Difference between shared mailbox and distribution list

Group email vs shared mailbox? When seeking the perfect email solution for your team, you’ve likely heard of both options as more teams search for the best digital collaboration tools. 

Group emails and shared mailboxes offer beneficial solutions for teams looking to streamline communications quickly and efficiently. While it can be difficult to determine which option best suits your team’s needs, this comparison explores the key differences between a group email and a shared mailbox to help you determine which email solution will work for your team.  

What Is a Group Email? 

A group email is a dedicated email address used for specific communication purposes amongst a team. Once a group email is created, certain team members can be added. When sending messages via group email, each individual team member receives a copy. 

Group email works best for mass communication. For instance, if three new company hires need to receive standard training documents, their manager can create a “new-hire” group and invite all new employees. Selecting the “new-hire” group saves the time of adding multiple email accounts when all recipients will receive the same email message. 

Group email best suits departments like HR, marketing, or support departments that regularly send company announcements, meeting information, or holiday emails to an entire team. 

What Is a Shared Mailbox? 

A shared mailbox is an inbox that allows multiple team members to manage emails together from inside their own email accounts. Company inboxes for teams like sales and support receive a high daily volume of emails, which often requires management by more than one user. 

Managers grant access to specific members, who can then send, receive, and manage emails together from one email address. Shared mailboxes allow teams to work together to reduce inbox clutter and improve response times.

Teams often employ shared mailboxes when multiple members need to access the same email inbox, such as support@ or orders@.

Group Email vs Shared Mailbox

The key difference between these tools lies in the main function of distribution or collaboration. Group emails function as distribution lists for teams, while shared mailboxes serve as an email management platform through which teams can address emails collaboratively. 

When one person needs to share email information with multiple people, a group email offers the greatest advantage. But when it comes to team collaboration, group email lacks this capability. Shared mailboxes prevent cc’ing and forwarding, and allow administrators to assign clear accountability to team members to prevent duplicate efforts. 

An example of a group email solution you may have come across is a Google Group. A Google Group is a separate app within Google Workspace that allows users to email a large group at once. If your team uses Microsoft for email, an Office 365 group offers similar functionality via Microsoft Teams instead. 

The chart below displays the key differences between a group email vs shared mailbox by comparing common Google Group features with those of a standard shared mailbox. 

The best email solution for your team will address your company’s specific needs. 

A shared mailbox offers a better solution for enhancing collaboration and assigning and delegating emails for clear accountability. However, if you simply need to communicate with all team members simultaneously, a group email may better suit your needs. 

While group emails often come gratis, or at a lower cost, they sometimes lack features many teams view as essential. A shared mailbox may cost more, but your team will likely view the benefits and solutions as priceless. 

Gmelius - The Only Inbox Your Team Needs

As a collaboration and communication tool for Gmail, Gmelius offers the only truly shared mailbox solution for teams. To build a productive workflow, your team needs a collaborative solution. Remote and hybrid teams comprise many companies today, making asynchronous communication a vital concern. 

While a group email can expedite communication, the ability to bring team members together with a shared mailbox promotes greater efficiency. Gmelius allows your team to create a shared inbox directly from Gmail instead of managing multiple inboxes or downloading additional apps. Your Gmail inbox makes all Gmelius features immediately accessible. 

Teams can view multiple shared inboxes from one interface and manage emails together. Gmelius offers the following additional features to promote collaboration: 

• Email notes allow teams to hold conversations to the side of an email, preventing additional email threads, cc’ing, and forwarding. 
• Teams can assign emails for clear accountability to prevent duplicate replies. 
• No need to share passwords. Gmelius is accessible from each team member's personal Gmail account. Simply log in and view your company’s shared mailboxes on the left side of the interface. 
• Analyze and improve team collaboration with insightful analytics. 

If your team already uses Google Groups for email, Gmelius can convert your Google Group into a Gmail shared inbox. Download the Gmelius extension for your browser today to get started. 

Initial research comparing group emails to shared mailboxes may not reveal immediate benefits. However, when examining the component parts required to build collaborative platforms, a shared mailbox solution such as Gmelius emerges as the clear answer. 

‍Comparing group email vs shared mailbox can determine which option is best for your team. Check out our features and integrations and learn how Gmelius is built to improve team communication and collaboration. Ready to get started? Sign up today!

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