There are more than one hundred Email Service Providers (ESPs) selling their services in the market today and all of them are on the hunt for new customers. This white paper identifies what we call, "decision points," factors that make it worth your while to consider finding a new ESP.
How And Why To Switch Email Service ProvidersMay 2007
Introduction their IP, you also share their punishment. If you don't know if In a perfect world, your email service provider is flexible, you have a unique IP, ask your ESP and do it right now. Credible responsive to your needs, knowledgeable of new technology, and ESPs offer unique IP addresses as part of their service package cost effective. It is not a perfect world, though. Instead, working while some charge extra for it. If they don't offer a unique IP your with an email vendor, or any vendor for that matter, can be business is in an unnecessary position of risk and it is time to frustrating as you negotiate contracts and customize service plans. look for a new vendor. Too often, the level of customer service exhibited during the initial "sales" process drops off after the contract is signed. Decision Point 2: Your ESP cannot handle the volume of email you send. If they can't accommodate the sheer volume of your In times of frustration, the natural reaction is to look for a new lists and distribution totals, you should consider severing your provider; to start from scratch with a clean slate. Abandoning the relationship. Reliance on email as a communication medium will vendor and moving to another bigger, faster, cheaper or closer only increase and, presumably, so will your readership. If there provider is not always the best answer. There are more than one is a problem with volume today, tomorrow the problem will be hundred Email Service Providers (ESPs) selling their services worse. in the market today and all of them are on the hunt for new customers. Before jumping ship with your current ESP, a little Decision Point 3: The ESP does not provide high-level features planning can go a long way. to create one-to-one campaigns. Personalization is an important component of emarketing. It is also one of the main reasons Consider these questions: marketers rely so heavily on it. Without the ability to use . Why do you want to switch? dynamic content, surveys, unique landing pages, poll questions, . What risks are involved in switching? and other advanced features, the impact your campaign makes . What are your exact needs? suffers. Your ESP should not only have these features available, . What kind of relationship do you want to have with but be available to tutor you on how to maximize their use. them?. How should you conduct a search for a new ESP, if Decision Point 4: You cannot integrate with a third-party that is your ultimate choice? system. One of the most important features of emarketing is personalization that can be achieved by linking your customer Taking the time to evaluate your options will prevent making a database (and the data you have collected) with your distribution snap decision and getting locked into an annual contract with a list. Being able to use the data you have collected from current vendor that doesn't fit your needs or organizational culture. and potential customers not only helps you create dynamic content they will respond to, it also shows them that the surveys Reasons that Justify Finding a New ESP and demographic information they submitted to you is being Since email is fast becoming the dominant form of communication used for their benefit. with stakeholders, it is essential that your ESP provide you with quality features and even higher quality customer service. They Decision Point 5: Your ESP is overcharging you. Fees for "per are the "experts" of the emarketing industry so it is up to them email transmission" are well documented in the industry so you to provide you with guidance when you want to ramp up your should be able to see find out how your ESP compares. Most ESPs emarketing efforts and help you problem solve technological now charge on a per volume basis, meaning you pay a per email issues. Below are, what we call, "decision points," factors that make transmission rate that decreases as you send more emails. Most it worth your while to consider finding a new ESP. ESPs charge extra for using features such as dynamic content, but some do not. Decision Point 1: Shared IP Address. The bottom line is that you shouldn't share your IP address with any of your ESP's other clients Decision Point 6: Your ESP's customer service is lacking. because there is no distinction between the two organizations. Nothing is more frustrating than having a technical problem on S... [download for more]
