information can be found. It also builds trust.

Do NOT forget the emails already in the in-box.

There is a lot stress in any organisation getting ready to be open again, some have been closed for more than a year. Make certain somebody is trained and ready to start the normal way emails are actioned. There could well be a big back-log. Our Q&A may have additional ideas.

Finally, not all the old staff will return for many reasons. Plan for rebuilding the business and use the latest techniques. Only the fittest and fastest will survive. Joining our free local Directory could be a small but important step to a better future.

Email Harvesters

When a website publishes an email address, it shows as clickable, which means it is active. There are “bots” that do nothing but scavenge email address from all over the Internet, and can also be highly selective. An example, by country, town or type of businesses. This are collected and sold to marketeers. That is often where “spam” email comes from.

A possible solution is not to use the well known info@ type of email address and instead of @ try putting at. Most people are now used to what an email address looks like.