Using gmail email address for a business - any views?

Do you think a gmail email address looks professional for business purposes? My partner and I disagree on this and would like to get other views..........................

Hi,

Well it's better than Hotmail! But it would give me an impression of an 'amateur' set-up. That said I am considering using a company that use gmail as they seem good apart from that. In general, I like an impression of a well-established company that I could track down should anything go wrong (proper address, fixed line telephone etc).

Personally I think it depends on the business...

If I saw a gmail address for a solicitors firm I'd give it a wide berth... but a dog grooming business with similar wouldn't bother me.

Register your own business.ie or business.com domain name and then setup Google Apps. This will give you the gmail interface, but a @business.com address. You can register business.com through Google for $10 a year, and they will do most of the email setup for you.

In my opinion, and this is clearly nothing personal, is this would be completely unprofessional and I wouldn't deal with the business REGARDLESS of what service it offered.

For a small fee you can get a website and a number of email addresses with hosting from an ISP, why not just do this?

The connotations of this for me are:
- it's a very small business (most likely a one person operation)
- poor decision making as haven't considered the implications
- scrimping on necessary costs
- has little of no IT knowledge
- has limited prospects (as not willing to invest in a domain name) - what else are they doing wrong?
- the venture isn't seen by the owner as a long term venture
- possibly a nixer and all that implies

It doesnt automatically mean a bad business as there are paid business acounts available for hotmail , yahoo and gmail but I think the best of all is to have your email at your own domain and then use the free google apps.

If it was a B2B (business to business) then it would probably not be accepted by other medium/large businesses any at all, e.g. accounts payable depts would probably reject the authenticity.

Selling to consumers, though, I guess a large percentage would not trust it.

Either way, it doesn't look great.

what mugsgame said.

I think TCD use gmail as their main one now. site like p45.net have also changed their mail to gmail. emails address are for example joebloggs@p45.net and it uses the gmail apps. main advantages is you do not have to worry about space, be an expert in exchange or notes and you can access mail anywhere that has internet access or even on your mobile phone.

Pros for the gmail account.

No performance issues. (that Ive ever seen and I opened an account with them 3 days after gmail came online)
Historically practically zero downtime.
No space issues.
Accessible from any browser.
Accessible from most uptodate phones.
Advanced Spam filter, I currently have 800 mails in my spam folder and only get 1-2 a month in my main folder.
Advanced search facility which is lightening fast.

Cons.
Google can pull the service at any time.
Google polls your mail which raises privacy issues.
As above, service providors may reject a gmail address. Ive had this happen to me.


Straw poll in the office (8-9 IT guys) noone would have a problem with it but would think it unusual for using as a business address. But I suppose we know the sense behind it.

I don't think anyone questions the usefulness/benefits of free mail providers for personal use, but using it (or any such providers) as a business address is debateable.

howabout a vodafone or eircom mail address though, a lot of service providors in Irish business use these accounts. I see a lot of sales<insert service>@eircom.net are still in use. Lots of tradesmen seem to use them. I wouldnt see a problem with that but as was posted already Id be asking questions why maybe a larger company/firm would use them.

Have to agree with most of those above, using gmail would look seriously unprofessional to me. Right or wrong I'm just instinctively more impressed by companies with their own address, except maybe ones like dodgy@scams.com.

car said:

howabout a vodafone or eircom mail address though, a lot of service providors in Irish business use these accounts. I see a lot of sales<insert service>@eircom.net are still in use. Lots of tradesmen seem to use them. I wouldnt see a problem with that but as was posted already Id be asking questions why maybe a larger company/firm would use them.

Click to expand...

I think whats professional is if email is read and responded to correctly and swiftly.

I'm totally unimpressed by any company or outfit which uses eircom email.

It's just my opinion but it is such an inferior product that the owner highlights his own inexperience by using it. It does'nt even have a spam filter. If memory serves me they tried to sell a spam filter for a significant sum to the consumer in the past (they may still do), a feature that comes as standard for free on gmail.