Summary
ESPs manage internal and client deliverability responsibilities using a multi-faceted approach that includes dedicated teams or individuals, proactive monitoring, adherence to standards, the provision of tools and consultation, and a strong focus on reputation management. They ensure their own internal emails are delivered successfully while also providing clients with the necessary support and resources to optimize their campaigns. Key to this is maintaining a robust infrastructure, managing shared IP reputation carefully, and operating a responsive abuse desk. Following best practices, such as segmentation, authentication, and feedback loops, is essential. Moreover, ESPs leverage various tools, including those provided by Google, Microsoft, and SendGrid, to monitor performance and address deliverability issues.
Key findings
- Dedicated Resources: Many ESPs allocate dedicated teams or personnel to handle both internal and client deliverability.
- Proactive Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of IP addresses, domain reputation, bounce rates, and complaint rates is critical.
- Standards Compliance: Adherence to SMTP standards and implementing authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential.
- Tooling and Resources: ESPs provide tools and resources, including Google Postmaster Tools, Microsoft Sender Support, and SendGrid's monitoring tools, to clients and use them internally.
- Consultation and Guidance: Offering consultation on best practices, such as list hygiene, segmentation, and content optimization, is common.
- Feedback Loops: Establishing feedback loops with mailbox providers helps identify and address issues causing complaints.
- Shared IP Management: Careful management of shared IP reputation is crucial to prevent negative impacts on client deliverability.
- Abuse Desk: A well-functioning abuse desk is necessary for handling complaints and protecting sender reputation.
- Testing and Optimization: Employing seed lists and email testing tools is vital for identifying potential spam triggers and optimizing email formats.
- Segmentation: Effective list segmentation improves deliverability rates and allows for more targeted messaging.
Key considerations
- Resource Allocation: ESPs must allocate adequate resources to both internal and client deliverability efforts.
- Team Structure: Determine whether separate or combined teams are more effective for managing the differing needs.
- Client Education: It is critical to educate clients about deliverability best practices and provide tools for effective management.
- Proactive Approach: Taking a proactive stance in monitoring and resolving issues prevents negative outcomes for both internal and client email programs.
- Reputation Management: Maintaining a positive sending reputation requires continuous effort and adherence to industry best practices.
- Compliance: Ensuring full compliance with email regulations and standards is non-negotiable for sustaining good deliverability.
- Tool Integration: Integrate the relevant tooling and resources for effective management.
What email marketers say
17 marketer opinions
ESPs manage internal and client deliverability through dedicated teams or individuals, utilizing various tools, best practices, and proactive monitoring. Internal deliverability focuses on the ESP's own email infrastructure, ensuring their messages reach recipients. Client deliverability involves providing resources, support, and consultation to help clients optimize their campaigns. Key strategies include monitoring reputation, implementing authentication protocols, using feedback loops, adhering to best practices (double opt-in, list hygiene, segmentation), and offering email testing tools. Larger ESPs often have separate teams for internal and client deliverability, while smaller ESPs may use a combined team. Managing shared IP reputation and maintaining a responsive abuse desk are critical for the success of both internal and client deliverability efforts.
Key opinions
- Dedicated Teams: Many ESPs have dedicated teams or individuals responsible for both internal and client deliverability.
- Monitoring: Proactive monitoring of IP addresses and domain reputation is crucial for both internal and client deliverability.
- Authentication: Implementing strong authentication methods (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is essential to prevent spoofing and phishing.
- Best Practices: Following email best practices (double opt-in, segmentation, list hygiene) improves deliverability for both ESPs and their clients.
- Consultation: ESPs offer consultation services to clients on email authentication, list hygiene, content optimization, and sending frequency.
- Feedback Loops: Setting up feedback loops (FBLs) with mailbox providers provides valuable data on spam complaints for both internal and client use.
- IP Management: ESPs manage shared IP reputation carefully, as their internal mail streams directly affect client deliverability.
- Abuse Desk: Maintaining a responsive abuse desk is critical for addressing complaints and protecting sender reputation.
- Testing tools: ESPs use email testing tools to evaluate deliverability for internal and client templates.
- Segmentation essential: Segmentation helps to improve key deliverability rates for internal lists, as well as ensuring clients have the correct toolset to segment.
Key considerations
- Resource Allocation: ESPs need to allocate sufficient resources to both internal and client deliverability efforts to ensure success.
- Team Structure: Determine whether separate or combined teams are most effective for managing internal and client deliverability.
