Slow or unreliable email can disrupt your business communication, causing delays, missed opportunities, and frustration for both staff and customers. Improving email speed and reliability means making sure your messages send and arrive quickly, without errors or downtime. For many Australian small businesses using Microsoft 365, this involves optimising your email setup and addressing common technical and security issues.
Why this matters for Australian SMBs
Email is often the backbone of daily operations—used for customer enquiries, supplier coordination, invoicing, and internal collaboration. If your email is slow or unreliable, it can lead to lost sales, delayed projects, or damaged reputation. Additionally, poor email performance can increase the risk of data loss or security breaches, especially if outdated systems or weak settings leave you vulnerable to phishing or malware.
A practical example
Consider a 50-person Australian marketing agency using Microsoft 365 for email. They noticed frequent delays sending large attachments and occasional outages during peak hours. Their IT provider identified that their internet connection was congested and their Microsoft 365 licences were not optimally configured, causing bottlenecks. By upgrading their internet plan, enabling Microsoft Exchange Online features like cached mode, and setting up proper email routing and spam filtering, the agency improved email speed and reduced downtime, boosting staff productivity and client satisfaction.
Checklist to improve email speed and reliability
- Check your internet connection: Ensure your business has a reliable, high-speed internet plan that can handle your email volume, especially if you send large files.
- Review Microsoft 365 licence and settings: Confirm you have the right licences (e.g., Exchange Online Plan 2 for advanced features) and that settings like cached mode in Outlook are enabled to improve performance.
- Ask your IT provider about email routing and DNS records: Properly configured MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records help prevent delays and reduce spam.
- Implement regular mailbox maintenance: Archive or delete old emails to keep mailbox sizes manageable, which can improve loading times.
- Check for software updates: Keep Outlook and other email clients updated to benefit from performance and security improvements.
- Review your spam and malware protection: Effective filtering reduces the risk of malicious emails slowing down your system or causing outages.
- Verify backup and recovery processes: Ensure your emails are backed up regularly to avoid data loss in case of issues.
- Test email speed and reliability periodically: Use simple tools or ask your IT provider to monitor email delivery times and uptime.
Questions to ask your IT provider
- How do you optimise Microsoft 365 email settings for speed and reliability?
- What monitoring tools do you use to detect email issues before they impact us?
- Can you explain how our email security settings protect us from phishing and spam?
- What is your process for backing up and restoring email data?
- How quickly can you respond if our email service goes down?
Improving email speed and reliability is a practical step that supports your business's daily operations and protects your communication channels. Discuss your current email setup and challenges with a trusted managed IT provider who understands the needs of Australian small and mid-sized businesses. They can help tailor solutions that fit your budget and ensure your email system runs smoothly.