Email is one of the most preferred modes of communication today. It is fast and most times reaches its recipients safely. Emails are instantaneous by nature, and their efficacy has been proved beyond doubt. Users sent approximately 306.4 billion emails in 2020, and that number is rising steadily at a consistent rate. However, with the increased usage of electronic mail, numerous complications appear. Here, managed services providers assume greater significance as they are responsible for the upkeep of the facility and see to it that the service remains unobstructed and protected for their clients. It has to be ensured since it has a direct bearing on the financial and security stature. It’s one of the different types of managed services that organizations outsource to third parties.
(Image source – Statista)
The graph is a clear indicator of the importance of emails and their growing significance. Therefore, MSPs must ensure that they are protected from malicious actors and function as per the client’s requirements.
Below are the prominent managed services examples of email support often managed by MSPs and MSSPs.
Tenant To Tenant Migrations
This service is one of the most critical tasks for any MSP. In an ever-changing world of technology, it is common for organizations to upgrade and implement newer tools. However, implementing more recent tools and technologies may not be as easy as it seems. It requires the migration of domains, passwords, mailboxes, and more. Most organizations may not have the time and the inclination to put in the effort required. Hence, the role of the MSP assumes greater importance. Tenant to tenant migration is a routine activity in the services list provided by the MSPs and MSSPs. Larger organizations undergo cross-tenant migrations to bring in greater homogeneity in their workflow. All this makes it crucial to have a partner that can handle migration processes flawlessly.
MX Backup
Despite the rise of alternatives, business communication is still predominantly dealt with using emails around the world. Hence, organizations must identify mail exchange servers as per the priority lists. Many large organizations deploy multiple mail exchanges, and it is the responsibility of the MSP to list them as per their importance. The MSP is also responsible for maintaining MX backup. Organizations choose third-party vendors for this purpose for ease of maintenance and continuous monitoring. A diligent MX backup process is required since one wouldn’t want a situation where the primary server fails and there is no backup server to fall back upon in an emergency. There is also the automatic domain failover, where incoming mails move over to the MX Backup server when the primary one fails.
Email Archiving
Email archiving is another responsibility that MSPs oversee. Users must archive emails after a certain period since they tend to block the inbox and eat up space. Archiving is also of immense value and liability for essential reference and legal compliance.
Email Marketing
With the world increasingly becoming mobile, advertising one’s services must follow the same. Hence, email marketing is what the new world has been looking for, though it is not a pretty recent phenomenon. From the time the internet had made a mark, email has been the tool for communication. Presently, it is the most used mode of transferring information, especially for corporations. In the same vein, organizations advertise their presence and send out sales and marketing content through emails. However, with organizations diversifying, the role of the MSP and the MSSPs amplifies. There are certain tenets to effective email marketing.
Audience
It is essential to know one’s audience. Communication in text format does have its disadvantages too. At times, the tone of the email may be misconstrued, and not every recipient will be able to grasp what is told. Hence, a thorough survey needs to be done before the email is sent out. It is also a grave mistake that most marketing managers end up making monotonous content. It has to be horses with courses. People from different age groups or specialities have different needs, and so must the approach be.
Relevance
One has to be to the point and direct. If it is a sales pitch, then do have a call to action. Irrelevant emails are generally an eyesore and will kill whatever chances of conversion there could have been. One can only gauge the relevance of the content after the previous point has been ascertained.
Personalize
Personalization of emails has a positive effect on the reader. It creates a kind of intimacy that an official email will not be able to. Addressing one by his or her first name is an effective way to garner attention. The relevance of the email also increases once that connection has been established. Most marketing managers focus on creating that direct thread of communication to attract consumers towards their objective.
Storytelling
Selling a product can be a daunting task, especially to niche audiences. However, if the content is presented excitingly like a story, the probability of the recipient getting interested in reading increases manifold. It also helps to throw in freebies or giveaways, by offering custom made t-shirts, for instance. The idea is to engage the audience, which will only be possible if the content is stimulating. Consider exploring innovative storytelling techniques through advancements like story crafting with AI, enabling the creation of compelling narratives to captivate your audience.
Email Security
Email security is one of the primary tasks of MSPs. Providing email security service is vital to the overall safety of the organization. Unfortunately, with the explosive growth of email communication, there is also a rampant increase in phishing and other cyber threats. These issues have to be countered deftly through sophisticated tools and constant monitoring. In addition, malicious attempts are made to penetrate the network and gain access to classified information, and MSPs have to be cautious and vigilant at all times.
Final Words
Today, MSPs are an integral part of the tech landscape and will attain greater importance in the coming days. However, they would have to keep reinventing themselves with newer skills and capabilities in a shrinking space filled with fiercely competitive rivals. Email services being a vital cog in the wheel is a great starting point from where the MSPs and MSSPs can get a strong foothold and move up the ladder quickly.