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What's the Solution to SPAM E-Mail? |
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Are you annoyed with all the SPAM e-mail you are receiving? You’re not alone. According to an article in the 12/3/03 Orange County Register, “A (Symantec Corp.) survey of 500 small businesses found that 42 percent are thinking about getting rid of e-mail altogether because of unwanted messages. Fifty-five percent are considering changing their company e-mail addresses. And 56 percent would consider locking down their e-mail server to only let in approved messages.” I found these percentages shocking. How could a company possibly consider getting rid of e-mail? It’s like saying they are going to take out all the phones because they are getting too many crank calls. Maybe getting rid of e-mail would solve the SPAM problem, but it certainly would create a multitude of other problems. Customers and companies are increasingly communicating with each other using e-mail. It is a more convenient and less intimidating way to communicate with a company, no matter what the size of the company. With e-mail, at no cost, you can reach the company before and after business hours. I have realtor clients who tell me they have many website visitors who e-mail them with questions rather than phoning them. In fact, for many customers, e-mail is the preferred way to communicate with a company. Changing the company’s e-mail address can also be disruptive to a business. Every single piece of marketing material should have a company’s e-mail address on it. So, depending on the size of the company, redoing all the marketing materials is a huge expense. In addition, many customers will still have the incorrect e-mail address. What’s going to happen when they try to contact the company? It’s not like the post office where the mail gets automatically forwarded to the correct address. Incorrect e-mail addresses on the Internet cannot be delivered without a special program. Locking down the company’s e-mail server to let in only approved messages would completely shut out customer communication. What if a company had a product that was defective? E-mail from customers could alert a company to a potential legal problem if it is receiving multiple complaints on a specific product. These warnings give the company a window of opportunity to fix the problem before it becomes a media nightmare. One solution to the SPAM problem is to get software that filters your incoming messages. But sometimes this works so good, you are prevented from getting legitimate messages from your customers. The SPAM protection offered for AOL users does not allow any e-mails other than those in the person’s address book. So, your customer would have to enter your e-mail address into their address book in order for you to communicate with them. E-mail is a valuable a customer communication tool. As an entrepreneur, it is your best way to communicate with your customers, especially if you are running a business from your home. Treat SPAM the same way you treat an uninvited salesperson knocking on your door; don’t answer the door. Delete SPAM unread and don’t let it become an annoyance factor to you. Realize that your customers need to be able to reach you and unfortunately that means your Internet door is going to stay open and some flies are going to get in.
Reprinted from the Riverside Business Journal |
