Using the Email Interface in Your Control Panel

Every control panel includes various modules that make managing a site or several sites easier. Each module is responsible for a different set of tasks that can be executed at will to perform a variety of functions within the site’s backend interface. The control panel is usually segmented into different sections that pertain to different areas of website creation, management and optimization. Although every control panel is different, they all have certain modules in common, such as the FTP account module, the File manager module, and most notably the email account manager module. Successfully administrating a successful website requires the use of one or more email accounts setup properly.

Setting Up Email Accounts

Setting up email accounts within the email account management module is usually pretty simple, but may vary depending upon the control panel you are using. Generally you would simply choose a site from a dropdown list of domains that are loaded into your web hosting account, and then you would choose a prefix for the email account, which is the part the comes before the @ symbol. For example, you may want your email address to be – myemailaddress@mydomain.com. You would then set up a password and log into the email account to setup your favorite email client such as SquirrelMail or RoundCube.

Setting Up AutoResponders

An autoresponder is an integrated serverside software that automatically responds to email inquires based on a set selection of criteria. Many control panels include autoresponder functionality by default, however there are also more capable autoresponder solutions such as Aweber that can be installed via installation utilities such as Fantastico and SimpleScripts. Autoresponders are often used in the world of eCommerce sites to respond to customers that are in need of assistance, and that ask questions that have already been answered on numerous occasions, almost like an interactive FAQ. Autoresponders are also used to respond to general inquiries with pricing lists and other information that can be automatically sent.

Setting Up Filters

Filters can be used to send certain emails to certain folders, or even other email inboxes. For example, you may want to send all emails that contain the words “pricing”,“prices”, or “pricelist” to a folder named “Pricing.” Or you may want to send all emails form a particular client to their own folder. All of this and more can be done within the filtering options of your email client which can be found within your web hosting control panel. You can also set up filters that send emails with certain titles to certain folders. In general, a filter can be applied to virtually any criteria that can be identified within an email.

Setting Up Employee Emails

Another way you can use the email account management module to control the input and output of your workforce is to set up employee emails, in which employee of your website has their own email address. This is particularly useful when operating a multifaceted site with multiple service departments and supervisors. You can set up permissions for each email address, even restricting some to read-only status if necessary.