Electronic-mail (e-mail) is the most popular Internet technology. It is least expensive to implement while being easy to use, fast and reliable. Due to its popularity, e-mail makes it possible to communicate with a broad audience. The amount of e-mail sent has outstripped ground mail since 1995.
Although e-mail can include graphics, audio and video, most often it is used to send plain text-based messages with or without documents attached. Using e-mail, businesses can communicate with their customers and suppliers to exchange business information and documents for every day processes including providing sales information, booking appointments, providing customer support, providing documents, placing orders, sending invoices and checking on overdue accounts.
Definition
E-mail is the transmission of electronic messages over communications networks. E-mail can travel within a local business network or across the Internet. There are three essential components of an e-mail message:
- The sender's address
- The recipient's address
- The body of the message
An e-mail address takes the form of name@domain name, where "name" is the name assigned to the intended recipient and "domain name" specifies the server where the mailbox resides. To send e-mail, a message is composed in an e-mail program. The completed message is sent from the e-mail client to a mail server and across the network to the recipient's address. The message resides in the recipient's mailbox until it is retrieved using their e-mail program. Received mail can be opened, read, saved, deleted or forwarded to others. It can be printed off or read on the screen. Attached files can be opened, read, edited, printed and/or saved.
Benefits of Using e-Mail
E-mail has numerous benefits as a communication medium.
e-mail is Quick to Write and Deliver
An e-mail message can reach its destination anywhere in the world often in less than a minute. The informal style typically used in e-mail correspondence makes it much faster to prepare than a formal memo or letter. E-mail programs allow reply messages to quote the original text. Thus correspondents can reply point by point without re-stating a lot of information, resulting in quick, unambiguous replies to requests for information or discussion points.
e-Mail is Versatile
Since the message is digital, it is simple to copy, forward, and paste into other applications. Messages can be archived and searched to find key pieces of information quickly. Documents and files created with other applications can be attached to e-mail messages, making e-mail an easy choice for electronic document distribution and file sharing.
e-Mail is Convenient
As e-mail works on a store-and-forward basis, it is not necessary for the recipient to be present to receive the message. This eliminates telephone tag, and eases communication across time zones. Messages can be sent or received at any time of the day or night.
e-Mail is Inexpensive
Messages can be sent and received anywhere in the world for the price of the Internet connection. A single message can be sent to a list of recipients for no additional cost.
e-mail leaves an audit trail
E-mail messages can be archived electronically or printed and filed to provide a permanent record of communication.
Setting up an e-Mail Account
E-mail accounts can be set up from a number of different sources:
Corporate Accounts
Most businesses will have e-mail accounts and will provide an account to most employees. An Internet Service Provider (ISP) who also provides Internet access and/or Web site hosting generally provides e-mail services for corporate accounts.
Home e-Mail Accounts
ISPs that provide home based Internet access; generally also provide a limited number of e-mail addresses with each account.
Online e-Mail Accounts
Online e-mail accounts can be set up using a range of free services.
Each option has its pros and cons. Corporate and home accounts can be used with stand-alone e-mail software, resulting in more features and more storage space for archived e-mails. The ISP will provide set up information and technical support.
Online e-mail accounts are free, easily accessed and require no additional software. However, storage space and features are more limited.
E-mail is simple to use and most people can learn the basics in a few minutes of experimenting.
Finding e-Mail Addresses
There is no single comprehensive directory of e-mail addresses similar to a local telephone book. However, most businesses indicate their e-mail address on corporate literature. Most organizations also include an e-mail link on their corporate Web site.
Employee e-Mail Usage Policies
Used properly, e-mail will enhance business productivity. However, used inappropriately it can decrease productivity. Some employees may use e-mail during working hours for personal e-mail correspondence or may use corporate e-mail addresses to post personal opinions on public mailing lists. These practices can be detrimental to a business.
As a result, most companies establish a corporate e-mail policy, governing the use of e-mail by employees.
Corporate e-Mail Usage Policies
Businesses must determine their own usage policies with regard to e-mail and must be aware of the legislation that governs corporate e-mail usage. Sending thousands of messages can be considered spam unless all recipients have agreed to receive information from the business. Collecting e-mail addresses can be in breach of the privacy act unless all address owners have agreed to provide the address and it is handled in compliance with their agreement.
What is Spam?
Spam is e-mail that is both "unsolicited" and "bulk".
Unsolicited: the recipient has not verifiably granted deliberate, explicit, and still-revocable permission for it to be sent.
Not all unsolicited e-mail is spam. For example a normal, unsolicited e-mail may be a first contact enquiry, a job enquiry or a sales inquiry.
Bulk: The e-mail is sent as part of a larger collection of messages where the recipient's personal identity and context are irrelevant because the message is equally applicable to many other potential recipients.
Not all bulk e-mail is spam. For example, a normal, bulk e-mail may be a subscriber newsletter, multi-customer communication message or a discussion list.
Harmful Effects of Spam
Anyone who has received spam recognizes how irritating it is. However, spam has become more than irritating. It has become a significant social and economic issue, a drain on the business and personal productivity of Canadians and a cloak for criminal activity.
There are three critical factors that make spam a serious issue in today's economy:
- The rapid growth of spam messages
- Harmful or illegal spam
- The cost of spam
Rapid Growth of Spam Messages
Spam messages as a percentage of e-mail:
- 2000: spam amounts to about 10 percent of the total volume of e-mail
- 2003: spam surpasses legitimate communications
- 2004: spam makes up 80 percent of global e-mail
The increasing volume of spam is a direct threat to the viability of the Internet as an effective means of communication as the vast volume of e-mail messages becomes unmanageable and as spam is increasingly used for harmful and illegal activities.
