Set up company email and signatures: the checklist before switching providers

1. Start with a complete list

A provider change often starts with a short list of personal addresses. In everyday use, however, other systems send under the same domain: website forms, accounting, scanners, appointment booking and newsletters. Discovering these senders only after the switch can mean a crucial message is missing at the wrong moment. Inventory not just mailboxes but every known service that sends or receives email for your company.

For every address, record its purpose, responsible person and devices used. Add where old messages are stored and whether contacts or calendars need migrating. An address may be its own mailbox, an additional receiving address or a shared workspace. These differences affect permissions, costs and later maintenance.

2. Shared addresses need clear responsibilities

An info@ address may suit first contact but does not answer who actually responds. Define who checks new messages, who may cover for them and how an already handled enquiry is recognised. For several people, individual logins with suitable rights are often easier to trace than a shared password passed around. Which solution is available depends on the selected email system.

Plan joining and leaving too. Who adds a new person, grants rights and removes them again? Which messages must remain accessible when the team changes? Do not leave these decisions until a device is lost or someone leaves the company. Recovery routes and additional sign-in factors also need documented ownership.

3. Choose the provider around collaboration

An inexpensive mailbox and an extensive collaboration suite serve different purposes. First compare required functions: shared calendars, mobile use, task allocation, administration and data export. Then check which licence or product variant covers these requirements. A list of familiar brand names helps less than a concrete description of everyday work.

Calculate ongoing provider fees separately from setup, data migration and device support. A migration can take substantially more work than a new empty mailbox. Also agree whether later support, archiving or an additional backup is included. These components are easily missed when only the monthly fee per person is compared.

4. Check the domain and senders together

DNS records help describe a domain's responsible receiving service and permitted sending routes. SPF, DKIM and DMARC support receiving systems in checking messages. They replace neither secure accounts nor a complete sender inventory. Legitimate invoice delivery must be considered just as personal mailboxes are.

Google's sender guidelines set out specific email-authentication requirements. Requirements for sending to personal Gmail accounts vary with sending volume; Google generally recommends SPF, DKIM and DMARC. During setup, check the current documentation for the actual sending case. Google: email sender guidelines ↗

Do not copy several conflicting records from different guides into domain management. Instead, document which services send and which configuration each provider specifies. Introduce a stricter DMARC policy only after checking legitimate sending routes. The specific approach depends on the existing setup; a generic string from a blog is not a safe basis for it.

5. Plan migration with a fallback

Before switching, define which data will move: messages and folders, contacts, calendars or additional sharing settings. Not every source and target system supports the same formats. Have the scope checked using a representative mailbox and document known limitations. A successfully configured login does not prove a complete data migration.

Agree the switch date with the team and name a contact for questions. Prepare new mailboxes and access before changing receiving routes. Remove old data only after the agreed checks and a retention decision. Cancellation of the old contract also needs appropriate timing so any remaining cross-checks stay possible.

1. Define the data scope and a suitable backup before switching.
2. Prepare a test mailbox and the required devices.
3. Document the switch date, owners and fallback route.
4. Spot-check messages, folders and calendars against the agreed scope.
5. Retire the old service only after acceptance and clarification of retention.

6. Design signatures as maintainable templates

A good signature makes the sender and contact routes quickly recognisable. Provide name, role, telephone number and website as readable text. A logo can complement the presentation but should not be the only source of important information. Also check messages without remotely loaded images and long reply chains. A shorter version may suit replies.

Collect personal details in a shared template instead of copying each signature individually from an old message. Clarify who approves changes and how a new employee receives the correct version. Temporary banners need an end date and an owner. Supply company information that has been reviewed for business or legal correctness before designing the signature.

Applications and devices may manage signatures differently. Microsoft describes separate settings and per-account signatures for Outlook on iOS and Android. Test the applications actually used; a prepared desktop signature alone does not confirm mobile setup. Microsoft: signatures in Outlook for mobile devices ↗

7. Carry out concrete acceptance tests

A short message from the new mailbox to yourself is not a sufficient overall test. Check outgoing and incoming messages with an external party, then replies and the agreed shared addresses. Test website forms and other relevant sending services too. It must be clear which address is used as the sender and which as the reply-to address.

Record faults with the affected device, address and time. This makes targeted retesting easier. A successful test is evidence of the agreed environment's state. It does not mean every future message will always reach the inbox regardless of content, recipient rules or system changes.

8. Hand over ongoing maintenance too

At completion, the company needs a clear overview: who manages domain and provider, who changes signatures, where new people are added and which contact helps with problems? Transfer access through a suitable route and remove permissions no longer needed. Passwords belong neither in a public enquiry form nor in a generally accessible project list.

Plan another review after changes to the team, provider or additional sending services. Email is an ongoing work process. With responsibilities and setup documented, a new address or changed signature can be added without reconstructing the entire inventory every time.