VOIP & Email

Direct Communication with your Customers

Despite much of our communication being mediated through websites and social media, email and telephone remain vital communication tools for most organisations. They offer direct contact with individual customers. It’s vital that they’re reliable and make life easier for both organisations and their customers.

Email Setup

We believe it’s best for organisations to their website domain name for their email addresses. While some organisations prefer to use a Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo or other mailbox, domain-based email tends to look more professional and legitimate. However, it’s important that domains are correctly configured to avoid legitimate emails being marked as spam.

Domain Name Configuration

Every domain name has various DNS (Domain Name Service) records attached to it. These are technical settings which are required to correctly route email and website traffic, for example. Alongside a valid MX record (which determines which server incoming email is to be sent to), domains also need:

• SPF record

• DKIM record

• DMARC record

These help ensure email is correctly delivered and not marked as spam. For example, the SPF record lists servers which are able to send mail from a particular domain. DKIM records allow recipient servers to check an email hasn’t been meddled with in transit. The DMARC policy tells a recipient server what to do if their SPF and DKIM checks fail. Between them these 3 DNS records help ensure legitimate email is delivered while spam is marked as such or deleted before hitting a user’s inbox.

IMAP Email

Years ago most email accounts were setup as POP accounts. These ‘Post Office Protocol’ accounts used the mailserver as a temporary store of email, which was then downloaded to a user’s device (normally a desktop computer).

These days it’s far more common to setup email accounts using the IMAP protocol. IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. Email accounts configured this way interact with the server in a different way. Messages are stored online and can be accessed from any number of devices, keeping a uniform folder and message structure across them all. This is really useful when users want to access their emails on their laptop and phone, for example. It also solves the problem of backups, as the web server the emails are stored on should be backed up regularly.

Google Workspace Email

Another option for email setup is to use Google Workspace. Google offers this service to organisations who want to run their domain-based email system through Google’s infrastructure. The MX records on the domain name are pointed at Google’s mail servers, pushing any incoming email in that direction. Email accounts are then configured within the Google dashboard, enabling mail to be received.

Office 365 Email

Microsoft’s Office 365 also offers a comprehensive domain-based email system. Organsiations can register for Office 365 and get access to the Office suite of applications. They can also route their email into Microsoft’s servers, making use of their infrastructure.

Other Email Providers

There are many other email providers who offer a similar domain-based email system. If you’re exploring email options and would like suggestions for what to look out for please get in touch.

Our Email Platform

At Hello Technology we provide IMAP email hosting alongside website hosting on our dedicated server. This setup works well for most of our customers. We can also make recommendations for other solutions, if required.

VOIP Telephone Systems

VOIP stands for Voice Over Internet Protocol. It’s a telephone technology which runs through the internet, rather than the traditional phone network. Because it’s internet based it offers a number of benefits over traditional phone lines:

• Generally much cheaper

• More flexible use

• Multiple numbers can be routed to the same phones

• Comprehensive switchboard and voicemail setup

• Short term contracts

• Migrate your existing landline number into your VOIP setup

VOIP phone systems can be a simple or complex as required. From a single number routed to a single phone, to multiple extensions across numerous geographic locations. Whether you’re a sole trader looking for a more cost effective telephone system, or a multinational operating globally, VOIP offers a range of benefits.

How Hello Technology Can Help

We can work with you to design and implement robust email and telephone systems. Whatever size of organisation, we’ve got the skills and experience to create a solution which supports your work. Alongside our dedicated IMAP mail hosting, we actively manage various Google Workspace and Office 365 accounts. We’ve implemented VOIP systems for larger organisations across multiple sites. Get in touch with us today to discuss your email and telephone requirements.