Harmful or Illegal Spam
Spam is used to distribute e-mail that can cause harm to computers, networks or data by sending viruses or creating denial of service attacks. It is also being used for deceptive and fraudulent business practices such as phishing for e-mails (trying to get the recipient to release personal information under false pretenses) or promoting "spoofed" Web sites masquerading as legitimate businesses. Through practices such as e-mail address harvesting and sending spyware, spam invades the privacy of individuals.
Cost of Spam
The costs associated with dealing with spam fall directly or indirectly on consumers and Internet end-users.
- ISPs and other network operators are forced to invest in resources to deploy anti-spam technologies and in resources to respond to customer complaints.
- Legitimate e-mailers are finding that their messages are being filtered by anti-spam technologies, causing delays in responses and productivity.
- Employees are spending unproductive time dealing with spam that has been sent to their business e-mail addresses.
e-Mail Marketing
E-mail marketing can be an effective technique for reaching many potential prospects. However, a business that wishes to conduct e-mail marketing must be aware of the differences between spam and e-mail marketing. It is up to the business to learn how to use e-mail marketing techniques properly.
The Task Force on Spam has produced a series of recommended best practices that encourage Canadian commercial e-mailers to adopt spam-free marketing and other spam-free business techniques. A brief summary follows:
Best Practices for e-mail Marketing
- Marketing e-mail should only be sent to recipients who have provided their consent to receive such information.
- In all marketing e-mail, recipients must be provided with an obvious, clear and efficient e-mail or Web-based means to opt out of receiving all further business and/or marketing e-mail messages from the organization.
- The internal process used to obtain consent should be clear and transparent. Organizations should keep records of the type of consent obtained from recipients so that e-mail lists can be scrubbed prior to campaign broadcasts.
- Every e-mail marketing communication should clearly identify the sender of the e-mail. The subject line and body text in the communication should accurately reflect the content, origin and purpose of the communication.
- Every e-mail should provide a link to the sender's privacy policy. The privacy policy should explain the intended use and disclosure of any personal information that might be gathered through "clickstream" means or other Web site monitoring techniques.
- Marketers, list brokers and list owners should take reasonable steps to ensure that the addresses on their e-mail lists were obtained with the proper consent.
- Marketers should use a high degree of discretion and sensitivity in sending e-mail marketing to persons under the age of majority, in order to address the age, knowledge, sophistication and maturity of this audience.
- When the content of an e-mail is adult in nature the sender must — prior to sending the communication — verify that the recipient is of age to legally receive and view such content.
- All e-mail containing sexually explicit content should include the prefacing tag "SEXUALLY EXPLICIT" in the subject line.
- Organizations should have in place a complaint-handling system that is fair, effective, confidential and easy to use.
- Organizations may disclose the e-mail addresses of existing customers to third-party affiliates or within a family of companies if:
- They have consent to do so.
- They are using the addresses for purposes consistent with their collection (i.e. marketing related to the original purchase or to provide services related to that purchase).
- It is transparent to the recipient why they are receiving e-mail communications.
- There is an easy-to-use way to opt out of receiving further e-mail communications.
Privacy
E-mail marketers must collect and handle e-mail addresses within the guidelines of the law.
The use of personal information in Canadian commercial activities is protected by federal legislation under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), or by provincial legislation that is substantially similar to the federal legislation. PIPEDA is the primary guide to Canadian privacy standards regarding e-mail communications.
PIPEDA was enacted to alleviate consumer concerns about privacy and to allow Canada's business community to compete in the global digital economy. Organizations able to demonstrate their respect for and protection of personal information will gain a competitive edge. PIPEDA builds trust in the digital marketplace and creates opportunities for Canadian businesses.
Under PIPEDA, commercial e-mail communications related information must be:
- Collected with consent and for a reasonable, explicitly declared purpose
- Used, disclosed, and retained for the limited purpose for which it was collected
- Accurate
- Accessible for inspection and correction
- Stored securely
PIPEDA defines personal information as "information about an identifiable individual" that includes any factual or subjective information, recorded or not, in any form. For example, the following would be considered personal information:
- Name, address, telephone number, gender
- Identification numbers, income or blood type
- Credit records, loan records, existence of a dispute between a consumer and a merchant, and intentions to acquire goods or services
For the purposes of e-mail communications it's important to note that under PIPEDA personal information does not include the name, business title, business address, or business telephone of any employee, i.e. information on a business card.
PIPEDA Compliance is Good Business
Good privacy practices help to:
- Build consumer confidence
- Increase customer loyalty
- Protect the integrity of your organization's brand
Almost 50 percent of consumers said they would buy more frequently and in greater volume from companies known to have more reliable privacy practices, according to a recent Harris Interactive Study for Privacy & American Business.
With the implementation of PIPEDA, Canadian firms can do business seamlessly with the European Union (E.U.), which recognizes PIPEDA as providing adequate data protection. This is a significant benefit, since the E.U. has privacy laws that prohibit the flow of personal information to countries without such protection.
Non-Compliance is Risky
A firm that fails to protect the privacy of personal information faces significant risks, including:
- Damage to reputation, brand and business relationships
- Charges of deceptive business practices
- Legal liability and industry or regulatory sanctions
- Reduced revenue, market share and shareholder value
- Customer refusal to provide personal information
To learn more about adopting procedures to comply with PIPEDA, see the Privacy Commissioner of Canada Guide for Businesses.
Additional Resources
Stopping Spam: Creating a Stronger, Safer Internet - Report of the Task Force on Spam May 2005
Recommended Best Practices for e-Mail Marketing
PIPEDA - Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
Industry Canada's Privacy for Business
