Microsoft Exchange Online vs IONOS Email
My experience of using both and why I recommend Microsoft Exchange
Introduction
When I first launched my business I signed up with IONOS (1&1) to build a website and create an email addresses. Although my website worked well, I found the email system was unreliable so I migrated my emails to Microsoft Exchange Online. This post will tell you more about my experience and why I recommend all self-employed people and small businesses use Microsoft Exchange Online.
My Poor Experience with IONOS Email System
Unreliable email
When I setup my business I purchased the domain name, webhosting and email with IONOS (1&1). I created a WordPress website and setup an email address through the control panel of IONOS’s website. It was easy to setup both of these features and everything worked well.
I use Outlook to read and write emails, as I prefer Outlook for managing my emails compared to the online webmail systems that IONOS provided. My first impression was that the emails were working well. Customers were emailing me and I was emailing them back. I was winning business which was great. But after awhile I noticed a few strange things. I would email a customer who I knew would reply but they didn’t reply. I would then phone the customer up and ask them if they got my email and they said no. When I asked them to check their spam folder they found my email.
What was even stranger was a customer would receive an email from me and the next day it would go straight to their junk folder. At this point I knew I had to find an alternative solution. These lost emails were costing me business and money. How many other customers had thought to themselves that I had not bothered to reply when in fact the email I sent was probably sitting in their spam/junk folder!
IONOS email does not provide synchronization of the Outlook calendar and contacts with my mobile phone
In my home office I was also using the Microsoft Outlook program for the calendar to manage my appointments and the address book to keep track of all my customers’ contact details.
This worked well except when I was out on the road and wanted to check my calendar or the phone number of a customer on my phone. I couldn't! This information was only available on my PC which was back at home.
Researching a new email system
My extensive research on alternative email providers concluded that there were two possible solutions:
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft Exchange Online
Microsoft Exchange Online gave me the features I wanted such as large mailbox, cloud based email, contacts and calendar which could be synchronized across all my devices. Furthermore, the Microsoft 365 ecosystem would give me access to SharePoint, OneDrive and Teams. Although I didn’t need them at the time, as my business has grown, having Teams has been very useful.
The benefits I have noticed since moving my emails to Microsoft 365 Exchange Online
Email reliability
As soon as I switched I noticed an improvement in the reliability of the email. I was sending emails and they were arriving in customers' inboxes. I was getting replies.
Calendar
Having synchronised calendars and contacts has been invaluable. If I am out and about I can easily call customers to say I am running late.
Contacts / Address Book
Or if I need to look up the address of a customer then no problem either.
Costs of moving to Microsoft Exchange Online
IONOS included email within their web hosting package I had purchased so the purchase of Microsoft Exchange Online was an extra expense for my business. But at around £50 per year then it would only take one lost email through the IONOS system to make it worthwhile moving.
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