Since the early age of the Internet, email has been a leading method of communication and collaboration. Despite the advances in technology, email still retains its essence and is able to influence the professional communication dimension.

A survey conducted by Windows IT Pro also concluded that in the age of chat apps, mobile messaging, social media platforms, email is still the most popular way to establish professional communication.

It is also estimated that by the year 2023, we will be sending over 347 billion messages a day!

So, it is clear that email is a core tool for creating a professional collaboration and plays an essential role for any business (irrespective of industry) in growth.

And that’s where the role of an email hosting provider comes into play. An email hosting provider will simplify and streamline your work and offer a level of authority over your corporate email collaborations.

However, considering a suitable hosting company is not easy, especially when there are dozens of options to choose from at various price points. Any wrong step of yours can prove to be stormy for you.

Fortunately, you do not need to think much about it because in this article, we have listed out the top features that you can consider before hiring an email hosting service provider.

So, without any further ado, let’s check out the features to look for in an email hosting provider.

Does it offer 24/7 customer support?

As of 2018, no email brand is offering this type of service, which means if you need help with an issue or have a problem with your account, you’ll have to wait until the next day before anything can be resolved. Have to do, which in my opinion, is not efficient.

Does it have a dedicated hosting provider?

A dedicated hosting provider should be preferred if you need a lot of space and want to avoid slow speeds. In general, dedicated hosting offers faster speeds. It also provides more storage space.

What kind of monthly data transfer allowance do they provide?

Most email hosting providers offer between 500MB-5GB per month, which is low; However, only a few offer 50GB and more.

Are there any hidden fees?

Many email hosting providers offer free set-up, which is a great way to save money. However, sometimes free set-up comes at the cost of paying for bandwidth overages or other features you may want.

Is it easy to manage your account?

It should be easy to create an email address, forward and transfer email, and change your password online. If there are too many steps involved in making some changes to your account, you’ll probably get frustrated and give up. So make sure the interface is intuitive and easy to use.

On a scale of 1-5, how does it rate in terms of reliability?

This should be a priority for every business, regardless of size or industry. You don’t want your email to have a problem, and you don’t want to slow down. Make sure your email provider is reliable.

Does it offer recurring billing?

This is important because you can set it up so that you only pay for what you use, instead of spending all the time. Think about how many emails you send and receive each month. If that number is less than the amount you’ll pay on a recurring billing plan, go ahead and sign up.

Does it offer spam protection?

Every email provider should offer this feature, and most of the best providers do. However, some offer better features than others regarding spam protection.

What are the ITU ratings of the provider?

ITU rating is a benchmark that helps you compare the quality and uptime of servers. So if you are looking for a reliable email hosting company, you want to make sure they have a good score. This is especially important if your business relies on its email or has an online ecommerce store.

Does it offer SSL encryption?

This should also be standard. Any email hosting provider that does not offer SSL encryption should be avoided at all costs. So if you want to protect your business and keep your customers safe, make sure you choose one with this feature.

Does it have a reliable reputation?

Check with the Better Business Bureau and other consumer watchdog groups that may apply to your industry. You want to be sure that you are dealing with a reputable email hosting company rather than one with a history of complaints.

Does it offer an affiliate or referral program?

This is important if you want to make money by referring new customers to an email specialist company. For example, if you recommend a company offering 50% referral commission, you will be paid half of the money paid by referred customers to the company.

Does it include email marketing features?

This will allow you to create and send professional looking emails. It should also provide transition tools for moving your marketing emails to your new email hosting provider. If another provider does not offer these tools, consider looking for one.

Does it offer a suite of free tools?

These tools may include spell checking, meeting scheduling, website tracking, task management, etc. The more features it offers, the better. You will need at least one or two of these features in order to run your business efficiently.

Can you create subusers?

This is important if you have employees who need access to your email hosting account. For example, let’s say you provide customer support via email and you have one employee who handles all customer issues. In that case, they will need their username and access to your email hosting company. So make sure that this feature is available with your email hosting provider.

Do you have the option of getting more space or features if you need them?

If you increase your monthly data transfer allowance from 5GB to 50GB and then decide you need even more space, many email hosting providers will allow you to upgrade.

Does it offer an affiliate program?

Most email hosting companies offer referral programs so that their customers can earn money by referring new customers. This is standard for almost every internet business, and most companies offer generous commissions as well. For example, Web Hosting Hub offers up to $1000 per sale in referral commission.

Does it provide database backup facility?

This should be standard with any email hosting company you choose. Most companies provide offsite or network-based backup to keep your messages safe, even if your computer is stolen or destroyed.

Does it offer a strong technical support system?

You want to be sure that you are getting answers to all of your questions quickly. Many companies claim to provide excellent technical support, but if their customer service agents need to be more thoroughly trained, they may provide slower responses. So make sure that your email hosting provider has really good support staff.

Does it offer unlimited email forwarding?

You should be able to send multiple emails using the same account. Most of the best email hosting providers allow you to use up to 20 email addresses at once.

Does it offer an auto-reply?

This is important if you’re sending a lot of email. Most of the best email hosting providers have this feature built-in so that you can automatically notify people when they sign up for your mailing list or make a purchase on your website.

Does this group offer email support?

Group support is useful for businesses that must send hundreds or thousands of emails per day.

conclusion

You can use any email hosting provider, and it will do a good job. But to get the best results, you’ll need an established email provider with lots of useful features. The more the number of features, the better, so make sure that you choose one that offers many of these features to make things easier for you.