How to set up a support email
To set up a support email, create a role address like [email protected], route it to a place your whole team can see, and set clear expectations for replies.
A support email is a shared, role-based address (support@, help@, hello@) that customers write to and any teammate can answer, instead of messages landing in one person's personal inbox. Getting it right early saves you from missed emails and a single bottleneck as you grow.
The address is the easy part. The decision that matters is where it lands: a forwarding rule, a shared mailbox, or a shared inbox that actually tracks who is handling what.
Steps
- 1
Pick the address
Use a role name, not a person: support@ or help@. Role addresses survive staff changes and signal that a team, not an individual, is on it.
- 2
Create it with your email provider
In Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, create the address as a shared mailbox or a group so more than one person can access it without a separate license.
- 3
Decide where it lands
A plain forward to everyone causes duplicate replies and no ownership. A shared mailbox is better, but still does not show status. A shared inbox tracks who is replying and what is still open.
- 4
Set a reply expectation
Add an auto-reply that sets a realistic first-response time, and decide your target internally. Fast first replies matter more to customers than fast full resolutions.