- Client Education: ESPs should educate clients on best practices and provide the necessary tools to manage their deliverability effectively.
- Proactive Approach: Take a proactive approach to monitoring and addressing deliverability issues to prevent negative impacts on both internal and client email programs.
- Compliance: Adhering to all relevant email regulations and standards is crucial for maintaining good deliverability.
- Reputation management: Sending reputation needs to be managed. For their own mail, ESPs control the sending practices to create a good reputation. For clients, the job is to educate and help them succeed so that they, too, create good reputations
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks shares their bias is that a department/person should own deliverability across the board, taking responsibility for all mail streams. This doesn't mean they have to fix everything, but they own the responsibility.
2 Feb 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks agrees with Matt V and voices their opinion, especially during launches, and provides direction for internal teams to succeed. They emphasize the importance of carefully managing the domains used to avoid impacting the production ecosystem.
22 Jul 2023 - Email Geeks
What the experts say
5 expert opinions
ESPs manage internal and client deliverability by monitoring reputation, working with IT, and maintaining policies. Shared IP reputation requires careful management to avoid impacting clients. A well-functioning abuse desk is critical for handling complaints and maintaining reputation. Seed lists are essential for testing deliverability, and monitoring domain health helps to see the deliverability impact.
Key opinions
- Reputation Management: ESPs must identify and monitor reputation issues.
- Shared IP Impact: Internal mail streams can affect the IP reputation of clients.
- Abuse Desk: A responsive abuse desk handles complaints and protects clients.
- Seed Lists: Seed lists are essential for testing deliverability.
- Domain Health: Monitoring domain health impacts deliverability.
Key considerations
- IT Collaboration: Work with IT to implement changes and policies.
- IP Management Strategy: Implement strategies for carefully managing shared IP addresses.
- Complaint Handling: Develop procedures for handling abuse complaints effectively.
- Testing Methods: Establish reliable methods for testing internal and external deliverability using seed lists.
- Monitoring Tools: Invest in tools to monitor domain health and reputation continuously.
Expert view
Expert from Word to the Wise explains that domain reputation is everything and it needs to be a key focus. By testing and monitoring domain health for their internal and external campaigns you can start to see the impact on the deliverability.
9 Oct 2023 - Word to the Wise
Expert view
Expert from SpamResource explains that ESPs must have a well-functioning abuse desk. This desk handles complaints, investigates reports of spam, and takes action against spammers. A responsive abuse desk is critical for maintaining the ESP's reputation and protecting its clients.
17 Mar 2025 - SpamResource
What the documentation says
4 technical articles
ESPs manage internal and client deliverability through a combination of monitoring tools, adherence to standards, and leveraging support resources. They use tools to track metrics like bounce rates and complaint rates for both internal monitoring and client reporting. Adherence to SMTP standards ensures proper email transmission. Resources such as Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft sender support help identify and address deliverability issues affecting both the ESP and its clients.
Key findings
- Monitoring Tools: SendGrid provides tools for monitoring deliverability metrics internally and for clients.
- SMTP Standards: RFC standards dictate how email should be transmitted and handled, which ESPs must follow.
- Google Postmaster Tools: Google Postmaster Tools allows monitoring of deliverability to Gmail users for ESPs and clients.
- Microsoft Support: Microsoft offers sender support resources to improve deliverability to Outlook.com and Hotmail.
Key considerations
- Tool Utilization: ESPs should effectively utilize monitoring tools to track deliverability metrics.
- Standards Compliance: Adherence to SMTP standards is essential for ensuring compatibility and avoiding spam flags.
- Resource Leverage: ESPs should leverage resources such as Google Postmaster Tools and Microsoft sender support.
- Issue Identification: These tools and resources help to identify and address deliverability issues impacting both the ESP and its clients.
Technical article
Documentation from RFC details that SMTP standards dictate how email should be transmitted and handled. ESPs must adhere to these standards for both their internal and client email sending to ensure compatibility and avoid being flagged as spam. This includes proper formatting, authentication, and error handling.
9 Jul 2022 - RFC Documentation
Technical article
Documentation from SendGrid Documentation details that it provides tools for monitoring deliverability metrics, such as bounce rates, complaint rates, and blocklist status. These tools are used both internally to manage the platform's overall deliverability and are offered to clients to monitor the performance of their individual email programs.
12 Jan 2024 - SendGrid Documentation
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