Does a one-person business really need a separate support email?

I kept mine personal for two years. The main issue was when a customer emailed my personal address and then started following my personal Social media because the email was the same. Felt invasive.

At 10-15 a week, honestly no. But a separate email makes it easier to keep all order-related stuff in one place if you ever need to search for something.

What do you mean by separate? A whole new service or just an alias? Gmail lets you do support@yourdomain for free if you have a domain through Google Workspace, but that's not free. Or you can use a forwarding alias from your registrar sometimes, though.

I don't think it's about volume. It's about separation. If your personal email is attached to your bank, your family, and your customers, one phishing email or accidental forward can create a mess. I moved to a separate inbox after a customer replied all to a thread that had my personal signature with my phone number.

Then just set up an alias on your domain. Most registrars include free email forwarding. [email protected] forwards to your Gmail. Takes ten minutes ngl.

I tried the alias thing, but then I couldn't send from the alias without extra setup. So customers would get replies from my personal address anyway. Defeated the purpose for me.

You can set up send-as in Gmail if you have SMTP access through your host. It's a bit of work but but doable. Or just use a separate free Gmail and label it. Not perfect but cheaper.

The send-as part is what always trips people up.If you can't reply from the support address, the alias is mostly useless for a business.

Seems like the real question is whether you care about the professional look. Some customers notice. Most don't. If you're staying small, keep it simple.

I'd argue it's less about look and more about having a paper trail separate from your personal life. But at 15 emails a week, you're not drowning. If you ever get busy, you'll appreciate having started the habit early