Email & Communications

1. 1

   Own the email

   Use email on your own domain, such as [email protected], through a business service like Google Workspace or Microsoft 365. It looks more trustworthy than a personal address and stays with the business if someone leaves.

   Set up the account under a business-owned admin login, then give each person their own mailbox. Create shared addresses such as info@ or office@ for things customers see, so a staff change does not break anything. Keep a list of every address and alias in your account records.

   • Set up email on your own domain
   • Keep the admin login under business control
   • Give each person their own mailbox
   • Use shared addresses for public contact
2. 2

   Secure the email

   Turn on two-step sign-in for every mailbox, because email is the key to resetting almost every other account. Use strong unique passwords stored in a password manager.

   Ask your IT or web person to set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records on your domain. These DNS records prove your email is really from you, help it reach inboxes and make it harder for scammers to fake your address. Gmail requires SPF or DKIM from every sender and all three from bulk senders. Train your team to call and confirm any email that asks for payment or bank changes.

   • Turn on two-step sign-in for every mailbox
   • Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC records
   • Confirm payment requests by phone
   • Check for odd forwarding rules
3. 3

   Signatures and records

   Give everyone the same simple email signature with their name, role, business name, phone number and website. Add license numbers if your trade or state requires them on business communications. Keep it plain text or a small logo, with no large images.

   Keep customer emails in business accounts, not personal ones, so the full history of a job stays with the business. Ask your accountant or attorney how long to keep records for your trade and state. A shared folder or CRM link for each job keeps quotes, change orders and approvals easy to find.

   • Set one standard email signature
   • Add license numbers where required
   • Keep all job email in business accounts
   • Ask how long to keep records
4. 4

   Phone calls

   Use a business phone number that you own and can move, not a personal cell number tied to one person. Many business phone apps let calls ring several people and keep call history with the business.

   Record a short, friendly voicemail greeting with your business name and when you will call back, then return calls the same business day. Use the same main number on your website, Google profile and directories. If you record calls, check your state's rules first, because some states require everyone on the call to agree to the recording.

   • Get a business number the business owns
   • Set a clear voicemail greeting
   • Return calls the same business day
   • Check state rules before recording calls
5. 5

   Texts and consent

   Customers often prefer texts for scheduling and updates, so use a business texting tool tied to your business number. Keep job texts out of personal phones where you lose the record.

   Marketing texts need clear written consent, and federal and state rules on texting are strict. Record when and how each person agreed, include how to opt out and stop texting anyone who replies STOP or asks to stop in another clear way. Carriers block business texts from local numbers unless the business and its use are registered, a process called 10DLC, and your texting tool walks you through it. Talk to an attorney before you start any texting campaign.

   • Use a business texting tool and number
   • Get written consent for marketing texts
   • Honor every opt-out right away
   • Ask an attorney before text campaigns
6. 6

   Newsletter and mail

   Send email newsletters only to people who opted in, and keep a record of when and where each person signed up. Use an email marketing tool such as Mailchimp or MailerLite that handles unsubscribes for you. Every marketing email needs your physical mailing address and a working unsubscribe link under the federal CAN‑SPAM Act.

   For past customers and prospects who never opted in, use mail instead. A postcard or letter after a job, before a busy season or on a service anniversary keeps you in mind without risking spam complaints. Personal notes get read.

   • Email only people who opted in
   • Keep a record of every signup
   • Include your address and unsubscribe link
   • Send mailed letters to everyone else
7. 7

   Test every channel

   Test each way customers reach you on a regular schedule. Send a message through every website form, call your main number, text your business line and email your public address. Then check that each one arrived where it should and that someone replied.

   Send a test newsletter to yourself and check it on a phone. Look for emails landing in spam and fix your sending records if they do. Try your after-hours voicemail as a customer would. Write down what you tested and when, and fix any broken channel the same day you find it.

   • Test each website form
   • Call and text your own business number
   • Check newsletters for spam placement
   • Log what you tested and when

General information only, not legal, tax or financial advice. See the Disclaimer.